LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Steve Buttleman is responsible for the most anticipated 15 seconds of Kentucky Derby week - the call to post - and he'll need a few moments to compose himself. Trouble is, the bugler's office, a small white house near the Winner's Circle, will be so jammed with dignitaries he won't be able to purse his lips in peace.
"There's trophies, the governor, all kinds of people in there," said Buttleman, a 39-year-old trumpet instructor and dinner theater performer. "I like to take a little walk just to relax, so I go over in the infield and people look at me like, "What are you doing wearing that red jacket and hat?' "
Just a minor inconvenience. After all, Buttleman's hourly wage rules. At the beginning of each card he plays the national anthem and before each live race at Churchill Downs he plays the call, which was used to rally buglers for reveille in the military. Assuming he plays five minutes a day, the $125 he receives equates to $1,500 an hour. And on Derby day he earns $250.
Buttleman, a Louisville native, won the job in an open audition when the former bugler left to pursue a doctorate in music. Buttleman and another finalist were dressed in costume - a black rider's cap, red jacket, white pants and high black boots - and asked to perform on camera for perusal by judges.
"It was kind of like the playoffs," he said. "Just me and the other guy."
His bugle raised in triumph, Buttleman can enjoy some of the perks of being part of Derby lore, though when he's in costume, people often click instant cameras in his face like they'd just seen Mickey Mouse at Disney World.
