http://www.sniperphotography.com

You will only be able to get 50 of these fine mint juleps. They are going for a good cause and are made with ice from the artic circle, as well as mint from Morocco. The sugar is from the South Pacific. You will be able to sip it through a silver straw and a gold plated cup. Cost: $1000

Free Refills anyone?

The potential field for the Kentucky Derby should become somewhat clearer today.

There are four key preps for 3-year-olds – the Gotham, San Felipe, Rebel and Tampa Bay Derby. All four are 11/16-mile races.

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A winner in his past three starts, Achilles of Troy faces his toughest task in the $200,000 Gotham Stakes at Aqueduct.

“It’s a good test and I expect him to run huge,” said Ernie Paragallo of Paraneck Stable, which owns Achilles of Troy. “Nobody scares me if he runs his race. If he runs his A race, he’s as good as anybody in the country.”

Achilles of Troy will be ridden by Ramon Dominguez

The second choice is Keyed Entry, trained by Todd Pletcher and ridden by Edgar Prado.

At Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif., Bob Baffert trains three horses running in the $250,000 San Felipe Stakes. One is Bob and John, owned by Houston Texans owner Bob McNair.

“He wants to get to the Super Bowl quick, and he wants to get to the Derby quick,” Baffert said of McNair. “That’s the kind of owner we need. Someone who wants to do it quick.”

McNair and his wife, Janice, who race as Stonerside Stable, had their best Derby finish with the Baffert-trained Congaree, who was third in 2001.

Baffert, who trained three Derby winners from 1997 to 2002, also entered Point Determined and Sky Diving

Point Determined is a son of Point Given, who won two-thirds of the Triple Crown in 2001. The colt is owned by Beverly Lewis and the estate of Bob Lewis, the two-time Kentucky Derby winning owner who died on Feb. 17.

John Shirreffs, trainer of 2005 Derby winner Giacomo, will saddle A.P. Warrior for the first time in the San Felipe.

The $300,000 Rebel at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark., features Lawyer Ron and Private Vow. Lawyer Ron won the Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn on Feb. 25, his fifth victory in as many starts on dirt.

In the $250,000 Tampa Bay Derby, the early even-money favorite is Bluegrass Cat, trained by Pletcher and ridden by John Velazquez.

Kentucky Derby

The annual detailing of the Kentucky Derby Train is an annual ritual for the beautiful long sleek historical piece of American History. It may seem easy to detail such a fine piece of machinery, but it take many man-hours and they expect it perfect. Such a job is sure to inflate the egos of the company with the contract and make some ice pictures for their portfolio.

My company, The Detail Guys were commissioned by the Top Brass of CSX Railway to clean and Detail The Kentucky Derby Train for the 129th 2003 Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, KY. So many famous celebrities have made the journey to Churchill Downs over the years on the Kentucky Derby Train that you could not possibly mention them all. Several Presidents, Future Presidents, Governors, Leaders of the Free World, Entrepreneurs, Industrialists, Movie Stars and Persons of Notice have made the journey on The Kentucky Derby Train.

CSX realizing bids the job out each year for the annual ritual of the detailing of the Kentucky Derby Train. They ask tough questions and demand perfection. Luckily they picked our team as a valuable vendor worthy of the crucial and important job, also knowing of our environmental Best Management Practices to prevent wastewater run-off awarded us the contract this year. The Detail Guys cleaned and detailed the most famous party train in the United States, perhaps the world in record time for an important date in the annals of history. We also did it without a drop of pollution using our great products and environmental procedures another thing CSX are sticklers for; they care about the environment and anyone who works with the company knows their policies are some of the toughest in the industry today. Not a drop of wastewater was even allowed on the ground; seriously.

The annual running of the Kentucky Derby is the largest and most popular of all events in Kentucky, drawing spectators from all 50 states and 35 countries. After 129 years of this annual event the tradition is quite impressive still. This years Kentucky Derby winner was a 50:1 long shot. The Train leaves from Florida’s First Coast and travels to the Kentucky Derby in first class Five Star Style for the running of the Kentucky Derby and then returns with several important stops along the way. We are so proud to have been able to create the shine for the annual historic trip. And this Kentucky Derby was one of the best ever experiences for the attendees and the individuals fortunate enough to know the right people for a place on the Train.

God Bless this historic event, train ride and the people who have made it possible and so great through all those years. This truly is what makes America so GREAT !

“Lance Winslow” – Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lance_Winslow

Kentucky, Kentucky Derby, Train

The classic American horse race, the Kentucky Derby is the oldest consecutively held Thoroughbred race in America. It is run annually on the first Saturday in May at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. Along with the Preakness in mid-May, and Belmont in early June, it is the first jewel of the coveted Triple Crown of Thoroughbred racing, which has been won by only eleven horses since 1919. Triple Crown winners include memorable names such as Secretariat, Seattle Slew, Whirlaway, and Affirmed.

The first Kentucky Derby was held May 17, 1875, before a crowd of 10,000 from around the city, state and surrounding areas. In that race, a field of 15 three-year-olds ran a 1.5 mile course which was won by H.P. McGrath’s Aristides. Although the first Derby was held at 1.5 miles, the distance was changed to the current 1.25 miles in 1896. The Derby field is limited to three-year-olds; fillies carry 121 pounds and colts 126 pounds. So far, only three fillies have won the Derby: Regret in 1915, Genuine Risk in 1980, and Winning Colors in 1988. The Kentucky Derby has also produced countless statistics and bits of trivia over the course of its history. The largest field was during the 100th running in 1974 when 23 horses ran. The smallest fields were in 1892 and 1905, with only three horses in each race.

The fastest Derby was run by the legendary Secretariat, who covered the 1 1/4 miles in 1:59 2/5, the only Derby winner to finish under two minutes.

Meriwether Lewis Clark Jr who built Churchill Downs in Louisville, wanted his track to have a race that would rival England’s Epsom Derby. After visiting England to study both its tracks and its races, he established the Kentucky Derby, which was first run on May 17, 1875.

However, the Derby was just another regional race until 1902, when Colonel Matt J. Winn took over the track. Although he had seen every Derby since the beginning, Winn know little about horse racing or running tracks. But he was a very good promoter.

After rising money to same Churchill Downs from bankruptcy, Winn began making frequent trips to New York, then the center of American racing to persuade owners to enter their horses in the Kentucky Derby. His persistence paid off. By 1920, the Derby had become the best-known race in the North America and it was attracting the top three-year-olds from all over the country.

The first race in the Triple Crown, The Derby is run on the first Saturday in May. A whole week of festivities know as The Kentucky Derby Festival is built around the race which, like the Indianapolis 500, has become as much a happening as a sporting event. It attracts crowds of well over 150,000 spectators and is watched on television by millions more, many of who are otherwise not interested in Thoroughbred racing.

Matthew Bass
DerbyBox.com
email: mbass@derbybox.com
Phone: 502-593-3729

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Matthew_Bass

Kentucky, History, Kentucky Derby

Land Between the Lakes
Mammoth Cave National Park
Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom
Cumberland gap National Historical Park
Kentucky Dam Village State Resort Park
Newport Aquarium
Churchill Downs Racetrack
Kentucky Horse Park
Keenland
Louisville Zoo

Kentucky, Tourist, Top Ten

One organization leading this effort calls itself the Kentucky Equine Education Project. It proclaims casino gambling limited to racetracks to be the savior of the threatened horse industry and at the same time a source of new revenue for state and local government. Among its members is former governor Brereton Jones, a Woodford County horseman.

and also this

Casino gambling is just the latest in a short but growing list of
creative ways to finance government.
Like the lottery, it would
probably slow the drift of Kentuckians crossing borders to spend their
money. And just as the lottery did, it would encourage other bordering
states to consider casino gambling. Tennessee would likely follow, as
it did with the lottery, to keep its residents from coming to Kentucky
to pay their sin taxes. And we will then be measuring what effect that
will have on our state and local budgets.

I SAY:  Kentuckians are going to gamble.  There is just a certain percentage of people that want to do it.  Why limit ourselves to letting the Racetracks own everything.  They have survived this long against out of state casinos.  In fact Churchill Downs is less than a 1/2 from a major Southern Indiana casino.  Let us keep the this revenue in the State.

Kentucky, Kentucky Lottery, Kentucky Gambling, Churchill Downs, Casinos

From the official Churchill Downs website

Horse racing in Kentucky is rich in history, dating back to 1789 when the first race course was laid out in Lexington. However, it was almost 100 years later, in 1875, that Churchill Downs officially opened and began its tradition as “Home of the Kentucky Derby.”

In 1787, The Commons, a park-like block near Lexington’s Race Street was used by horsemen for racing. By 1789, complaints by “safety minded” citizens led to the formal development of a race meet at The Commons. The men who organized this race meet, including Kentucky Statesman Henry Clay, also formed the Commonwealth’s first Jockey Club. The organization later was named the Kentucky Jockey Club in 1809.

          more

Kentucky, Kentucky Derby, Churchill Downs