The Kentucky Derby

Have you ever been to a horse race? If not, I highly recommend it. And if you get to hit up one of the largest races in the country, the Kentucky Derby, do it. It was an amazing experience that I will never forget. That's right, I was there. Ryan and Vinny came down this weekend to the Bluegrass State to go to the Derby with me. They've done it before at Belmont, so they had a system. A system that I will gladly take part in, in any following trips that the future holds.

So there we were, sitting along the fence at the end of the back straight away. Maybe 30 feet from the dirt track and less than 12 feet from the turf ring. From 8 to 11 we explored and enjoyed the serenity of a seemingly empty infield. At 11 the races started and the majority of the infield began to fill up. The races went off on time all day long. Most of them only 30 min or so apart, and growing in separation as the day progressed and the temperatures rose. By the 6th race, they were almost and hour apart, ample time to take off your shirt, lay under the blazing sun and take a nap. The temperatures held steady at around 85 degrees and the breeze blew all day; not as strong in the afternoon as the morning, but still there nonetheless.
I want to thank Ryan for his patience in teaching me the finer points (even the broader points) of betting. I placed my bets and enjoyed the atmosphere, that was the infield, for the rest of the day.
RACE 10 - The 131st running of the Kentucky Derby (The Run for the Roses) started about 11 min later than scheduled in the 6 o'clock hour. The crowd multiplied exponentially. The Down's building was a wall of people, on the balcony and roof lines, the stands and even the tops of the porta-johns on the infield. All gaping for a glance at history. And there I was, in the same spot that I occupied at 8 am that morning... on the fence at the end of the back straight. My camara armed and ready, I tried to capture at least a portion of the huge 20 horse field. And that I did. (In studying the photo later to caption it, I noticed the winner in the back of the field. What an awesome moment). Out of no where in the last 100 meters, the long shot, 50-1, Giacomo flys by the lead horses to take the race. WOW! Nobody saw that coming. My horse, Afleet Alex, showed, for a winning of $6.90. Woo-hoo, that could have bought a beer. In all honesty, if I didn't win a penny I would have been perfectly happy. The day was an absolute success.

Thanks fellas.

For pictures of the Derby: http://photos.yahoo.com/cremirun