My boyfriend, Jim, and I along with another couple (Daryl & Jody) decided to go to the Derby just a couple of days before... We had hoped to take a camper belonging to the mother of the other girl but on Friday that fell thru. So we took Daryl's car instead. All of us worked on Friday so after work, we started our journey. Naturally, we didn't have motel rooms so we had to just drive until we found something. Finally, about 2 a.m. we found a "cheap" motel room.... in Elizabethtown, KY. Yeah, we had driven thru Louisville and headed south in order to find something. We did have ulterior motives though. On Sunday we planned to visit Mammoth Caves and that wasn't that far from E-town.
We got a few hours of sleep then got back in the car to head back to Louisville. We were able to find a place to park that didn't cost that much. We were there.... at the Kentucky Derby.... 1980 version.
We went into the infield and found a place to hang out in the sun all day. Naturally, Jodie and I being shorter, didn't really see a whole lot. We did some betting on some of the pre-race races... well, the other 3 did, I saved my money for the big one! I pretended to know what I was doing and picked my bet.
I picked 2 horses to bet on.... Genuine Risk, a filly to place and Jaklin Klugman to show. Now, Jim and Daryl were making fun of my choices.... According to them there was no freakin' way Genuine Risk was going to win, place or show and I was wasting my couple of dollars (yeah, I bet real big!). And, Jaklin Klugman to them was a nonentity. Just because this horse was owned by Jack Klugman, the star of "Quincy, M.D." didn't mean the horse was any good. All I know is I wanted those horses so Jim did place my bet.
Who got the last laugh????
Winner - Genuine Risk
3rd - Jaklin Klugman
Jim begrudgingly stood in line to collect my money. Here's me while he was away :)
And, yes, that is a Mint Julep in my hand..... Just a little strong for me, but I wanted the glass!
The Kentucky Derby is not what you see on TV. To see the race, you are better off watching it on TV, unless you have the bucks or the name to get in the grandstand. But, the experience in the infield.... as one website describes it "Part Woodstock, part family reunion, this is the gathering place to exercise the first rites of spring Louisville style!" Here it is, 1980 version...
And, here's the crowd at the ticket window.
A once in a lifetime experience.
Special memories.
What a great day that was!
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