Derby Day!
Contrary to the similarity in title of this post to another by Eileen, I haven’t gone Greek. Instead, two Saturdays ago, I went to the Kentucky Derby! Fellow blogger Caitlyn and I journeyed on Thursday to our friend Shilpa’s house in Kentucky. We chilled there until Sunday, with our visit culminating around Saturday’s main event–the 138th running of the Kentucky Derby.
Because we are relatively poor college students, we got our tickets for the Infield–a large, grassy area known for its crazy atmosphere. This made for quite the interesting experience. We decided to still wear dresses in the spirit of the Derby, and Caitlyn also sported a very classy hat. It was incredibly hot and sunny outside, so we wandered around the infield for a while and then found a grassy spot to camp out as the Derby race didn’t begin until 6:30pm.
For me, being at the Derby was a fulfillment for my younger self. In middle school, we had to do a project where we planned out our ideal road trip within a certain budget. One of my stops was the Kentucky Derby–and on Saturday, that was exactly where I found myself. We even caught a glimpse of the horses as they raced by!
I also bet on a few horses for the first time. Caitlyn, Shilpa, and I each bet on 4 horses. My picks were my personal favorite, #19; a recommendation from my mom and uncle, #6; another one who’s name I liked, #8, and one of my other friend’s pick, #18.
I am very pleased to say that my personal favorite, #19, was Kentucky Derby winner “I’ll Have Another”! And #6, Bodemeister, came in second! Thus, my first time betting was quite the success–beginner’s luck, probably.
After collecting my huge wins (a whopping $14.60) we were eager to get back to air conditioning and we indulged in some Derby Pie at Shilpa’s house. All in all, it was an incredibly fun day..If you had told middle school-me she was one day going to go to the Derby with some amazing friends she had met in college, she might not have believed you. But to the Derby I went indeed–and I picked the winning horse!