Kentucky Derby feels like Super Bowl for Saints owners, Sean Payton

2:56 AM ET

Tom Benson and Gayle Benson are “thrilled.” Sean Payton is downright “giddy.”

And all of it feels so … familiar.

Yes, as it turns out, the night before your first Kentucky Derby is very much like the night before your first Super Bowl.

That’s a comparison the Bensons and their New Orleans Saints/New Orleans Pelicans/GMB Racing family are now uniquely qualified to make. The Bensons own two horses that are set to run in Saturday’s Kentucky Derby — Mo Tom and Tom’s Ready — both medium to long shots in the 20-horse field.

“It’s like the night before the Super Bowl. And the anticipation’s there, and the excitement that we’re feeling is there,” said Greg Bensel, the Saints’ VP of communications, who also runs racing operations for GMB.

Their large contingent this week at Churchill Downs has included the likes of Saints coach Payton, general manager Mickey Loomis and many others.

Mo Tom, one of two Kentucky Derby entries from Gayle and Tom Benson, owners of the NFL’s New Orleans Saints and the NBA’s Pelicans, was given 20-1 odds. AP Photo/Charlie Riedel

Even the atmosphere feels familiar.

“There’s people walking around here with Saints shirts on, and there were people yelling ‘Who Dat,’” Bensel said of Friday’s experience at the Kentucky Oaks races. “It’s just real similar.”

Bensel, the one who labeled Payton as “giddy,” said the coach has embraced his role as a fan this time around after he was the one who had every detail covered during the Saints’ run to the Super Bowl six years ago. He pointed to the custom-painted shoes that Payton is planning to wear, as featured by NOLA.com on Friday.

Other NFL owners have moonlighted in horse racing before. Former Buffalo …

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