Trip to Kentucky - The Bourbon Trail - Churchill Downs

 We flew back on a Saturday, but since our flight wasn't until the afternoon (and it was delayed!), we were able to hit up Churchill Downs for a tour of the famed horse racing facility!

But first... food. We had a great breakfast at Wild Eggs, and even saw some people who had been on our Angel's Envy tour having breakfast there as well!

And then we made the very short trip to the very famous Churchill Downs. You might remember the story of Barbaro, the horse who won the Kentucky Derby, but shattered his leg during the Preakness. He lived a few months after the break, but eventually they had to put him to sleep. He's buried right here.

The home of the most exciting two minutes in sports, aka The Run for the Roses! It's also America’s longest continually running sporting event! Superlative, check!

Poor Barbaro. This was such a sad story.

Inside of the Kentucky Derby Museum, we picked up our tickets and went to check out the museum before our tour.

Right out of the museum gate (!!), you see an example of the electric starting gate, which really changed the world of horse racing when it was implemented here at Churchill Downs back in 1940. There are lots of autographs on this one from Derby winning jockeys!

I love a good wall of numbers and facts! I think my favorite stat is that in 1989, there was sleet and snow on the day of the Derby!

They had the 1984 race airing on this old TV and of COURSE, that year's Derby was won by my favorite horse, Swale! 

They even had a little info about the roses that the horse wears after they win. Did you know they just order these rose garlands from Kroger? HA!

I think my favorite exhibit was a fake window that you would walk up to so that you could place your bet on the next race that was going to air on the nearby TV in the room. Much like a real race, I just picked my horses based on odds and cool names. I really just wanted to yell, "COME ON NICKLE PICKLE!"

Todd sits among the crowd, ready for the race to start to see if his horses have won.

And look! Nickle Pickle won! I got win and place! How come I don't have this luck in real life?

You're my boy, Swale! Actually, Swale was 1977 Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew's boy... literally. Swale not only won the Kentucky Derby, but also won the Belmont Stakes that same year. He missed the Triple Crown by coming in 7th at the Preakness. Sadly, 8 days after the Belmont Stakes, Swale collapsed and died. They later found he had a fibrosis near his aorta which caused an arrythmia that led to a cardiac arrest. Probably not too unlike what Natalie had with SVT in that it interrupts the hearts normal electrical pathway. 

Although Todd and I have never been to the Kentucky Derby, we have been to the Belmont Stakes a couple of times. We always had a blast at the races (despite the fact that I think it rained EVERY year we went!). It's not quite as formal as the Derby, but it's fun to see the third race in the Triple Crown. Todd has been to the Preakness, too!

Finally, we were called to start our tour! The first stop on the tour is the Post Position Winners grid. No horse has ever won from position 17 - but the most horses have won from position 5. Place your bets accordingly!

We walked through the starting gate courtyard (wishing they had some mint juleps for sale!) and out to the seats right along the track.

One day, we will probably have to go to the Kentucky Derby! That's an outfit that needs to be planned well in advance though!

From our seats, our guide told us all about the twin spires (on the far right) and the winner's circle (out to the left near the flagpole). 

The Twin Spires (being the original part of the grandstand) were built here between 1894-1895 for a total cost of $42,000. 

Todd took a nice panorama of the grandstands.

I think one of the most interesting things we heard (and saw!) was that they water this sand every day. It's mostly made of actual river sand (about 75% - the rest is silt and clay). They even drove by and watered it while we were sitting there!

Well, we found the Mint Julep stand, why isn't anyone here to take our order!? Hilariously, as Todd stood here, the lights inside the stand turned on!

I hope this isn't as close as we get to the real Kentucky Derby!

We didn't get to see the whole museum before our tour, so we went back inside to check out the rest of it. They have a really cute display all about Secretariat, who won the Derby (and eventually the Triple Crown) in 1973 at a time of 1:59:40 - which is still the track record! There's a sign in here that says after Secretariat passed away in 1989, they found out his heart weighed 22 pounds - which is about 2.5 times the size of an average thoroughbred horse. They think this contributed to a more advanced cardiovascular system! Of course, that's never been proven, but it's a fun idea anyway!

Todd thinks he could beat a thoroughbred out of the gate. That's my stallion! (Oh man, that was really bad.... LOL!)

On display at the Churchill Downs Museum was a whole history on the fashion of the Kentucky Derby that spanned the entire 1.3 centuries of the Derby's existence. 

Many of these amazing outfits used the theme of the Derby, or at least of Kentucky (see the Maker's Mark and Wild Turkey nips stickers!) People get creative - and it often doesn't require a lot of money. This one features the Twin Spires, some horses, some horseshoes and of course, those bourbon stickers.

This display even showed how people were able to incorporate matching masks into their outfits for the 2021 Kentucky Derby.  The 2020 Kentucky Derby was not run in May of that year, but rather in September, and it was closed to spectators (although everyone was able to watch Authentic win on TV). The 2021 Derby allowed spectators, but social distancing and masks were required.

I'm so glad we were able to fit in a visit to Churchill Downs - but ultimately, we had to get back to the airport to catch our flight home. I mean, not without having another drink at Book and Bourbon in the Louisville Airport!  This place is actually the FIRST stop on the Urban Bourbon Trail (which has kind of jumped up in place of the original Bourbon Trail). COOL!  We met a nice guy who had a Bourbon Trail passport book who was trying to get a stamp here. We had a nice chat about our visit!

After our drink at Book and Bourbon, we had some time to kill because our flight was delayed. So we stopped at the Bourbon Academy Tasting Room and they had Weller 90 for only $12! Yes, and please! This isn't a very expensive bottle of Weller, it's just VERY hard to find.

What OTHER airport as bourbon barrels as a decoration in it!? Louisville, you rule.

I was FINALLY on the correct side of the plane to see my grandparents farm from the sky.  There's no way any of you will know where this is, so I put a little blue circle around it! Truth be told, I took a ton of pictures and then checked it up against Google Maps to find the exact location. I know where some landmarks are (Perfect North Slopes, the big power station along the Ohio River near the 275 bridge, etc.) so it made it much easier to find the farm.

And of course, Boston greeted us with a spectacular sunset. As much as I love to travel, it's always good to be home.

I'll leave you with a perfect picture of our two bottles that we got to hand dip at Maker's Mark. It still feels like a dream that I got to visit my very favorite distillery, and I can't wait to go back!

Until next time, Bourbon Trail!