Some vignettes from The Kentucky Derby:
Traffic will not be as bad as you think if you go early. My judgement may be off after commuting around greater Washington, DC for years, but I got from the eastern side of Lexington into my first choice of parking lot pretty quickly, and easily shuttled from there to Churchill Downs. We endured one stoppage as a motorcade of local officials held up traffic for a few minutes, but getting to Churchill Downs on the biggest day of its year was surprisingly easy. The wait for a shuttle to parking after the race was much longer, and I regret I did not simply stay in my seat for the final two races of the day. Ironically, I wound up sitting next to the same woman from California on my way back to the parking lot that I had sat with on the way out, even though we never saw each other at Churchill Downs. What are the odds?
Apparently, they are better than the odds I will pick winners. I learned early in life that horse racing is not interesting if you don’t have a stake in it. Whenever I go to a race, I make the cheapest bet I can. I’ve never won, but I always had something to cheer for. This time I lost $4 when the horse I bet on to win pulled up right in front of me. I picked the first disabled horse in Derby history to place for sentimental reasons, but lost on both.
People who were in the grandstand with me were friendly and mostly kind. I was adopted by two locals when they learned I had come on my own, chatted with two Canadians who had always wanted to come to it, met a group of male college friends who use the event as an excuse for an annual reunion, laughed with a pair of nurses from Idaho who wanted to party, and got loads of advice from many, many locals. As the day went on, people paid little attention to the races happening and spent their time mingling and drinking. It was crowded enough inside the stadium that I could not move around in the press of people by about mid-day, so I stayed out in the grandstand. As the Run for the Roses approached in early evening, people moved back to their places or attempted to move into better places than they had purchased. The nurses from Idaho landed back with us after getting kicked out of another area because they were not wearing enough clothing. I’m pretty certain they did not have tickets for our area, but the reuniting college boys accommodated them. My friendly locals had to reclaim their spot from a New York native who had sidled up to me about an hour before the race to “claim” his seat. The family who stood at the fence in front of me firmly stood their ground from lunch on in order to prevent anybody from blocking the view for the kids.
The weather was terrible for Derby, cold and rainy all day. The sky cleared just before the biggest race of the day, but the damp cold left an impact on the day. Most of the vibrant hats were covered in plastic, Wellington boots and coats covered Derby ensembles, and the field was muddy. I had planned to splurge on a Derby dress and hat that year, but in the end, settled for a straw beach hat because it would work in sun and rain. The weather did not dampen any spirits.
Speaking of spirits, I gained a new appreciation for Bourbon. Always hated it before this, but now I love it. I think it was the cold weather.
I purchased my tickets online about a month before the event. I decided on tickets in the second row of the grandstand near the starting gate because I figured the people in the first row would stand on the ground for the race and I could see over them as I knew everyone would stand on their seats for the race. And that’s exactly what happened. Because I was near the starting gate, I got to see the horses thunder past twice. The conventional wisdom is that tickets get very cheap in the week before the Derby because people dump them once they know they cannot go. I was coming from a distance and wanted to be able to see; maybe next time I can afford to take more risk, but the location and company were worth every penny.
I will do it again. Hopefully, next time I will have sunny weather, the proper hat, and a gang of adventurous friends to share it!