Kentucky Derby

Talk derby to me.

The 144th Kentucky Derby! Another bucket-list item for Barbra Jean Jo Barbara and Randy Randerson. This was a new experience for both of us. We don't know anything about horses or horse racing, but were willing to learn and experience this legendary race.

Rating:

We give this one warm beer out of a six pack! It's like kissing your sister, not a great experience. This place doesn't treat the average man very well. (the beer is for the people watching.)

First and foremost, we want to be clear that there are 2 experiences and they could not be further apart on Derby day. This event is like the Superbowl and you can't experience it without paying a Superbowl price.

There are two derby's. The Clubhouse and the General Admission/Infield.

The Clubhouse - the only way you will see the actual track

Classy to the point of silly. The prices start around $500 per seat in the bleachers (you are on a bench seat in the rain or sun). It was pouring rain while we were there and no one was sitting because the seats were soaked. Expect to pay about $3000 per seat to be anywhere that you can actually see the race, have any protection from the elements, and have food that was prepared by someone that cares about presentation and taste. This is a house divided by class and they make it clear that it isn't who you are but what you have and how much you are willing to spend without any thought.

General Admission

General Admission tickets include access to the Infield, the paddock area and standing room only areas. With these tickets, you will not have a view of the racetrack nor a seat. The paddock and ground floor areas get packed with people by early afternoon making it very difficult to stand let alone walk and mingle in the area. However, the beer and food lines weren’t too bad on the ground floor but the betting lines were definitely crowded. This is more of a people watching dream come true. People wear everything from shorts to formal wear and everything in-between. We have to say that we thoroughly enjoyed the people, the derby flair, and the smiling faces. We can't give the track credit for that. By late afternoon, you’re reminded that you are at "the track" and not a fancy party, as the paddock and ground floor get congested with people, drunk sorority girls, and area really starts to get littered up. You’ll be dodging broken glass, empty cans of beer and some people too drunk to know where they are.

The Infield

Oh my god, it is a mosh-pit. YouTube it.

With your $80 General Admission / Infield ticket, you get to stand all day, you will have NO track view at anytime (they built 12 foot tall solid wall fences to ensure you don't), the only races you will see will be on the TVs around the area, you will see NO celebrities, and you will be purchasing burgers, fries, hotdogs and beer. The Mint Julep drinks in the General Admission certainly are NOT like those in the clubhouse. You get literally nothing for your $80 price of admission. You will have gone to the Kentucky Derby and still have not seen a Kentucky Derby. You will have attended a frat house party

somewhere in Kentucky.

At one point it was raining with the temperature was around 60 degrees and a woman, in her early thirty's, was standing just under the overhang trying to keep the rain off. She was in a little black dress and was shivering. She was clearly miserable. Randy Randerson and Barbra Jean Jo Barbara couldn't bear to watch her like that, so Randy Randerson, having been a boy scout, went over to her and asked her to move just around the corner so they couldn't see her. She just looked miserable. But alas, the crowd was too thick and we could still see her. We gave her a poncho and brought the only smile she had that day to her face.

There were 160,000 people at the event and 20,000 have seats. There are bathrooms for these 20,000 in the suites and on all floors. The remaining 140,000 share 2 bathrooms in the general admission area and a few dozen port-a-potties on the infield that are used from 8 am to 8 pm on derby day. This event is really only for the 20,000 with seats, they really don't care for or about the remaining 140,000.

We stayed at the RV park on the grounds of the convention center. This was reserved the day after the derby the year before because spaces are very limited and they sell out immediately. This is a small park and they are very helpful and we found the crowd to be a lot of fun. We met some folks enjoying the derby atmosphere. This is a great way to do the derby because you are only 4 blocks from the track and are right next door to the Kentucky Kingdom (formerly Six Flags). They have a nice shuttle service that takes you to and from the track.

We did have one complaint, and it may not be an issue for you at all, and that is that just about 10 pm the UPS airplanes start landing at the airport less than a mile away. This meant that literally every 3 minutes a DC-10, a 747, or other enormous aircraft was on landing approach a few hundred feet overhead. Randy Randerson has a little PTSD and felt like he was in a war-zone again all night long.

We are proud to say that they made history the day we went - it was the wettest Kentucky Derby in history. If you are not in a suite, then you are wet for the day. We as always take the good memories with us and leave the bad behind, but we don't think we will be back to the Derby.

Tip:

Spend the money for the high dollar tickets if you want to actually see a horse.

Place a bet. It is a fun experience and really makes you feel invested in the race.

Pack ponchos, it is going to rain, and if it doesn't, then consider yourself a winner already.

Try a Mint Julep, it is tradition after-all, but we found the "Lilly" to be a fantastic derby drink.

Wear comfy shoes. You won't be sitting and it can be a long day of standing.

Price:

As much as you can afford.

RV camping at the convention center is $50 with power and water, $30 dry camping per night

Get to the RV campsite early because they do run out of 30 amp spots and run out of water connections.