On May 2, 1970, Hunter S. Thompson arrived at Churchill Downs to cover the Kentucky Derby for Scanlan's magazine. His subsequent article, "The Kentucky Derby is Decadent and Depraved," was the first time he worked with long-time collaborator- illustrator Ralph Steadman. It is also considered to be Thompson's first widely read use of overtly unobjective, first-person "Gonzo" journalism.

