Karl’s First KY Derby

Before I met Heather, I’d heard about Derby, but had never really paid it much attention.

Here in Louisville, the party starts a few weeks early.  There’s a fireworks festival and air show to kick things off, called Thunder of Louisville, then a steady stream of events after that. Things were actually pretty busy for me at work that week, but we took part in the wine tasting, and watched the hot air balloons take off from the small airport near our house.  Derby week is quite a big deal.  They even cancel school on Friday so people can go to Kentucky Oaks, the race before Saturday’s big Kentucky Derby.

I heard more than one person here compare their productivity during Derby week to how they feel the week between Christmas and New Years. Needless to say, I was excited to take part in the fun for the first time.

We always threw a party in San Diego.  So, really this is the 7th time I celebrated Derby.  But drinking bourbon on a rooftop patio at noon is a lot different from what I knew I’d be celebrating this year.

We had tickets to go with Heather’s aunt, Mary, who lives a few blocks away.  For those of you who were at the San Diego Derby parties, Mary is the one who would always send us stuff like glasses for our parties. I think it’s great that she was one of the people to guide me through my first trip to Churchill Downs.

I’ll show you the pictures and you can look at the captions for a little running commentary, but let me say that the entire experience was everything I hoped for, and more. I found I’d stare at a group of people and wonder what year it was. Not because of the Mint Juleps, but because it’s a ritual that’s relatively unchanged since horse racing was the nation’s top sporting event.  I saw guys in suits that looked like they were in the 40′s.  Complete with rolled up race forms in the back pocket like something you’d see in an old movie. The ladies and their hats.  I actually went hat shopping at Dee’s with Heather and all the other ladies.  Really gave me an appreciation for how much goes into this all.

So, did we win any money on the race? No. We bet the 5 or so races before the Derby and didn’t win. Then watched the two races after the big race and actually managed to pick winners in the 2nd to last race. What a great way to close out a terrific day.

Hope you enjoy the pictures,
Karl