Drinking my coffee watching Fox and Friends, the have the Weather Babe
at The Derby.

For years I've though it would be cool to go.
Look at the people, drink a mint julip, watch the ponies run.
(Never even seen a horse race before)

My guess is I'd walk all over see what there was to see in no time,
And be bored.
But, it's Americana. Also guess as much as I'd like to go,
I'd never want to do it again. Lotta experiences like that, did it, got the
T-shirt, enjoyed it, once was enough.


Anyone ever go?
More than once?

For 20 years or so, I lived about two miles from Churchill Downs, and never, not even once, went to the Derby, or any other horse race. Just didn't (and still don't) give a rat's azz about it all. I went to the track one time, when Mom and other cancer survivors were treated to a free day at the track. I spent all my time watching people and not the horses (good for coyote bait only, in my eyes).

Living in Louisville doesn't have much going for it, even if you like horses, and I do not like horses. I'm glad I moved out of that pestilential schitthole.

Pestilential... impressive word.

At a lot of event type things, the people watching is the best part.
Often wonder how much entertainment I provide?🤔

Oldest daughter and husband used to go to the KY Derby every year. They and their kids enjoyed it back then. Daughter and granddaughter liked to do the special dress-up and big hat thing and seeing all the celebrities. All but their youngest are grown and out of the house now, with one son in his senior year there at U of L and granddaughter in her freshman year at UK. Think it probably got to be less and less of an special family event for them and the kids as they got older.

I’d love to go to the Derby. Seems like a pretty cool American tradition to me. I have been to the track, which is a really neat place, just never during the race.

It was raining there this a.m. Might be a mud race.

The proper role of horses is sitting next to the potatoes and gravy.

Dillonbuck: I used to "hot-walk" race horses at Longacres Racetrack when I was a teenager.
A bigger bag of scumbags, druggies, drunkards and malcontents are not to be found, when considering horse owners, jockeys, race officials, trainers and gamblers!
And for some of those scumbags to use "the whip" on thoroughbred horses well I sayfuck them all and have never "paid" to enter one of those oval dens of evil.
Never will.
I have the slightest of hope that the cretins that make a living off of gambling and horse racing there in Kentucky are a cut above the cretins I became familiar with way back when?
I don't even care to watch horse whipping on T.V. let alone pay to see it.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

The society of people who buy, sell, breed, and race thoroughbreds has never appealed to me. Having spent many hours in the saddle in some rugged terrain , on the back of some incredible horse flesh, I can appreciate the athleticism of these horses. Beautiful animals!

Had a friend. Started a fence company. Worked hard. Married into a politically connected family. His FIL was mayor of Fort Worth. As retirement age approached, he bought a farm south of Benbrook, TX and began raising race horses. Beautiful place with astounding horses. My connection to him was his FIL's grandson. He and I were very close friends. I used to putter around in a Piper J-3 Cub and would occasionally land on his farm to say hello. Very nice cordial people.
I believe his best showing at the Kentucky derby was a second place finish. I do know there's a horse racing circuit where owners travel around the country to various tracks to race. He had several "wins" at lesser known tracks. One simply does not enter a horse into the Kentucky Derby without a history.
Personally I haven't been to the "Derby" but have attended races in Florida, NM, and Arizona. There's a lot of pomp and circumstance and it's a long, boring process waiting for the big races to begin. In all honesty, to me the greyhound races were a lot more fun!

THIS

+1. Never went either, and the best thing that could happen to KY is if they nuked Louisville from orbit.

Careful with the mint juleps. They'll sneak up on you.

I like going to the State Fair once every coupla years, sitting around getting drunk betting on the ponies.

I went to the Kentucky Derby a couple of times when I was younger. My dad was a horse racing fan. While it was fun, Derby Day is crowded, overpriced, and like any other world famous sporting event it's overblown to the point where it's not fun. You've got to park a long way away then fight your way through way too many people to pay way too much to get into a place where you're so pack into that you can't really see the race. You get to wait way too long in line to buy overpriced food and drinks and when it's over you get to do all the fighting in reverse to get out of there.

If you're one of the hoity toity than can afford the limo service to the door, private boxes, and waiters to bring your drinks then it might be fun. If you're mingling with the masses like me then it's kind of miserable.

Holy Moly what a longshot win!

80-1 Rich Strike wins!

Whoa, somebody cleaned up.

Great Race. What a finish.

That was a great race and win.

I never though much about the race & lived 90 miles away all my life. Then a friend was dating a horse woman & she invited wife & I to got to the race with them. Limo, box seats, waiters, the whole ball of wax.

Then the rules things came up, written or implied dress code, all that. I soon realized I had no interest. Never regretted turning down the invite.

Rich Strike started off at 99-1. Wasn't in the race until yesterday morning, amazing

Have had horses the last 25 years and enjoy trail riding in the hills. The horse race industry chews up and spits out the animals that don't make it and pushing a 2 year old horse that hard breaks many of them down.

Darn…..I forgot that it was today. I could’ve put money on the race…..I knew before the race which horse would win! memtb

That jockey earned his money. It was a very impressive run.

I don't think I've ever seen a bigger field.

Probably the biggest upset in horse racing HISTORY.

99.9% of tickets were losers the second Rich Strike crossed the line.

A $1.00 SUPERFECTA of 21-3-10-13 paid $321,500!!!

A ONE DOLLAR BET!

We did Mother's Day - pizzas on the Big Green Egg and everyone tossed a few bucks down on the ponies. 12 of us lost 100% of our bets but we made 12 great pizzas... Great day!

If you don't have big bucks to waste, you'll be in the infield with a bunch of drunks and may never see a horse. I'm from KY and have no desire to ever go. Back in the 60s and 70s, a regular person could go there and have fun, like some of my family did, but these days, I'll pass. I've heard too many stories.

I saw that Trump was at the Derby - who did he endorse?

I like to go just watch the horses run. I rarely bet. But, I like to see them come over the line and listen to the announcer call the race. You don't have to bet to appreciate a good horse running a good race.

kwg

Rich Strike was pretty amped after the race. Looks like he might be a biter. Took em a while to figure out they needed to run him some more to calm him down
A lot of go but not trail horse material.

I went to the Louisiana derby with my wife a few weeks back. We had a blast1

Yep he was giving that lead pony hell. Dumb as a teenage boy.

it was a zoo here in Vegas. we were at a couple of casinos and the whole book was chirping. I bet mlb and some UFC, don't know schitt about the ponies.

Any given Saturday.

I am not a big horse racing fan but in 1973 I was renting an apartment only a couple of miles from Belmont Raceway in New York. On the spur of the moment a friend and I decided to head over to watch Secretariat try and win the 3rd leg of the Triple Crown which he did handily. Just an outstanding animal. Impressive as hell. Still one of my all time sporting experiences.

Thanks for posting. Quite a final stretch.

YA MON! Somebody cleaned up, incredible race, thanks GITM!

Wow, that's amazing. It's probably the most dominating performance in sports history. Legendary.

Incredible display of horse and jockey getting it done. The aerial view of the stretch run is amazing as they take advantage od every opportunity and thread the needle without a foul. I was impressed and I don't impress easily. I was busy working on a project and about to miss the Derby when I said, nope, I'm going to watch those pretty ponies run. I can't believe what a great race it was.

Yep... Wow... $163+ to win... Whoever tossed a C-note on that pony is gonna celebrate bigly!!

lol