I've been to Derby 6 times. It may be worth doing 1 time in everyone's life if you like a huge backdoor party but I do not recommend going to stay in the infield. Some people love it though (young and old) and have been doing it for years.

 

There's a time for it as far as I'm concerned. I've done the infield three times and at this point, I'm about done with it. Given the cost-prohibitive nature of actual seating for the Derby, who knows when I'll ever go back again? That said, I enjoy horse racing in general and go to Churchill quite often. And yes, the betting is much of what makes it great, though it can be fun without it.

I've been to Derby 6 times. It may be worth doing 1 time in everyone's life if you like a huge backdoor party but I do not recommend going to stay in the infield. Some people love it though (young and old) and have been doing it for years.

 

I saw things in there I can't unsee. :lol: Some of it good, but most very very wrong.

I grew up in Louisville and my dad was and still is a huge horse racing fan. When Churchill Downs had a meet that was racing in the early '60's my dad would pull me out of school every day at 12:30 ( he worked at the Ford plant and got off at noon, started at 4:00) and took me with him to the track, I really mean every day. I literally learned to read by reading the racing form and math by calculating the odds payouts. I guess I got burned out, I never go much any more at Turfway or River Downs. I do enjoy it occasionally, but I love the Kentucky Derby, just in my blood.

I love it....I didn't grow up here, and I don't gamble (well much anyway). The horses are incredible athletes trained by skilled professionals ridden by some of the best human athlete's in the world. How big would the NFL or the NBA really be without gambling?? I have read a number of books in the past few years regarding the horse business, and it has only increased my interest. I agree with "to each his own".. you can throw NASCAR and the NBA in a barge and ship them to China for all I care, and I only have a passing interest in the NFL any more. But I won't be starting a thread dissing NASCAR the NBA or anyone else's interests.

 

I guess... what else would you expect with my avatar?:lol2:

The infield definitely isn't for everybody. :lol2:

 

But I was talking about the grand stand side of the Derby.

I don't mind horse racing...I'll watch the big three races on TV. I don't mind NASCAR (or any other car racing for that matter)...and I'll watch some of those on TV as well. I guess though the problem I always have is that there's things that are out of your control, if you're one of the competitors. You can have a great horse, but if you've got a bonehead for a jockey, he may never win (because the jockey takes him out too fast, or too slow, or gets him pinned to the rail, etc.). Likewise, you can have a Hall of Fame jockey, and put him on a nag that's headed to the glue factory, and he still won't win.

 

Same thing with NASCAR. Do I think Jimmie Johnson is THAT much a better driver than someone like Carl Edwards? The answer is...no. Johnson's been fortunate to have good equipment that hasn't broken down, and he's stayed out of trouble. Don't get me wrong, I think all of them have athletic abilities. You pretty much have to have some serious arm strength to be tugging on that wheel for 500 miles, and some stamina to be sitting in a 100-degree vehicle for 3 hours. But, I just don't think it's "sports". You just can't control your own destiny.

To decide if you truly do not like horse racing I would suggest a day at a small track. Get up early in the morning and take a walk along the rail while the horses are on the track doing their morning works. Then in the afternoon visit the paddock before a race. At a small track you can be 4 feet away from the horses. Watch the trainers and jockeys talk about strategy or watch the trainer stretch the horses legs and keep them calm. Then watch a mile or longer race from the rail right in front of the starting gate. The rush when the gate opens is incredible. Then watch one from the top of the grandstand. Then go down to winners circle and watch the winning connections and horse get their picture taken.

I love horse racing but never bet. There is something about sitting in the sunshine on a beautiful spring day, watching (IMO) the most beautiful animal God created run. I am in awe of the jockeys and their control of all that muscle. There's a thrill to watching a photo finish.

 

As to the Derby, I've done the infield and a clubhouse box. Won't do the infield again after a taste of the good life. :lol.

 

I don't think you can explain what Derby is to someone. You either "feel" it or you don't. I have been tied to Derby my whole life. I grew up 2 blocks from the Longfield entrance. We parked cars at the home of a friend that lived on Central Avenue. I rented the same house after my divorce, it was on the corner of what used to be 9th & Central....now a parking lot. I used the have turkey leg vendor in my front yard every year. . I've worked in hotels for 25 years and became considered a bit of an "expert" on that side of things. If you can sell someone a standard room for $5K for 3 nights, get them the best tix, limo service, into the top parties and restaurant reservations at the last minute...people think you know what you are doing. :lol:

 

This year is my second out of the Louisville hotel scene. And I miss it, surprisingly. But my resort entered our hot air balloon in the Great Balloon race and I worked all the events associated with that. And we WON! So I still was a part of the two week celebration of the greatest 2 minutes in sports.

 

These two weeks Louisville shines even more than usual. There's nothing I can say that accurately conveys the pride I have in the city, the excitement in the air, the wonder of all it takes to pull this off, and seeing all the visitors enjoy our city.

As most of you have stated, the vast majority opinion of horseracing is the Kentucky Derby or a day at Keeneland. You don't take the time or have the interest to get inside the game.

 

To me horse racing is the ultimate mind game. Every day that I sit down and open my racing form I am looking to make a nice hit, and be smarter at picking winners than the average bear. I learn everything I can about trainers and their tactics, jockeys who give you an edge, and horses who are creatures of habit. Factors such as distance, surface, post position, stretch-outs, turn-backs, equipment changes, pace, form, track variants, trip notes, sire stats, etc., are just a few factors which go into making informed decisions and allowing you to win, or lose, a few bucks. While I too enjoy the pagentry, and am happy to see our sport have it's day in the sun with the triple crown, those are not the daily/weekly maiden, claiming, allowance, and stakes races which are the fabric of a true horseplayers' life.

 

Professional sports fans, NASCAR fans, and any spectator sports fans are worshipping others who are profiting from your support. You have no chance of bettering yourself financially, but are only lighter in your wallets for the experience.

 

I get to sit in a 72 degree environment, eat good food, pick the races in which I feel I have an edge. Nobody is throwing anything at me. I don't have to chase anything, and I'm not being knocked down. At the end of the day I check my wallet and see if I'm (not my team) is a winner or a loser. I can bet as much or as little as I choose.

 

I've been an ardent horse player since 1965 and have traveled all over the United States (and Canada) taking vacations visiting tracks around the country. I wouldn't trade in my horse racing experiences for anything. But, as some of the posters have previously stated, "It's not for everybody."

When it come to horse racing...I couldn't care less. Anyone with me on this? In fact, I don't see anything at all appealing about it. No, I didn't grow up in KY...grew up in NC but have been in KY almost 25 years now. I know it's a big deal here, for some anyway, and I guess growing up here it just kind of becomes part of the land scape. I have had several here in KY tell me they feel the exact same way about NASCAR racing, and I pretty much grew up in the heart of NASCAR country. Hey, I can understand that opinion, but my reaction to that is...no one is trying to make a big push to build a major horse track in NC. We now have KY Speedway in Sparta with a major NASCAR race along with other prominant races. NASCAR 1, horse racing 0.

 

Personally, the ONLY reason horse racing is anywhere near as big as it is, is because of the gambling aspect. Take that away and there is no horse racing. And I'm not a gambler, so maybe thats why I have no affinity for it. With that said, Keenland is a beautiful track and I have enjoyed a day or two there with friends.

 

I don't like either the Kentucky Derby or Nascar. I just don't see the attraction. But I think the Derby is better because it is over in a couple of minutes. I realize the actual Derby race is not the whole Derby experience, but it still holds no interest for me. And watching cars racing in circles for hours really makes no sense to me.

When it come to horse racing...I couldn't

care less. Anyone with me on this? In fact, I don't see anything at all appealing about it. No, I didn't grow

up in KY...grew up in NC but have been in KY almost 25 years now. I

know it's a big deal here, for some

anyway, and I guess growing up here

it just kind of becomes part of the land

scape. I have had several here in KY tell me they feel the exact same way

about NASCAR racing, and I pretty much grew up in the heart of

NASCAR country. Hey, I can understand that opinion, but my

reaction to that is...no one is trying to make a big push to build a major

horse track in NC. We now have KY Speedway in Sparta with a major

NASCAR race along with other prominant races. NASCAR 1, horse

racing 0.

 

 

 

 

Personally, the ONLY reason horse racing is anywhere near as big as it is, is because of the gambling aspect. Take that away and there is no horse racing. And I'm not a gambler, so maybe thats why I have no affinity for it. With that said, Keenland is a beautiful track and I have enjoyed a day or two there with friends.

 

I could say the same thing about the NFL. Without gambling and fantasy football the NFL is soccer.

NASCAR is all about the cars and equipment. Zzzzzz.

NASCAR is all about the cars and equipment. Zzzzzz.

 

Plus, I'm not impressed by something I'm pretty sure I can do. The allure of watching pro sports is I can't dunk a basketball and I can't hit a 92mph slider. I can drive really, really well. I'm more impressed by the drivers at the dirt tracks, who finance their own racing and do the mechanical work themselves. Not Tony Stewart, who's just a goober on silly commercials.

I don't like either the Kentucky Derby or Nascar. I just don't see the attraction. But I think the Derby is better because it is over in a couple of minutes. I realize the actual Derby race is not the whole Derby experience, but it still holds no interest for me. And watching cars racing in circles for hours really makes no sense to me.

 

The 150K people don't show up for one two-minute race. The Derby is an all-day affair.

When it come to horse racing...I couldn't care less. Anyone with me on this? In fact, I don't see anything at all appealing about it. No, I didn't grow up in KY...grew up in NC but have been in KY almost 25 years now. I know it's a big deal here, for some anyway, and I guess growing up here it just kind of becomes part of the land scape. I have had several here in KY tell me they feel the exact same way about NASCAR racing, and I pretty much grew up in the heart of NASCAR country. Hey, I can understand that opinion, but my reaction to that is...no one is trying to make a big push to build a major horse track in NC. We now have KY Speedway in Sparta with a major NASCAR race along with other prominant races. NASCAR 1, horse racing 0.

 

Personally, the ONLY reason horse racing is anywhere near as big as it is, is because of the gambling aspect. Take that away and there is no horse racing. And I'm not a gambler, so maybe thats why I have no affinity for it. With that said, Keenland is a beautiful track and I have enjoyed a day or two there with friends.

 

That statement right there shows you aren't from Kentucky. Until NASCAR gets a race the equivalent of the Daytona 500 in Kentucky then it will always be Horse Racing-1 NASCAR-0 in Kentucky. The Kentucky Derby is the Daytona 500 of horse racing and it has also been ran longer than the Daytona 500. When 30 million dollars gets bet on the Daytona 500 or when Kentucky gets to even host one of the final 10 races in the Chase for the Cup......holla at ya boy. NASCAR will NEVER be as prominent as horse racing in our great state.