There’s a special Christian man who lives in Louisville, Kentucky. His name is Pat Day. Anyone who knows anything about horse racing knows that Pat Day was one of the most successful jockeys of all time. Inducted into the National Museum of Racing’s Hall of fame in 1991, he was a phenomenal rider and athlete. Actually he’s the only human at Louisville’s Churchill Downs, where he won 2,481 races, to have a statue in his honor near one of the entrances.
Pat Day
Photo by Pat McDonogh, The Courier-Journal
More importantly, Pat Day is a bold Christian who doesn’t hesitate to share his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. After winning the Kentucky Derby aboard Lil E. Tee in 1992, Day, wearing a microphone for the broadcast network, broke into jubilant praise. He stood up in the stirrups, lifted his hands toward heaven and thanked God, his heartfelt expressions reaching millions watching on television.
One afternoon this past week Pat Day was a guest on Bob Valvano’s ESPN sports-talk radio show. During the interview Pat was very transparent about his life style before coming to Christ. He admitted being hopelessly addicted to drugs and a frequent abuser of alcohol. He questioned his purpose in life until one day in January of 1984 when he totally surrendered his life to Jesus Christ.
Valvano then asked, “Did you ever race while on drugs?” After a brief pause Day said, “Yes. I am not proud of that fact but the answer is ‘yes’. I never drank and rode but I did race while high on drugs.” Bob Valvano then commented about how dangerous that was to himself and to other riders. Pat Day concurred saying he now deeply regrets what he did but he was just telling truth.
The Hall of Fame rider then went on to relate how the Lord gave him the strength to overcome his addictions and be freed from the chains that had bound him for so long. It was an outstanding testimony on secular radio about the power of Jesus Christ to forgive and transform a life. The Bible says, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
The next few days I heard portions of that interview replayed several times on other sports programs and each time the host would say something like, “Wow! No wonder Pat Day is such a ‘religious’ person.” Or, “Whatever enabled him to overcome his addictions is commendable.”
No one ridiculed Pat for being a religious fanatic or trying to impose his values on others. The fact that Pat Day is humble and approachable, in spite of his many accomplishments only adds to his credibility. One of the things I like best about Pat Day is that he doesn’t act like a prima donna even though he has the right to. Most people really admire that unassuming quality in him. As fellow rider Robby Albarado once told the Daily Racing Form, “Pat Day could probably run for Governor in Kentucky and win; that’s how popular he is there.”
Several years ago, Elliott Walden, former trainer and now President and CEO of racing operations for WinStar Farm, asked to talk with me about issues concerning the chaplaincy program at Churchill Downs. Elliott, who is also a courageous follower of Christ, said, “I’m bringing Pat Day with me.”
When I answered the doorbell I was confronted with one of the more humorous sights I’ve ever seen. There on my front porch stood the six foot five Elliott Walden holding the four foot eleven inch Pat Day in his arms like a child. We all three burst out laughing immediately. Then we talked for the next hour about the issue that was closest to the hearts of both men the witness for Christ at the track.
“When people think of Pat, they think of his skills and accomplishments in racing,” Churchill chaplain Ken Boehm said. “But for the chaplaincy a greater light from Pat shines in his love for the Lord. No one like Pat uses his celebrity status to lead people to an understanding of the Lord. People can’t think of Pat without thinking about his faith, and that opens a door for the chaplaincy. He finds opportunities to share the Gospel with people inside and outside of the industry.”
Years ago I read a sermon of J. Wallace Hamilton titled, “The Unanswerable Answer.” Hamilton’s premise was that the world has no counter-argument for a genuinely transformed life. They might ridicule the church’s music, criticize our buildings, disagree with our sermons, but the testimony of a dramatically changed life is irrefutable. What can you say when a blind beggar gives testimony, “This one thing I know, I once was blind but now I see”? (John 9:25).
The Bible says honor to whom honor is due and Pat Day merits our respect, admiration and encouragement. He sums up his mission in life by saying, “Live every day as if it’s your last, because one day you’ll be right.”
His influential testimony should remind us that the best contribution we can make to our world is a positive, consistent, Christian witness. That’s the unanswerable answer. That’s why Jesus encouraged us, “… let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5: 16).
