This Isn’t The Kentucky Derby

I had the pleasure of going to the horse races recently and what an experience that was. Let me preface this post by saying that I have never been to a horse race nor have I known anyone (as far as I know) who has. So when my friend invited me, I had no idea what to expect. Due to my ignorance I met her at her friends house where we would be eating lunch first in a denim shirt and flats. This was a maaaaajor NO NO as I soon saw everyone wearing beautiful dresses, heels, and frilly hats. I had no idea! Luckily, we happened to be the same size and she quickly took me upstairs to change.

Once arriving to Rosehill I was so thankful for having changed because everyone was dressed to the nines. The men had on suits. The women wore cocktail dresses. And the hats! I had never seen anything like this! One of my friends sat me down and explained how the betting works and how to choose a horse. You first need to look at the conditions of the track dry, dead (damp), or heavy (drenched from rain). Then you look at the horses for each race and how they have previously run on similar tracks and lengths. I decided to get the full horse race experience and place a few bets.

horse descriptions

I would never have imagined myself being a fan of horse races but it was really a lot of fun! Even for races I didn’t bet on, it was fun to see which horses were expected to win and which horses actually won. It was also great to feel the excitement and energy coming from the spectators. It was like Sunday Night Football but we traded hot wings and bears for champagne and sandwiches. Overall I had an amazing time and even won $200 off of a $20 bet! Successful day.

Friends.

the track