text: John Sutton Jr has spent the first Saturday of May the same way since he was 8 years old - on the sidelines of the Kentucky Derby. To commemorate his dedication to horse racing, Churchill Downs - the track that hosts the race every year - is inviting the 84-year-old man to attend his 76th-straight Kentucky Derby as their special guest on May 2. This week, Sutton invited a reporter from WAVE 3 into the Louisville home he shares with his wife of 61 years Doris, where she spoke about his very first Derby and showed off his impressive collection of racing memorabilia. Scroll down for video . Dedicated: Churchill Downs is inviting John Sutton Jr, 84, to attend the Kentucky Derby as their special guest on May 2, since he has attended every race for the past 76 years . Winner, winner: Sutton was just 8 years old in 1940 when his father brought him to his first race, and the two bet against the favorite on a horse called Gallahadion, which ended up winning the race . Among the masses: Above, a view of the crowds at Churchill Downs on the day of the 1940 race . Sutton says he was just 8 years old in 1940 when his blacksmith father brought him to his first Kentucky Derby. 'Once the race started, we would crash the gates, so to speak to get on the rail or wherever we could get,' Sutton recalled. That year, Sutton and his father decided to bet on the horse Gallahadion, instead of the favorite, Bimelech. And to their delight, Gallahadion pulled through to an unexpected victory that helped cement Sutton's love for the sport. Living history: Sutton has collected a program from every Kentucky Derby he has attended and keeps them in a binder at home. Above, some of the early years . Through the years: The Derby programs got more and more colorful over the years . Keepsakes: In addition to programs, Sutton has Kentucky Derby glasses stretching back more than seven decades . Autographs: Sutton got jockeys to sign several of his programs, which he proudly displays in frames at home . Entry: Above, some of the tickets Sutton has collected from the Kentucky Derby since 1940 . An eye for champions: Sutton won $600 dollars in 19567, when he bet on the winning horse Proud Clarion. Proud Clarion and jockey Bobby Ussery pictured above after placing first at Churchill Downs . Every year since then, Sutton has attended the Kentucky Derby and has collected each year's program since then, which he keeps in a binder at home. He also has kept a collection of his tickets, Derby glasses from the more than seven decades he has attended the race as well as pins and and other programs signed by jockeys. In his early years attending the Derby, Sutton says the day involved a bit of hard work going around to each betting window to buy tickets for his parents, and picking them up snacks for the main event on the way back. But he continues to come back year after year, placing his bets by averaging the past performances of the horses competing. That method won him one of his biggest prizes in 1967, when the then 35-year-old Sutton placed his money on winning horse Proud Clarion and got $600 in return. 'There's nothing like having a winning ticket,' he said, 'You just all of a sudden get smarter you know.' Getting ready for the race: Sutton (left)  pictured above with his wife of 61 years, Doris (right)
target: John Sutton Jr was just 8 years old in 1940, when his blacksmith father took him to his first Kentucky Derby .
  The 84-year-old Louisville native hasn't missed a race since, and has amassed an impressive collection of memorabilia over the past 76 races .
  Churchill Downs, the racing grounds that hosts the competition, has invited Sutton to watch the event for free as a special guest on May 2 .