Kentucky Derby Diaries: Thrilling ‘Thurby’

Thursday of Kentucky Derby week is kind of surreal: there are so many people in town for the run for the roses, and most of them are locals who are out to enjoy the fun of the week before the true madness begins and people invade from all over the world for the weekend.
Of course, my (unfortunately non-local) day started out by heading to the Churchill Downs barn area. It’s been a popular destination all week long, but Thursday morning has become the time to see and be seen at the track and today seemed more crowded than ever.

But of course, that means that some fun characters come out to play for the day! I loved this man, who had a full jockey costume on with a horse face at the front and the hind – complete with an actual tail! – at the rear. That’s commitment! 

There were fabulous and fun hats: 

And even some tailgaters!

Like I said, it was a total scene. In fact, by the time the Kentucky Derby and Oaks horses came out to gallop, it was almost impossible to see them for all of the people gathered around the entrance to the track. Here’s Dortmund, who is a total beast and is the tallest horse in the Derby, lost in the crowd. The only thing you can really see is his exercise rider Dana Barnes perched on his back!

And everyone who showed up was in for a treat. The Derby and Oaks horses were out to shine, and here are a few that I saw this morning.
I’m a Chatterbox is one of the favorites for the Kentucky Oaks, and she is a lovely filly. I adore the fact that her trainer Larry Jones gallops her; he’s so in touch with his horses, and it’s a rare trainer who will climb aboard and gallop their charges. From the expression on his face, I’d say that I’m a Chatterbox did pretty well today!

The other new Oaks contender I saw this morning was Birdatthewire. I have quite a lot of respect for this filly, and at 6-1 morning line odds she may be a smart bet for people willing to take a risk to make a little cash on the Oaks.

Onto the Derby horses! Frammento is suddenly in the Kentucky Derby spotlight since Stanford was scratched (aka withdrawn) from the run for the roses at about 2:30 this afternoon. Frammento will have a tough task ahead of him in this race should he run, as he hasn’t visited the winner’s circle since October of last year. 

Upstart is a very interesting horse to me; he’s well-named since he started out the Derby prep season really strongly and then sort of tapered off into finishing second in his last few starts. However, he’s just a beautiful horse, and he could be a factor in Saturday’s race. 

I finally got a photo of El Kabeir galloping; and although he looks fit and eager, I’m just not sure that he can tackle this kind of competition. He’s a very nice horse, but this is one of the toughest Kentucky Derby fields that I can think of in recent history. 

Since that wraps up all of the Kentucky Derby contenders I’ve seen and photographed this week, I’ll share some photos of today’s gallopers who impressed me. 
First of was Mubtaahij; in a move that’s not often seen any more, Mubtaahij’s trainer Mike de Kock allowed his horse to have a very brisk gallop, bordering on a workout. This is called a “blow-out” in horse racing parlance, and it’s a very old-school move that’s meant to sharpen a horse up before a race. Mubtaahij looked great, and seemed to want to go even faster as he cruised down the backstretch. I really like this horse heading into the Derby.

American Pharoah: there’s not a lot you can say that’s negative about this horse. Sure, the #18 post position isn’t ideal, but it’s not the worst place in the world to start in the Kentucky Derby and the horse has been outstanding all week. I know it’s not exactly groundbreaking to back the favorite, but he’s too good to ignore.

Danzig Moon: he is definitely a major underdog in the Kentucky Derby, but he’s also been the horse turning the heads of the media all week. He just seems to be coming into his own at the right time, and I have a hunch about him. 

Frosted is another horse who has really caught my eye. He just seems to float over the racetrack, and he is so powerful. He had to fight to win the Wood Memorial in his last race, but that experience may stand him in good stead coming into the Kentucky Derby.

Dortmund: what can I say – I love this big guy! He’s just so commanding, and he’s got that indefinable presence that some horses just have. I’m a little worried by the fact that he’s had a bit of a hard time paddock schooling all week (he’s acted nervous in the afternoons during the few days I’ve seen him training there) but I think he’s a true threat in the 141st Kentucky Derby.

After the Derby and Oaks horses retired to their barns for baths and breakfast, I wandered around the barn area to see the sights. The crowd around trainer Bob Baffert’s barn was massive as press and fans tried to get a glimpse of Dortmund and American Pharoah:

And I had a nice moment when I ran into the French contingent of jockeys: Mubtaahij’s rider Christophe Soumillon and his children, Oaks filly I’m a Chatterbox’s jockey Florent Geroux and Danzig Moon’s rider Julien Leparoux: 

Once training hours were over, it was time to head to the front side of the track to witness the fun of what’s become known as “Thurby.” It’s named for the Thursday before Derby (doesn’t everyone love a portmanteau?) and it’s a celebration of the run for the roses for residents of Louisville. The track holds racing for crowded stands, and people show up dressed for the nines.

I saw some wonderfully wild ensembles as well; I loved this couple and their colorful looks:

And this wannabe jockey who was hopefully waiting for a ride in the paddock:

He seemed genuinely sad that no one gave him a horse. Maybe next time!

Maybe my favorite sight was when I spotted these Twin Spires hovering over the crowd:

You know I had to go investigate. What I found was this man, who had crafted a truly unforgettable chapeau.

He was happily posing with fans, and I admired not only his handiwork but his balance and neck strength as well!

Aside from the remarkable fashion, there was so much else to do. Churchill Downs provided live music, which drew a festive crowd:

And of course, there were mint juleps! There was an entire mixing station for the famed drink of the Kentucky Derby as well as other bourbon-based cocktails:

They even gave out free samples to the crowd! That’s a pretty amazing deal that fans were more than happy to take advantage of.

And, of course, there was the racing! People were crowded into the stands to watch some fantastic horses on a beautiful spring day. It was the perfect way to get excited for the rest of Kentucky Derby week!

That’s it for me today! Thank you as always for joining me, and please let me know in the comments who your Derby and Oaks horses are!