I lived in Kentucky for 31 years and like most people my Kentucky Derby experience was the TV broadcast.  Inside Kentucky, you will get all day coverage, but outside of the Louisville and Lexington areas most people depend on the national coverage of the event.  I always thought it would be cool to go one day.  Saturday, May 2, 2015 I got that chance.

Now my partner in crime, is from Louisville and had been to the infield once during college.  Her experience was mostly Derby parties hosted by family where you still watched the TV coverage.  For our 2015 Kentucky Derby Adventure, we decided to go ahead and bite the bullet and get a pair of seats in what’s known as Section 110.

This is a fairly new tent-like structure just past the first turn and tucked away behind the NBC broadcast booth.  Unlike the rest of the track where boxes are defined by green painted metal 2″ pipes and green folding chairs, this section has nice stadium style seating under cover.  It’s somewhat isolated from the rest of the track with our own food, restrooms and betting booths.

Of course you could leave the confines of Section 110 to roam the paddock and other public areas of Churchill Downs.  I’m guessing we probably could have even made it to the infield if we wanted to.  With many people in 110 having two days worth of tickets, we got to know our seat neighbors.  For Oaks day we spent more time wandering around the track and checking out things.  After all, it was a light crowd of 123,000 plus people, a new record for the Kentucky Oaks.  For Derby Day, we knew the crowd would be  wee bit larger, which of course was a new record for the Kentucky Derby at 170,513 people + about another 400 media people.  As our local NHL hockey announcer, John Forslund is fond of saying “It was a bevy of humanity”, in this case all dressed up and sipping Mint Julips and  Kentucky Oaks Lillies.

It was kind of an odd day in a way.  Since we pretty much spent the day in 110, it was kind of like going to the track for a day of racing. You could see the crowd growing and growing, but it was still eating, drinking and betting on horses you’ve never heard of and groaning at all your loser tickets.

The last race before the Derby fired off was well over an hour before the big show.  Then suddenly things changed.  People returned to their seats.  The walk over parade began.  Instead of the horse, it’s walker  and maybe  the trainer and one other, hundreds of people poured out of the stables onto the track and dozens of people per horse paraded past our section at times making it hard to see the horses.  As they got into turn one, they passed the other sea of people on the track, the photographers, as they headed to the Paddock to saddle and rider up!

While this happens, the national anthem is performed for the second time, this time with Josh Groban belting out the anthem.  Then the University of Louisville Marching Band goes instruments up and starts performing “My Old Kentucky Home“.  While this is happening the post parade starts.  I got to the last line of the first verse, singing along with everyone when emotion over took me and I  lost it.  By the time I recovered enough to focus my camera, the horses had been loaded and the gates opened.  They were off.

I debated on putting the camera down and focusing on  enjoy the moment, but the photographer in me said it’s go time and I chose to shoot the race instead.  I stopped to check out the big board to see the progress of the horses.  I had put down a sizable bet on American Pharoah who was being pulled around the track by Dortmon.  As they rounded the fourth turn, I re-acquired them in my viewfinder picking out American Pharoah and keeping an eye on the large screen.  Snapping shots as they came around the first turn again, 18 was ahead of the pack and starting to high-five other riders and  a second round of joy hit.

I won my very first Kentucky Derby.  Over the years I have been 0-for in the big race.  Now with both an Oaks and Derby win under my belt, I felt our 2015 Kentucky Derby Adventure closed a success.   Everyone needs to make it to a Derby and I must go again!