Churchill Downs

We went to our first "real" horse races at Churchill Downs in Louisville, KY. I say, first "real" horse races because we went to what we thought were horse races at Scioto Downs near Columbus back in August where they had open harness racing. I guess this is "real" horse racing as well, but not what we were expecting.

Anyway, Churchill Downs is where they have the Kentucky Derby in May. The weather was perfect and it was a good day. We found a parking spot where we didn't have to pay $10 for parking and someone gave us free tickets. So we got to get in for nothing. We also got to place our first bet on horse racing. Nicole put down $2 (minimum bet allowed) on #4. Since we didn't know anything about horse race betting, she asked the attendant who to bet on and she placed it on the favored horse to win (not knowing about the 57 other betting options available). The betting made the experience much more exciting, especially since "our" pick was in second place and almost pulled into first at the end. If our horse had won, we would have went away with 36 Washingtons. But alas, we went away losers.

The facilities were beautiful and extravagant. It felt like we were in a James Bond movie or something. Attendees ranged from the typical red-neck all the way up to people "dressed to the nines" sporting Chanel, Coach, Armani, etc. Here are some pictures of some people who were somewhere in between...