Conference noted::equitation

    Sounds like fun!  I have a friend that has gone to the KD, she
    lives out west, but I will be talking to her soon - if I can
    find anything out with regard to seats/tickets etc., I'll let
    you know.  I will probably talk to her this weekend.
    
    Gail

    Lucky you, Lou! Looks like you've got most of the details covered.
    Hotel rooms in Lousiville are hard to find during Derby week, I'm told. 
    
    Probably the best thing to do about tickets for the Derby would be to
    call Churchill Downs. I'll look up their phone number tonight. They
    ought to be able to tell you the straight info. ;-)
    
    Some friends of mine went to the Derby once and got in the infield.
    From their reports, I'd say that's more party than anything else. Ya
    can't even see the race except on the TV screens the track set up!
    
    My parents have been to KY Horse Park. You don't need advance tickets 
    to go there. My parents liked it and there not even horsey. Lexington,
    where the Horse Park is, is about 80 miles from Louisville and the
    Derby so it's a good thing you have a car. It would have been a long
    walk! ;-)
    
    Calumet and a few other Lexington area horse farms are open for tours.
    I don't know how you arrange for it though. I'll see if I can find out
    anything over the weekend.

Hey Lou! If you get into Chruchill Downs for the KY Derby, wear 
something outrageus(and tell us ahead of time) so we can tell which 
one you are! And wave to us!

I found some info in the AAA travel guide for Kentucky. I also 
got a couple phone numbers from ads, etc. BTW, Notes 1043 and 545 
talk about the KY Horse Park and things in the Lexington area. I've 
added a bunch of horsey type stuff here. 

For breeding farm tours, you *may* have to go to Paris KY which is about 
15 miles NW of Lexington on US 68. Paris area farms which have 
tours by appointment are: Claiborne Farm(phone # (606)233-4252, 
Stone Farm (phone # (606)233-0035 and Stoner Creek Stud(?). 
Paris County Chamber of Commerce (606)987-3205 may have more info.


The weather in KY in May can be rainy & chilly so take a raincoat 
and a sweater as well as your summer shorts. ;-)

Lousiville:
	Lousiville Visitors Bureau; 400 S 1st St; (502)582-3732
		M-F 8:30 - 5; Sat 9-4; Sun 11-4
		free info kit; maps & current event notices
	
	weather info/forecast (502) 581-9283

	Churchill Downs 700 Central Ave (502)636-4400
		30 minute guided walking tour of racetrack available

	KY Derby Museum 704 Central Ave (502)637-1111
			adjacent to Gate 1 at the track
			computerized self service equipment
			videos of past KY Derbies
			360 degree audio/visual recreation of Derby Day
			racing artifacts/exhibits
			Allow at least 2 hours for Museum
			Admissions $4 for adults
			open 9-5 daily EXCEPT Oaks abd Derby 
				Days(first Fri. & Sat. in May), 
				Thanksgiving & Christmas

	Horseback riding: Marked 3 - 10 mile trails in city/state 
		parks. Horses can be rented at Iroquois Riding 
		Stable for $5 per half hour

Lexington:
	Greater Lexington Convention & Visitors Bureau
		430 W. Vine St 1-(800)845-3959 M-F 8:30-5 Sat 10-5
		Lexington Walking & Bluegrass Country Driving Tour
			Maps included.

	AAA members can get other self-guiding tours from
		AAA Bluegrass Kentucky 
			155 N Martin Luther King Blvd
			(606)233-1111  M-F 8:30-5

	Calumet Farm is open to the public again. Call for info
		(606)231-8272

	American Saddle Horse Museum (near KY Horse Park)
		(606)259-2746 Admission $2 Daily 9-6 
		Closed Jan 1, Thanksgiving, Dec 24-25

	Keeneland Racecourse - 6 mi W on US 60 (606)254-3412
		Racing April -October
		Racehorse Library open M-F 8:30 - 4:30
		Workout viewing allowed mid-March to late Nov. 
			dawn-10 AM daily

	Red Mile Harness Track 1 3/4 mi SW on US 68 (606)255-0752
		Racing late April to late June  Wed-Sat @ 7:30 PM

	KY Horse Center (NOT THE HORSE PARK!) 3380 Paris Pike
		(606)293-1853
		1.5 hour bus tours of working TB training facility
		268 acres w/ exercise track. visits w/ triners & 
			horses included in tour 
		Tours: Apr-Oct; M-F 9, 10:30 & 1; Sat 9, 10:30
		Admission $10

	KY Horse Park 10 mi n of Lexington at I-75 exit #120 & Iron 
		Works Pike. (606)233-4304 or (800)586-8813
		Admission $9 Apr-Oct $6.50 rest of year; Parking $1
		closed Jan 1, day before Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving, 
		Dec 24-25 and Dec 31.

		1032 acre park celebrating region's equine heritage

		1. walking farm tour(self guided)
		2. horse drawn wagon tours
		3. parade of breeds(incl. past race champions like 
			John Henry)
		4. gallery
		5. films
		6. International Museum of the Horse
		7. Man O'War monument/grave
		8. special events
		9. gift shop
		10. campground & restaurant

    
    John, I can't thank you enough for all this GREAT info you put in
    here.  I allready have my friends calling just about every number
    you listed to get us all hooked up visiting some of those great race
    horse farms.
    
    Cloths for the Derby:  We have allready started our foo-foo hat
    shopping - I want to have the grandest hat at the Derby.
    
    Lou

    Oh, there's one thing I forgot about. Lousiville's PBS station does a
    live broadcast called "Dawn At The Downs" from the track every morning 
    during Derby week. They usually grab a couple early morning visitors,
    ask them where there from, which horse they like for the Derby, etc.
    So, if you go to the track in the morning, maybe you'll be on TV! If
    you don't want to get up early enough to get out there, you can watch
    it on the tube in your hotel room.

    Louisa,
    
    A little FYI on the restrooms on the infield!  My sister went to the
    Preakness a couple of years ago.  Huge party!!!  She was in the infield
    and she said many people were rocking/tipping the portable toilets.
    
    She had a blast and doesn't really care for racing.
    
    Karen

    Churchill Downs has set up a World Wide Web home page for 
    Kentucky Derby information. I've checked it out and right now there is
    nothing there except an invitation to "Watch this space."
    
    If you're a WWW browser, you might want to keep tabs on it as the KY 
    Derby approaches...
    
    http://iglou.com/derby.html
    
    

    
    well, I have found "the" dress for the Deby.
    
    The Dress is almost like a slip dress (no sleeves just thick straps).
    It hugs the bustline (nicly I might add) :*) - then hugs the waist and at 
    the hips is flairs out and comes just below my knees.  
    
    The dress is black with lots of yellow & red roses all over it 
    (run for the roses get it) :-) and it also had a red jacket that comes 
    just below the bust line.
    
    The back of the red jacket reminds me of a hunt masters hunt coat -
    compete with the brass buttons.
    
    I have a matching red & black purse to.
    
    I'll keep you posted on the hat!
    
    Louisa

    
    I got the hat!
    
    The Hat is red!  With a big red rose on the back and the hat has red
    neting to cover the face (optional).
    
    So if your up for the Dawn at the Downs - look for the lady in RED.
    
    Louisa

The Derby Diary

It all began at the airport, a feeling came over me when I saw other ladies
with their hat box's.  I looked down at my own hat box, and I still could not
believe I was on my way to the Derby.

We were in Beautiful Kentucky on Thursday, and we attended a parade 
(a pre-derby tradition in Louisville).  On Friday we went touring through 
Paris Kentucky and gazed at all the lovely manicured pastures and rolling 
hills and those perfectly straight white & brown fences.  We made a stop at
Claibourne farm - this place is so incredible. (another note in it self)

All our activities were building for Derby Day at Churchill Downs.  None of 
us slept well the night before, due to all the anticipation we built.

We knew you could bring food and drinks (non-alocholic) into the infield,
but we didn't want to be bothered w/carrying anything, so we thought we just
buy all we needed their.  We also didn't want to carry a blanket, so we
did manage to bring a towel (for 4).

We found a good place to park, we only had to walk about 2 blocks.  We enter
the gates for the infield and with in a few feet we see the Twin Spires
for the 1st time.  It was like being in a dream, it did not seem like I
was standing in Churchill downs.  We took a few pitchers w/us in our
dresses and hats infrount of the Twin Spires, then we quickly tried to
snag some grass for our long day.

We found a nice spot over by the large screen (a screen to watch the race)
but the grass was wet!  A cotton towel was not going to cut it on wet grass.
but we all sat down anyway.   A few minutes later, a group of 3 men came
along with one huge tarp.  They offered us a seat on there waterproof tarp
and we quickly accepted.  They also had a cooler of food and drinks, that
they shared as well, after some taking and thanking them up and down for
all they gave us, we found out there were from Boston!  Out of 144K people
at the Derby, we sit next to folks from home.

The 1st race was about to begin, and we could see the starting gate from
our tarp and a 1/4 of the rest of the race, and to follow the race to the
end all we had to do was look up at the big screen to see the Finnish.

It was thrilling to be there and hear the thunder of hoof beets and knowing
that you are at Churchill Downs.  As the 8th race got closer, the track
started to fill up quickly.  Soon there was no place to sit, but there
were alot of people walking about, having a good time and drinking to many
mint juleps.

If you can pitcher woodstock or any type of outdoor concert with 144K people
around you, then you can pitcher the infield.  There were all types of
people from all different walks of life.  And of course, there was the
old "put the girl on your holder and show us your T*Ts routine" but for
the most part 144K of people - their was only 56 arrest.  Not a bad
ration for that many people in one spot.

In all 10 races, a long shot had won.  So a theme was set for the 8th
race.  The longest shot in the 8th was Wild Syn at 30-1, then next one up 
was Thunder Gulth at 24-1.  I had bet on Eltish and Wild Syn for my long 
shot, since he had post #4 and Thunder Gultch at #14 or #15 ?

Maureen (one of the folks I was with) had always wanted to be in Thunder
Gultch from day 1.  So she did, and she only put $2 on him to win.  So
Maureen walked away from race #8 winning $54 dollars on a $2 bet.  Mary,
another person I went with - play $2 across the board for a total of $24
so her take winning from Thunder Gultch was $34 - not bad :-)

Mary also went one to win just about everything she bet on - we were all
ready to kill her - and I lost on everything I put $ on - but who cares..
I was at Churchill Downs for the 121st running of the roses :-)

All in all a great time was had by all!

Can't wait for next year