149th Run for the Roses!

May 3, 2023

We arrived into Lexington today to start our Derby week. We checked in to the Marriott City Center and hooked up with our tour group from USNA Alumni. We had lunch on the rooftop and took my first selfie. The building behind me is the "old" courthouse and is currently a museum.

Typical horse farm. Only 6 farms still have the white fences due to the cost to maintain them. Kentucky is the horse capital of the world!

We attended a reception by our tour group SET (Sports Entertainment Travel). Enjoyed a bluegrass trio. Unfortunately, the noise in the room overpowers the sound on this clip.

May 4, 2023

Today we had breakfast at the American Saddlebred Museum. 

Old Friends Farm

Next stop... Old Friends Farm. This farm is a retirement home for retired thoroughbreds. Once the retirees arrive at the farm, they are never ridden again. We had a fabulous time meeting past champions who are currently age 9 to 29. One of these is not like the others! This is Little Silver Charm a miniature horse and the farm mascot and ambassador.

Little Mike: is a 16 year-old gelding best known for winning the 2012 Breeders Cup.

Game on Dude: is a 16 year-old gelding and paddock mate of Little Mike. He was a nuzzler and loved Jim!

Touch of Gold: is a 29 year-old stallion and a biter! watch out for your fingers. He is best known as the winner of the Belmont Stakes, when he ended Silver Charm's chance for the Triple Crown.

Green Mask is a 12 year-old stallion. He had multiple graded stakes-wins and was retired in 2018 due to a sesamoid fracture (leg). He begged for treats (carrots) and started kicking the barn demanding more when anyone stopped feeding him.

Ruler on Ice is a 15 year-old gelding who won the Belmont Stakes in 2011 and retired in 2014. He recently came to the Old Friends Retirment Farm

Silver Charm is a 29 year-old stallion. He won the 1997 Ky Derby and Preakness Stakes. He was beaten by Touch of Gold by a nose in the Belmont Stakes. He also won the 1998 Dubai World Cup. He stood at stud in both America and Japan. We had to feed him his carrots shaved as he only has 4 teeth left.

Sun King a 22 year-old gelding on the left of Jim and Special Ring on the right. They were attempting to get treats and Special Ring was gently biting his arm and pulling on his sleeve.

Special Ring: is a 26 year-old gelding who loves to show off his tattoo under his upper lip. They no longer tattoo the horses but place a chip in their ear. 

Special Ring and Jim

Buffalo Trace

Kentucky is known for its bourbon.  We did a tour and taste testing of the bourbon produced at Buffalo Trace Distillery. Needless to say... this picture taken prior to the tasting shows about the same amount of liquid in the cups as after the taste testing. They do make a nonalcoholic root beer called Freddie's that is quite tasty. For you Bourbon fans, the tasting from Jim's left to right is Wheatley Vodka, Buffalo Trace, WL Weller, Colonel EH Taylor, Bourbon Cream and Freddie's root beer.

The oak barrels are only used once.

Castle and Key Distillery

We had lunch at the Castle and Key Distillery but no bourbon tasting!

May 5, 2023

Keeneland Race Course: No words needed.....

Obligatory selfie with 2 horses practicing in the background.

The practice Jockeys were fun to watch!

Our USNA Alumni group posed for a photo at the rail

Jockey winners of grade races at Keeneland this year.

Jonabell Farm

Sheikh Mohammed purchased Jonabell Farm in 2001.  They have produced more than 200 Stakes winners and 14 Champions, including Damascus and the Bells' homebred Breeders’ Cup winner Epitome. Today, Jonabell is home to Darley's American stallions, including leading sire Medaglia d’Oro (pictured below) fetched $250,000 per successful foal in his prime and currently demands $70,000 per successful foal. They also are home to Kentucky Derby winners Street Sense and Nyquist, and Belmont Stakes winner Essential Quality. A stallion can "cover" mares up to 3 times per day 7 days per week during breeding season February to June. No one is allowed to touch the stallions except for their handler and they will never have a saddle or rider on them again. 

We met Hard Spun a 21 year-old Stallion who finished second in the 2007 Kentucky Derby. He sired Pretty Mischief who is the 3 year-old filly who won the Oaks Stakes on May 5, 2023. The Kentucky Oaks is a Grade 1 stakes race for three-year-old thoroughbred fillies.  He also sired Two Phil's who placed second in the 149th run of the Kentucky Derby behind Mage.

We also saw the gravesite of Affirmed who won the Triple Crown in 1978. There was a 37-year wait for another triple crown winner until American Pharaoh in 2015.  Affirmed is the only horse to be buried full body as they are customarily cremated.

Fasig-Tipton Auction House

Fasig-Tipton is North America’s oldest Thoroughbred auction company established in 1898. Notable horses at this auction house were Seattle Slew, American Pharaoh and Man-O-War. We had a nice lunch and tour of the grounds.

Secretariat Center

This is a place where thoroughbreds (fillies and geldings only) can be surrendered for rehabilitation and possibly retrained for a second career. The average stay is 3-9 months where they reintroduce them into a different role depending on their temperament. They are adopted out through a vetting system and the center operates under charitable donations (501-3c). This horse is named "Pick" and is being adopted by a Michigan University to compete in their equestrian program. We watched him go through a daily exercise program. 

May 6, 2023. The 149th Running of the Kentucky Derby

We are in reserved seating second floor grandstand in section 227, Row N, seats 19 and 20 at the starting line. We wore our derby hats and attire proudly. The weather has been beautiful and cooperated nicely for the derby day. We started out strong with a win but unfortunately, missed the big payout by a nose! Two Phil's edged out Angel of Empire for my Win/Place bet.

The derby is pretty much everything you think it is going to be! Every kind of hat/outfit you can imagine including this lady who opted for the lemon look! A bit of trivia...Kroger has supplied the roses for the derby since the very first race!

The Mint Julep had to be tried! It is tradition!

149th Running of the Kentucky Derby from our seats!

Kentucky Derby finish order 2023 

What an awesome vacation! I love Kentucky!