WEST ENGLEWOOD — The Kentucky Derby ... in West Englewood?
That's what residents said they were thinking after hearing news of a horse running down West 74th Street near Ashland Avenue Saturday afternoon.
Police got a call about 3:25 p.m. Saturday from a resident who claimed to see a "full-grown brown horse galloping eastbound" on West 74th Street, according to Officer John Mirabelli, a police spokesman.
The Department of Animal Care and Control responded to the call, but an official there said the horse was already caught by its owner by the time they arrived.
The official said Animal Care and Control initially suspected the horse may have come from a South Side high school that keeps horses. But all horses at the high school were present and accounted for Saturday afternoon.
So, as of Saturday evening, it was unclear whose horse it was — or how it got away.
West Englewood residents said Saturday they were shocked to hear of a horse on the loose in the neighborhood.
"If I saw a horse running down the street, I'd think I was dreaming," said a laughing Vera Smith, who has lived on West 74th for 40 years — but didn't see the horse Saturday.
"The only way you're gonna find a horse in this neighborhood is looking at the Kentucky Derby on TV."
