My Race To The Kentucky Derby: First Saturday in May!

This afternoon at Starbucks I'm enjoying a tall ice coffee with sugar free mocha syrup. I plan on going out to dinner with some of my Steak 'n Shake co workers, so I sadly have to cut back on the Starbucks calories :( For my treat I chose the reduced fat cinnamon swirl coffee cake. Instead of eating the whole thing, I withstood the urge, cut it in half, and will be eating the other half in the morning. So instead of consuming the 340 calories of pure sugar goodness, it's only 170 :). Even though I'm on a strict diet, I just have to be careful with the portion size and am still able to try some indulgent treats :).

Classes at NARA have sadly come to an end until June 22. However, I am still getting on some of the school's horses in order to maintain not only my fitness but the horses' as well, since last year's graduates will be riding them in a graduation race on May 20th at the Kentucky Horse Park. Unfortunately I will not be able to attend the race because I'll be heading to Mexico, where I'll be looking fly in my brother's wedding! It is very important to keep your priorities straight even when it comes to following your dreams.

This past Saturday was the one and only KENTUCKY DERBY! It is held the first Saturday in May and it is what this blog is all about. On the Monday before the Derby, Mr. McCarron took us to Churchill Downs to witness all the Derby excitement. There were TV crews everywhere trying to get interviews with the different trainers in the Derby as well as the jockeys. There was this buzz of excitement in the air that is very hard to describe. Everyone was a lot more pumped up than usual because it was Derby week. There were tents and extra seating being erected to handle the mass amounts of people that would be attending the Derby. At Churchill we will privileged to get to meet D. Wayne Lukas, as well as Garrett Gomez (who was going to be riding Daddy Nose Best in the Kentucky Derby) and Hall of Fame jockey Pat Day! It was such a wonderful morning getting to visit with these incredible individuals before the Derby, as well as being able to see the Derby horses doing their morning workouts on the track :)

Sadly, since I'm a broke college student, I was unable to attend the Run for the Roses at Churchill downs but did go to see the running of the 138th Kentucky Derby at Keeneland! It was such a different atmosphere than your normal race day. They had a live band playing, there was an enormous bar that was erected and people were everywhere milling about and standing in line to place their bets. There were also large groups of families and friends that had set up tables with different kinds of food to snack on while they watched the races leading up to the Derby. Keeneland had set up big screens all throughout its spectacular grounds as well as had it streaming on their large screen in the infield of their track. When I arrived I went immediately to the betting window and placed my bet on Union Rags, ridden by Julien Leparoux, to win. As the Derby neared the crowd got more and more excited and the noise increasingly grew; but as soon as the legendary "My Kentucky Home" came across the speakers, there was an instant silence as everybody listened to this famous song that is sung before every Derby. Once it was finished and they started announcing the different horses and jockeys that would be riding, cheers went up for the crowd's favorites, while others booed when they heard a name they didn't like. Once the gates where loaded there was an instant hush over the crowd. But as soon as the bell sounded and the doors flung open, the crowd erupted in a row of "Come on, 6," "Come on, 4," "Let's go Union Rags (or insert horses name here)." It lasted for the whole 2 minutes and all of a sudden it was over. I'll Have Another won the race! What made it even more incredible was that this was his jockey's, Mario Gutierrez's, first time in the Derby and he won! I can only dream right now of achieving this feat! Sadly Union Rags got trapped early and didn't have enough time to make up the lost ground. Even though I lost my bet, it was a great experience to be in Kentucky for the Derby and it will be a day that will never be forgotten. I can't imagine what it's like to actually race in the Derby and then come out the victor. My mentor, Chris McCarron, was able to win the Derby twice! The first Saturday in May is one of THE greatest days in racing! It is My Life, My Dream, and My Race to be able to attend the Kentucky Derby not as a spectator, but as a jockey aboard a fantastic thoroughbred that has raced its heart out to be able to be one of the fortunate 20 in the Run for the Roses on that glorious first Saturday in May. Here are a few pictures from my day at Keeneland.