Saturday, April 29, 2006
The event is much more than just the actual race.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) -- The famous twin spires at Churchill Downs glisten in the sunlight, towering above an empty track that will soon be trampled by some of the world's best athletes.
The paddock's brown grass will be green by then and colorful flower landscapes will surround the contenders as they are saddled and paraded around in an atmosphere fit for a king.
It's here where an elite group of horses get the chance of a lifetime -- crossing the finish line first in the Kentucky Derby.
"They know what it's all about," said Gene Logan, a tour guide at the Kentucky Derby Museum.
He's counting down the days until the first Saturday in May -- which falls on May 6 this year -- commonly dubbed the "greatest two minutes" in sports.
"Derby Day in Louisville -- there's nothing like it," Logan said, walking out into the area where horse owners -- men in suits and women wearing flamboyant hats -- will soon admire 3-year-old thoroughbreds before the race.
At the museum
Visitors to the museum and the famous racetrack can sense what the place would be like, beginning with a film that surrounds them with the sights and sounds of the Kentucky Derby projected onto a racetrack-shaped screen.
Outside the theater, a model horse representing last year's Derby winner, Giacomo, and his jockey, Mike Smith, display a garland of some 360 artificial roses. The real version is given to the winner of the "Run for the Roses" each year.
The museum's exhibits cover nearly every aspect of the Kentucky Derby and the people who make it happen -- owners, trainers, jockeys, veterinarians and breeders, to name a few.
You can watch past Kentucky Derby races or sit atop a fake horse while following video of a race filmed by someone in the saddle. Step on the scale to see if you meet the 126-pound weight limit for jockeys and their gear.
For an additional fee, the museum also offers tours of the stables, the area where jockeys prepare for races, the press box and halls where the rich and famous roam at Churchill Downs on Derby Day.
Visiting Louisville during Derby Week -- or any other time of year -- should include a dose of horse racing and Kentucky Derby history, and the museum is one way to get it.
Tough to find
Tickets to next year's Derby, one of the world's premiere sporting events, are nearly impossible to find. Most ticket holders have connections to horse racing, and those lucky enough to have a seat on Derby Day pay $65 for a bleacher seat on the track's inside or as much as $600 for a premium seat overlooking the track.
You can still get into Churchill Downs on Derby Day with a $40 general admission ticket, but don't expect to see much of the race. The track's infield becomes a giant party, popular among young people.
If you're not set on sharing your Derby Day with 150,000 other people at Churchill Downs, there are plenty of other ways to see the horses and racetrack.
Dawn at the Downs offers early risers a free opportunity to watch horses -- including Derby contenders -- exercise on the track Monday through Thursday the week of Derby.
Live races for the spring meet are held at Churchill Downs from April 29 through July 16. Racing also resumes for a fall session. Adult general admission for most of the races is only $2.
"It's a completely authentic experience: the beauty of the horses, the smell of the turf, the sound of hooves on the track. If it's a gorgeous Kentucky day, there's nothing else like it," said Stacey Yates, spokeswoman for Louisville's convention and visitors bureau.
Other events
But if horse racing isn't your thing, make plans to attend one of dozens of events planned during Louisville's Kentucky Derby Festival, which starts two weeks before the race and is in full stride in the days approaching Derby.
Now in its 51st year, the main part of the festival kicked off April 22 with a gigantic fireworks show that claims to be the biggest in the country. Hundreds of thousands of people converge on downtown Louisville for the half-hour show that has fireworks shooting off from barges on the Ohio River and others cascading from a downtown bridge. An air show with military and civilian aircraft fills the afternoon hours leading to the fireworks.
In the 1970s, the festival started adding more racing-themed events. There are hot-air balloons, beds, marathon runners and servers carrying wine glasses during official festival races. And don't forget "the slowest two hours in sports" -- the steamboat race on the Ohio River.
"It's special because it brings the whole community together," said Aimee Boyd, a Derby Festival spokeswoman.
"Everything is coming to life, it's spring, the flowers are blooming and it's an exciting time of year."
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