What a Derby weekend! Lawrence and I just ended a fun filled three days of Derby fun. On Thursday we went out to the track with the Weis, Russell and Varga crew and had a ball in the Turf Club. I've never been out on Thursday before, and I see why it's called the "new" Oaks. There were no crowds and the day had a real "local" feel. After weeks of rain, the day was bright and sunny...I didn't bet a single race, but it was fun to be with that group and then head to dinner at Z's afterward.
Next up was the Oaks. This is the first year we bought a box for both Oaks and Derby, and I'm so glad we did. We went with the Sampsons, and the boys got us a box right on the rail. If the weather is good, this is our favorite place to be (if it's bad, well, not so much). We were blessed with a gorgeous day on Friday, and Lawrence and I even cashed a few big tickets (horse handicapping isn't exactly our thing). The best part of the day was gettting to tell John had hit the exacta in the Oaks. He had given me three horses to bet...#7 because that's his lucky number, #12, because that's his baseball jersey number, and the #13, because it was named St. John's River (this last one was a long shot). I bet a three horse exacta box for him and #12 and #13 came in! This meant quite a bit of winnings for him, and he hasn't let go of it since. Lots of day dreaming going on about what he's going to buy!
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| The sun is shining on Oaks Day! |
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| Amber, Susan and me with our pink cups for the Oaks Day Pink Out |
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| Leaving the Downs after a great Oaks Day |
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| John celebrates his Oaks exacta win |
Derby Day dawned a bit chilly and damp. This concerned me some because we were again going to be out in the open without any cover, and rain was in the forecast. When we first arrived we were greeted with a brief shower, but then the sun came out and shined for the rest of the afternoon. We loved our box so much...it was a risk with the weather, but so worth it when the Derby horses walked their parade at the end of "My Old Kentucky Home." They paraded and turned right in front of our box - beautiful! We saw so many gorgeous hats (and horses!), and Lawrence and I left the Downs after the very last race at 8:00 pm. We were exhausted by the time we got home, but we agreed this was a fabulous Derby weekend and can't wait to do it again next year!
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| The crew is back and ready for Day 2! |
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| The ladies... |
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| The gents... |
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| ...and the winner! Animal Kingdom (my nephew Bruce's pick!) |
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