Churchill Downs is the place to be on the first Monday in May. This year's 129th running of the Kentucky Derby, the world's most famous horse race, was no exception. The weather was perfect, there were several exciting races, including the Derby, and plenty of mint juleps to go around.
Here are some helpful hints for your visit to the Derby. First of all, for you ladies, you must have a hat. Typically the bigger the better. Usually, you will want to have large plastic flowers adorning your hat. To go with your hat, you will want a nice dress or pants suit. Elegance is definitely the way to go for this race, unless you are in the in field where girls lifting their shirts are much more common.
For the gentlemen, hats are also fairly popular. Most gentlemen are wearing sports coats and ties in a conservative but comfortable manner. However, there is a large group of men who strive to wear the loudest most colorful sports coats known to mankind. It is not that uncommon to see green, pink, orange, and yellow all in the same coat.
When at the derby, you must try at least one mint julep, which is a strange concoction of Kentucky bourbon and sugar garnished with a sprig of mint leaves.
Binoculars are a must for most seats in the grandstands to be able to see the races. Another helpful hint is to be sure that you are in your seats well before the Derby starts. It is amazing how many people come out of the woodwork for this race compared to races earlier in the day.
All in all, this is definitely a must-see at least once, even if you are not a horse-racing fan.