Headed to the Kentucky Derby

We are headed to Louisville, Kentucky on some free United tickets we got last year when we voluntarily bumped ourselves off of a flight to Washington DC. We do not know what to expect, but we hear the Kentucky Derby is the largest party in the world and the most exciting two minutes in sports. We also hear that there is a famous horse race that day as well. I bought two grandstand tickets on ebay, just in case the big party in the infield gets a little too crazy. The guy we bought the tickets from is a brewmeister from Chicago, and invited to his pre-party about 2-3 blocks from the Churchill Downs Racetrack on Saturday.

We hope to see how Maker's Mark bourbon is made, visit the Louisville slugger(baseball bat)museum and the Muhammed Ali center. We want to get a taste of famous Kentucky home cooking, including a visit to Colonel Harland Sanders (recipe developed in 1939) and his Kentucky Fried Chicken. Kentucky's bourbon trail is also known for Jim Beam and Wild Turkey brands.

Kaelin's in Louisville claims to have invented the cheeseburger in 1934, served with homemade potato chips. Two famous drinks here are the Mint Julep and the Kentucky Cocktail, a mix of bourbon and the local Ale-8-One ginger soda.

Most people think Louisville is the capitol, but it is a little town of 30,000 called Frankfort. Only 4 million people live here. Kentucky is also the home of Fort Knox, and the birthplace of Abraham Lincoln, among other famous people. Bowling Green, KY is where Corvettes are made. So, tune in, NBC at 1pm PDT on Saturday for the race. Look for us around the 1/16th pole! Go Big Brown!

We finally arrived in Louisville around dinner time on Thursday. Our plane to Chicago from Denver was late due to de-icing, so we literally ran from the B concourse to the C. We were the last 2 on the plane, just as they were calling the standbys.

We got to our hotel east of Louisville, had some dinner, and met up with the guy we bought the tickets from. He brought the tickets by, and invited us to his big pre-Derby beer party near the track. Anyway, really nice guy and his wife, along with 5 car loads of friends. We decided to take a shuttle bus, which ended up being an old school bus driven by a nice Korean fellow from Boston.

We spent Friday just getting familiar with downtown Louisville. During our breakfast downtown at the Marriott, the waitress told us they were selling Derby hats upstairs. Off we went just for a look. A few dollars later, and Sheri had the neatest/fanciest Derby hat you can imagine, made from a man's fedora!!

We also looked around the revived downtown area, highlighted by Fourth Street Live, an area with clubs and restaurants. We strolled Muhammed Ali Blvd, and had a bourbon at Maker's Mark Lounge. A big storm was headed our way, so we went back to the hotel. It thundered and showered all afternoon, night, and into Derby Day morning.

But we arrived at Churchill Downs around 11am Derby Day to bright sun, dry track conditions, and a real experience. We saw so many women with fancy hats and outfits. The hats almost overshadowed the Derby itself. How do these women walk around for 10 hours in high heels? The parade of horses paled in comparison to the parade of stylishly dressed ladies. Needless to say, it is a real party atmosphere. Lots of beer, mint juleps, champagne, and wine, along with southern BBQ meats, and lobster sandwiches.

The really hearty partiers sit/stand/pass out in the infield, where admission is $40. We saw a bunch of guys bring an old couch into the infield, just so they would have a place to sit!! The local TV stations broadcast live the entire day, both Friday and Saturday. All local businesses run Derby promos of some sort all week long. We met a nice lady on the plane who was going to sit in a luxury box with her boyfriend and his business clients. Seats and boxes are handed down several generations.

As the big moment got closer, most people got to their assigned seats. When the horses walked by the first time, everybody stood on their seats to get a good look. With twenty horses, it was a very large parade. I decided to bet the favorite, Big Brown, and two longshots, just in case. The handle just on the Derby was $26 million at the track, plus another $15 million for the exacta. No wonder the lines at the ATM's were longer than the beer and food lines.

We were sitting/standing about where Big Brown made his BIG move past the leaders, and on to the stretch run. We fortunately missed the tragic breakdown of the filly down the backstretch. It was a sad ending to a really exciting day.

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