This past weekend I crossed another state off my list: Kentucky. I flew to Lexington for a press trip to write about over on This Is My South. The itinerary included a lot of awesome stuff (food! beer! bourbon!), but certainly one of the best was attending a horse race at Keeneland Race Track, one of the top racetracks in the country.
After touring a family horse farm, the group headed over to the track, built in 1936, and went straight to the clubhouse, which is only open to members. We were surrounded by the horse owners and most notable Lexingtonians, all dressed to impress.
Drinks were in order, so I went for a bourbon cocktail, the Keeneland Breeze, made with Maker’s Mark, Cointreau and ginger ale. Be warned, though, as they’re strong here!
In between races, I scarfed down a Reuben. I laughed at the names of the horses like R U Dreaming and Eskenformoney. I had no idea where to begin when it came to picking horses. My colleagues placed some bets and a few even won, but I decided to hold on to my cash for the time being.
Midway through the day, we went down to the lower level to get up close with the horses. They were paraded by their jockeys to the track. I was surprised to see a real trumpeter signaling the starting of the race, assuming it would be some sort of pre-recorded track. The race was also the perfect opportunity to test out my new Canon 75-300 zoom lens to capture the horses in action.
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