Off to the races...

In stark contrast to the nature experience of the fishing trip, this past weekend I drove to Lexington, KY and attended a horse race.  The Keeneland horse races happen every weekend of October in Lexington, and then again every weekend during a month in the spring.  One of my best friend's Katy goes to grad school at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, which is about a 3 hour drive and one time zone away.  Her parents were visiting from State College for the weekend and so I was determined that I would get to go see all of them, a little taste of home.  As it turned out, they happened to have an extra ticket to Keeneland and invited me to go along!

So, Friday night I had to stay in Nashville for our midnight rugby party.  My roommate Ashley is from Northern Ireland and is a HUGE rugby fan.  The Rugby World Cup is currently happening in New Zealand and Ireland had made it to the quarter final.  For the first time, with the 12 hour time difference, the game was on at a (semi-reasonable) hour, midnight central time.  We went over to the Toolshed (the other YAV house) where a projector and speakers had been set up on the patio- the fact that it is still pleasantly warm at midnight is one of the joys of living in Tennessee.  We watched the game complete with Northern Irish traybakes (a type of sweet treat) and green face paint like true fans.  Sadly, the game did not turn out the way we hoped, Ireland lost, but the experience was a lot of fun!  Needless to say though, I didn't go to bed until 3 am.  Then, I woke up at 7am to drive to Lexington, KY.

Keeneland Grandstand

The drive to Lexington is beautiful and a relatively easy drive. I arrived there around 12:30 eastern and was so excited to see my second parents and best friend.  We had to get changed because you have to dress up to go to a horse race-crazy! We were all dolled up and then headed over to the racetrack where people some people were tailgating and others were headed in to the grandstand.  Let me tell you, this was quite the experience!  People were dressed to the nines, women in stilletos and designer dresses and some men in suits.  We walked  into the building in an attempt to find our seats.  We walked through the courtyard, bought ourselves a program (so we could look like real professionals while analyzing the statistics), passed by the paddock where they show off the horses that are about to race, and eventually we found our seats at the very far end of the stadium.  We settled in right before the 3 race started and attempted to learn how to place a bet, and how to wager based on the horse's odds.  Watching as the horse and jockey rode by to be placed in the starting gate, then the excitement of the crowd as the horses raced around the track, it was all very exciting! It was a thrill I wasn't expecting, and it only increased once I had placed a bet on a horse in the next race.  I felt some loyalty to Great Attack and his jockey but alas, they did not win or even place!  After that, I could

Crossing the finish line

easily see how betting and wagering on horses could be addicting, but I was content to only watch the remaining races.  The horses were just absolutely beautiful and I had mixed feelings when seeing them forced around and whipped with an expectation that they would run even faster.  I didn't really know what to feel and I still do not know much about horse racing at all.  I can now say I have had that experience, and while I don't see myself going back anytime soon it was certainly an interesting glimpse into the world of the affluent Southern culture.