How to Celebrate the Kentucky Derby

On May 17, 1875, 15 3-year-old thoroughbreds went to the post at Churchill Downs. They burst from the starting line, galloped around the track for one-and-a-half miles, and launched an event that's become known as the greatest two minutes in sports. Even if you don't know a forelock from a fetlock or a furlong from a fathom, the Kentucky Derby is a spring ritual worth celebrating.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Glamorous Hats
• Roses
• Kentucky Bourbons
• Crushed Ice
• Sprigs Of Fresh Mint
• Kentucky Derby Tickets
• Airline Tickets To Louisville

1. Visit Louisville and take in the 126th Run for the Roses on May 6, 2000. Plan to go early and catch some of the Kentucky Derby Festival, a week-long series of pre-race parties, concerts, balloon races, parades and firework extravaganzas, plus a steamboat race that pits the Belle of Louisville against the Delta Queen.

2. Throw your own Derby Day party if you can't make it to Churchill Downs. Set the stage for either the Southern gentility of the Grandstand and Millionaires' Row or the rowdy melee of the Infield, and decree that guests dress accordingly.

3. Set up a bookmaker's table and have everyone place bets on their favorite colts (or fillies); serve mint juleps; play southern music (including, of course, "My Old Kentucky Home") and watch the race on the biggest-screen TV you can find (enthusiastic cheering mandatory).

4. Do some homework in advance and play Kentucky Derby Trivia, either before or after the race. (The book and Web sites listed at the left will help.) A few good questions: Who won the first Kentucky Derby? How many fillies have won? What was the fastest Derby?

5. Encourage everyone to drink classic mint juleps. See the Related eHow to find out how to whip up a batch.

6. Bestow roses on the guest(s) who chose the winning horse and who won the trivia contest.

Tips & Warnings

• Trivia answers: Aristides won the first Kentucky Derby. Three fillies have won: Regret in 1915; Genuine Risk in 1980 and Winning Colors in 1988. Secretariat was the Derby's speed demon, the only horse to finish under two minutes; he tore through the 1-¼-mile race - shortened in 1896 - in one minute, 59-2/5 seconds.
• To snag reserved seating for the Derby, send a written request between May and September of the year before the Derby. If your request is honored, an invoice will be sent to you in October. General admission tickets (standing-room only) are sold on the day of the race. Check the Churchill Downs Web site (see Related Sites) for complete instructions for obtaining tickets.
• For information on visiting Kentucky at Derby time, contact the state tourism office.
• Consider a side trip to Lexington, drive through the fabled Bluegrass country, and tour the Kentucky Horse Park and the adjacent International Museum of the Horse.
• Reserved seating for the Kentucky Derby is usually sold out long before the race and cannot be purchased on Derby day.

Who Can Help Sponsored

• Tired of Being Tired? Fight Fatigue and Try FRS for FREE!

on 8/8/2006 If you are planning to go to the Derby, plan to ride the Louisville transit. They offer shuttle service from downtown ($5 one way), the Kentucky Fair and Expo center ($10 round trip) and Cardinal Stadium ($10 round trip). This is the best way to get there quickly, avoid tons of walking and traffic around the Downs. Have a super fun day at the Derby! And get general admission inside the track for only $40 on the day of the race. This is the best deal for any famous sporting event.

on 11/22/2005 The Kentucky Derby is held on the first Saturday in May.