A Tribute to The Kentucky Derby

Memories. Something I will always have of the many Derby Week festivities and preamble leading up to the Kentucky Derby. I gathered a few of the many, many words and phrases one would hear as they made it through the busy Derby week festivities should you live in Louisville. My love of this day lives on.

MEMORIES OF DERBIES PAST

Thunder Over Louisville, The Great Balloon Race, The Great Steamboat Race, The Pegasus Parade, The Kentucky Oaks
The Kentucky Derby, Run for the Roses, Derby Day, First Jewel of the Triple Crown, First Saturday in May

Churchill Downs, The Twin Spires, Millionaires Row, The Club House, The Paddock, The Infield, The Backside, The Track 

The Fast Track, The Wet Track, The Longest Mile and a Quarter in Horse Racing
The Owner, The Trainer, The Jockeys, The Racing Silks, The Whip
The Thoroughbreds, The Field, The Favorite, The Long Shot, The Mudder
The Kentucky Derby Trophy, 554 Red Roses, The Blanket of Roses

My Old Kentucky Home, Mint Juleps, Kentucky Ham, Kentucky Bourbon, Derby Pie

The Betting Window, The Racing Form, The Odds, The Odds on Favorite, The Winning Ticket

The Barnstable Brown Party, The Derby Parties, The Derby Ball
The Derby Hats and Fascinators, The Stiletto Shoes, The Gents In Suits and Hats, The Limos
The Official Start of the Kentucky Derby, The Bugle, The Call to the Track
Riders Up, The Playing of My Old Kentucky Home, The Walk to the Gates, They're In
They're Off, Coming from Behind, On the Rail, They're Rounding the Bend, In Second Place
The Winner of the Kentucky Derby! 

The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports!!

ENJOY!

A Horse Affair

A drive was in order today what with the beautiful blue skies and tons of sunshine making for a perfect Spring day. I didn't want to take a long drive so I chose to visit the Bluegrass area of Kentucky. I captured a few images of the new foals lazing about on the beautiful bluegrass carpet, while other foals kept close to Mom as she moved from one grassy patch to the next. Beautiful tulips were blooming at the entrances to the horse farms while Dogwoods dotted the landscape.

Next weekend is the fastest two minutes in sports, the Run for the Roses, at Churchill Downs, while Friday is reserved for the Fillies to Run for the Lilies in the Kentucky Oaks. It is a lot of fanfare for such a brief few days of frivality. Louisville will burst at the seams with visitors, tourists, racing fans, and least we forget, celebrities galore. There are charity events and Derby parties and Derby Balls as well.

The ladies will have chosen their Derby outfit to wear on the big day, and of course, their accompanying Derby Hat is fitfully adorned with gorgeous flowers in matching colors. Postage stamp sized handbags are tucked safely in suitcases ready to bring out for their excursion to the track. The gentlemen while decked out in finery as well are amptly contemplating a nice smooth glass of Kentucky Bourbon or an always popular Mint Julep. The jockeys are preparing their silks for race day and the handicappers are readying their racing forms. The Downs, as we call it here in Louisville, is set to play host to countless thousands and thousands and thousands of visitors with Mint Juleps, Kentucky Country Ham and Derby Pie on the menu, just to name a few. All betting windows are open and stand ready with folks who shall gladly help you take leave of your hard earned money. And, the only question left at race time . . . is the track fast. And then they're off.

It really is a week of fanfare in Louisville with the Great Steamboat Race, the Pegasus Parade, the Kentucky Oaks and the Kentucky Derby. I am inclined to believe that after many, many years of playing host to this event throughout my lifetime, the thought of it all tends to lose itself on me now. But there are those who can't wait and I remember a time when I totally understood the anticipation. ENJOY!

Call to the Post

The most exciting two minutes in sports takes place later today. Will you be watching? ENJOY!

Derby, Derby & More Derby

If you live anywhere near Louisville, Kentucky, right now, you know what is currently top of mind with most folks in these parts. The Derby. There's Derby hats and Derby parties to prepare for and Derby recipes to contemplate. There's Derby Pie, Derby Mint Juleps, Derby roses, Derby horses, and well, everything Derby. Not to mention the one place it all comes down to, the Churchill Downs.

It's all taking front row for the next few weeks here in 'Derby City USA'. And it's all being kicked off this Saturday evening at Thunder Over Louisville, one of America's largest fireworks displays with two barges filled to the brim with fireworks and fireworks to be let off across one of our bridges that spans the Ohio. And let's not forget the Air Force and their show they put on for us over the waterfront every Thunder Saturday afternoon.

You really should come do the 'Derby' one year. It's something to see. And if you happen to stop by this fair city in the next few weeks, make a side trip over to The Flower Studio in Chenoweth Square. All of these Derby goodies you see in this image I took recently for a magazine ad are for sale, as well as many Spring decor items.

As for me, I may go down by the waterfront Saturday night to see if I can get any new fireworks images, but if not, it's no biggee. After all, there's only going to be 10,000 people down there. I'm not big on big crowds. ENJOY!

Goldenrod!

OK, I'm really into the goldenrod right now. Only because I picked the perfect week, several weeks ago now, to photograph the wildflower meadow at Bernheim. The goldenrod was in full bloom. One week later, when I returned last weekend, it was mostly gone. I'm having a love affair with the bird boxes at Bernheim too. Perhaps a series of four of these images as gift cards could be in order. ENJOY!

Famed Calumet Farms!

You guessed it. Today is Derby Day. And while we have some rain forecast that isn't stopping all of the beautiful hats and flowers at the track. I've been watching all of the live coverage with our local television anchors and the hats and flowers, in addition to the horses, are gorgeous. In keeping with today's special theme I decided to go all out and post a beautiful image of the entrance gates to famed Calumet Farms. And I even went a little bit nuts with the border. Hope your horse wins the Derby. Have a great day all! ENJOY!