5/5/2012 The Shortest Two Minutes in Sports (2)

I have so many pictures and things to tell you that I’m going to have to break this up into sections. How many remains to be seen. So far this is section two.

So by now the crowd is really starting to fill in.Its taking Bob longer to make his bets on the races.

About a hundred, hundred and fifty feet behind us is a stage where there is a DJ playing. Really? This is where the younger 20-something’s are hanging out. I took a walk to check it out. Oh yeah, they’re here for the horse race.

The music was very loud and I don’t know if it was the music, the early morning beer or what it was but these kids can’t dance worth a damn! One thing I do know for sure, I do not want to be in my 20’s again!

I think this area is called millionaires row. They undoubtedly have fantastic seats and each area has its own bartender and waiter.

Some of the sights….pretty ladies in pretty hats.

They called themselves Ladies in Black.

As I walked around the grounds I came across this fellow.

This fellow could take color of the dress you had on, or what color shirt you were wearing and make a song about it that had everyone in stitches. As soon as someone put a dollar in his bucket he sang a song about them. He was so good. He was bringing in dollar after dollar while I stood there. If it continued after I left like it was while I was there, this guy made a killing today!

Since today was also Cinco de Mayo, it didn’t go unnoticed at the Kentucky Derby.

How do you pick your horse to win? I pick mine by the name. It has to have some kind of connection for me. For instance, if there was a horse called Delaware Doll, I would play that because we’re from Delaware. Or if there was a Quinn’s Folly, I would play that because my last name is Quinn.

The following are some of the things people take into consideration when picking their horse.

• Loyalty to jockey, owner or trainer


• Birthday or anniversary number combinations


• An inside post position


• Color of jockey silks (my second way to choose if a name doesn’t strike me)


• The horse’s pedigree (bloodline)


• A lucky number


• Betting on the gray horse (a rare coat color for thoroughbreds)


• Connection to the horses name (see!)


• Sticking a hat pin through the program and letting the puncture marks select the horse


• The “Holy Ghost Method” if back to back winners started in the same post position you would pick whatever horse had that post in the gate for the next race.


• The horse’s body language in the paddock or during the walkover


• The “Poop Method” betting on whoever poops during the Post Parade (will they run faster with less weight to carry?)


• Long shots


• Drawing a name out of a hat at a Derby party


• Newspaper or on-air handicapper picks


• The “Morning Line” odds in the race program


• Horse body types


• A tip from family/friends/the guy in the infield with the beer helmet

It’s a crap shoot anyway you look at it.

Some strange things we saw….

Have I mentioned that a beer cost eight bucks?

More to come….