Though I'm a good month behind blogging this post, it's actually more fitting coming the day after the Kentucky Derby. Earlier in April we visited Robert's sister and brother-in-law in Lexington, Kentucky. Lexington is home to the Keeneland horse track, a smaller version of Churchill Downs where the Derby is run in Louisville.
We timed our trip to coincide with one of the weekends in April when Kenneland is in operation. While there, we were able to catch five races and saw two of the horses that competed in yesterday's Derby - Stately Victor and Paddy-O-Prado. It was our first horse racing experience and was really entertaining. There were about 12 races during the entire Saturday, starting every half hour or so, with folks making bets and claiming winnings all in between. It was quite the party. The funny part was there wasn't too much difference between Keeneland and the infield of Talladega. The acohol and good times are in full force, and the only difference between the inebriated crowd is that they're wearing seersucker suits and sundresses instead of cut offs and t-shirts.
We timed our trip to coincide with one of the weekends in April when Kenneland is in operation. While there, we were able to catch five races and saw two of the horses that competed in yesterday's Derby - Stately Victor and Paddy-O-Prado. It was our first horse racing experience and was really entertaining. There were about 12 races during the entire Saturday, starting every half hour or so, with folks making bets and claiming winnings all in between. It was quite the party. The funny part was there wasn't too much difference between Keeneland and the infield of Talladega. The acohol and good times are in full force, and the only difference between the inebriated crowd is that they're wearing seersucker suits and sundresses instead of cut offs and t-shirts.
Some of the horses on show before a race.
Trying to figure out bets. Once we learned the differences between win, place, show, and across the board, it was on. We each paid $5 for entry plus $2.00 for the race book while the horse listing and another 50 cents for a pen. We gave ourselves $20 each to bet and we didn't collect our winnings until the very end so we could know our exact tally on winnings and loses. Robert ended up making about $10 on his $20 and I ended up losing $10. (I need to remember this when we go to Vegas....). When you count our entry and other fees, it ended up costing us a little less than a movie out but we had tons more fun.
Trying to figure out bets. Once we learned the differences between win, place, show, and across the board, it was on. We each paid $5 for entry plus $2.00 for the race book while the horse listing and another 50 cents for a pen. We gave ourselves $20 each to bet and we didn't collect our winnings until the very end so we could know our exact tally on winnings and loses. Robert ended up making about $10 on his $20 and I ended up losing $10. (I need to remember this when we go to Vegas....). When you count our entry and other fees, it ended up costing us a little less than a movie out but we had tons more fun.
We had lunch with the family (Robert's parents met us in Lexington for the weekend also) at Wallace Station, where they are famous for Hot Brown sandwiches. The food was fantastic, and both times we went the line was nearly out the door, so you know you've come upon a good thing when the locals are out too.
Earlier in the morning before making our way to Keeneland we dropped by the Woodford Reserve Distillery. All whisky made in Kentucky is bourbon because of the way the limestone rock round in the area affects the water that is used in the distillation process. All seven bourbon makes in the U.S. are found within an 80-mile area of Kentucky. There's a special bourbon tour that you can participate in that lets you tour each distillery.
The sour mash; looked like a huge vat of cheese grits but smelled awful.
The Scottish copper barrels are unique to the Woodford Reserve distillation process. Other bourbon makers use a different method.
The barrel room was my favorite. The rich smells of the bourbon and oak were incredible. The bourbon ages for four years in here. I could have set up a cot for life.
Special thanks to Liz and Mike for planning such a great tip for us. I feel like we were able to see authentic Lexington, and it was nice the timing worked for Robert's parents to meet us up there. We hadn't seen the Adams family since Christmas. Love me some springtime in Lexington!
The Scottish copper barrels are unique to the Woodford Reserve distillation process. Other bourbon makers use a different method.
The barrel room was my favorite. The rich smells of the bourbon and oak were incredible. The bourbon ages for four years in here. I could have set up a cot for life.
Special thanks to Liz and Mike for planning such a great tip for us. I feel like we were able to see authentic Lexington, and it was nice the timing worked for Robert's parents to meet us up there. We hadn't seen the Adams family since Christmas. Love me some springtime in Lexington!
No comments:
Post a Comment