I Suck At The Kentucky Derby

my friend (andrea) contacted me this morning. as we are both currently addicted to the application known as "scramble" in facebook, we played a few rounds together. for those of you who are curious, scramble is basically boggle... only on the internet (or more accurately, on facebook).

andrea and i have played a few games together now and each time i have outscored her. apparently, being hot amy's bff has not been too good for her. hot amy's aversion to victory has rubbed off on andrea because she can't seem to win a game against me. not one to give up, andrea is determined to beat me. she is apparently a glutton for punishment. hopefully i can use this to my advantage to challenge her and possibly get her to wash my car... or something.

anyway, andrea had to cut one of her rounds short because her dad came to pick her up. i had almost forgotten that she was going on vacation today. andrea was going to be visting the state of kentucky. now normally, i would not want to go to kentucky... ever... because kentucky conjures images of the movie "deliverance" only in kentucky and not atlanta. plus, i would probably stick out a little if i were in kentucky. that said, andrea was going to attend the kentucky derby.

naturally, that got me thinking. i suck at the kentucky derby. i would actually like to attend it at some time. according to my friend wikipedia:

"The Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old thoroughbred horses, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is one and a quarter miles (2 km) at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry 126 pounds (57.2 kg) and fillies 121 pounds (54.9 kg). The race is known in the United States as "The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports" for its approximate duration, and is also called "The Run for the Roses" for the blanket of roses draped over the winner. It is the first leg of the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing in the US and typically draws around 155,000 fans.

Kentucky has been a major center of horse breeding and racing since the late 18th century. From the time the region was settled, the fields of the Bluegrass region were noted for producing superior race horses. In 1872, Col. Meriwether Lewis Clark, Jr., grandson of William Clark of the Lewis and Clark expedition, traveled to England, visiting the Epsom Derby, a famous race that had been running annually since 1780. From there, Clark went on to Paris, France, where in 1863, a group of racing enthusiasts had formed the French Jockey Club and had organized the Grand Prix de Paris, which at the time was the greatest race in France.

Returning home to Kentucky, Clark organized the Louisville Jockey Club for the purpose of raising money to build quality racing facilities just outside of the city. The track would soon become known as Churchill Downs, named for Meriwether Lewis Clark Jr.'s relatives, John and Henry Churchill, who had provided the land for the racetrack. Officially, the racetrack was incorporated as Churchill Downs in 1937."

now, i'm not big into gambling or any of that. but i'd still love to attend the kentucky derby... if only to see the horses. (growing up, i used to love horses because they seemed so majestic. in fact, i still find them very majestic.) i'd also love to see what the whole atmosphere is like during the kentucky derby.

i hear there is a mint julip concoction that is the official drink of the derby. (a mint julip is an iced drink consisting of bourbon, mint and sugar syrup. yes, sounds very appetizing.) i'd love to try it just to see what it tastes like. i'd also love to try the burgoo, which is a traditional thick stew of beef, chicken, pork and vegetables.

maybe some day...

well, hopefully andrea will have a good time...