As a family, we’ve always prioritized experiences over things. Three years ago, I was wracking my brain for a special experience for my husband’s milestone birthday. I recalled that when in college, we went to the Kentucky Derby. We camped in the rain, sat in the wet infield and never saw a horse. What we did see, however, were the beautifully dressed spectators in the stands; we vowed then and there that one day we would sitting in grandstand seats in fancy duds. Gift idea solved. We would go to the Kentucky Derby. So I signed up for the ticket lottery on-line and surprised him with grandstand seats at Churchill Downs for the Derby in 2017.
Louisville, Churchill Downs, men in seersucker jackets, women in dresses and every style hat imaginable, the horses – all made for an amazing weekend. The infield had significantly changed in the 40 years since we’d been – no more sitting on blankets in an immense muddy field – now there were grandstands and vendor booths although the crowd was as wild and crazy and disorderly as ever.
Unfortunately, the weather did not co-operate. It was cool and overcast with intermittent rain. We had covered seats but were still chilly in our summer finery. The track was muddy and the horses, jockeys, trainers and track officials were soon blanketed in muck. Despite the poor weather, we enjoyed betting and even picked the Derby winner, Always Dreaming.
Next year’s birthday was easy. I got tickets to the second leg of the Triple Crown, the Preakness. We packed our fancy clothes and headed to Baltimore.
Once again, it rained continuously the entire weekend. Pimlico is an old, poorly maintained track – our seats were in temporarily erected grandstands on the first turn, fortunately covered. Unlike Churchill Downs, we were confined to this small section so not able to walk to other areas of the track and explore between races. The only saving grace was that all our drinks were included in the ticket price.
The weather was so bad we skipped our fancy clothes and dressed in jeans and raincoats. The horse racing was good and we were excited to see Justify win the second leg of the triple crown.
So here we are this year at the Belmont Stakes in Queens, NY for the third leg of the Triple Crown. This year’s Derby and Preakness were run in some of the wettest weather ever but fortunately the Belmont will break that streak. Today is warm and sunny with zero chance of rain. With relief, we dress in our fancy race attire and head to the track. The Belmont Racetrack is a pleasant surprise – beautifully kept and landscaped and well maintained.
We have great seats on the straightaway about 100 yards before the finish line. We can roam the entire track (except for a few private clubs), have great food and drink options and are not so crowded. Hip hop artist Flo Rida is the featured entertainer and performed on the stage right in front of us.
It’s a fun day of wagering and racing – no drama with challenged finishes or ejected jockeys. We didn’t pick Sir Winston to win but enjoyed that a long shot, Tacitus came in second.
And so we completed our Triple Crown – with the Belmont being my favorite experience. Not sure if I will continue the horse racing birthday theme – the Breeder’s Cup, or even international races like the Paris Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe or Royal Ascot are possibilities – or find a different experience; regardless, I’m glad we experienced the thrill of Triple Crown racing and fulfilled a college dream.
