Planning ahead - Ky Derby 2007
 

OK, next year I'm going to Kentucky for the First Saturday in May and I could use some help. Can anyone recommend the best/safest place to get tickets as well as a good hotel to stay at? If anyone has any recommendations for the best way to experience the Derby, I'd love to hear them. FYI, I'm not looking for the "infield experience" since I'm 40 and no longer enjoy getting so drunk that I can't remember where I am/where I left the car/where I left my underwear. :D I'll probably fly in either Tues/Wed before and leave the following Monday... any help is greatly appreciated.

stay in lexington its a hell of alot cheaper and nicer then louisville and only a hour away and set up some appointments to the stud barns and head to the horse park to see john and cigar. old friends has a get together the day after the derby. but the stud farms you should have fun at some can be sticklers but most are very good as long as you give them a heads up. except three chimmneys , if you go there resev early or you wont get in but they do have a ope house on wednesday only and bring iout all the stallions. have fun:)

also do the derby museum and movie since its your first time and the grave sites right next to the museum inside the white gate, there is also a parade but cant remeber what day:) parade is downtown louisville

The farm tours are a must. I would actually stay in Frankfort. That way it will be an easy drive to Louisville. I would park at Papa Johns Stadium and take the shuttle to the track. Museum is a must.

I agree with Euro that you will probably have better luck and better pricing if you stay in Frankfort...and the drive isn't bad. Farm tours are an absolute must...I don't know if they are open to the public but try to get into Winstar...place is great, both the stallion barns and the training section and the foaling barns. Hands down my favorite farm in the area. Three chimneys, Ashford, Juddmonte, Gainsway, are Lane's End are also must sees. And make sure you check out keeneland even thought they won't be running. The library there is incredible.

You don't wanna stay all the way out there. Piss on that. You'll spend the whole day driving. On the outskirts of the Lousiville metro area on Hurstbourne Road you can get a room at a reasonable price without having to commute that far each day.
Skip Lexington, its as boring in that town as watching paint dry or watching grass grow. Used to stay there years ago and its a drag.
Lots of things to do in Louisville Derby week. If you like baseball head on down to Slugger Field and check out the reds Triple AAA farm club take on the Yankees triple AAA farm club(they always schedule the yanks farm team to be in town that week knowing it draws in visiting northeasterners), its a spectacular ball park.
Hit Jeff Ruby's for drinks and dinner one night, its on West Main Street downtown.
Head on out to works in the morning, which will be hard if you are all the way out in Frankfort, grab a room on Hurstbourne instead.

...but if one has never been to KY the farms cannot be skipped. They are ultra impressive and any fan of the game should thoroughly enjoy seeing them.

I suppose I'm not the best guy to appreciate that. back in the late 90's I went to Governor Jones place, Airdrie, because someone I knew owned a stallion in partnership with him. He turned out to be a great guy, but while I was there I actually had to watch the stallion do his job and its just about the grossest thing you could ever witness. All those guys performing different tasks, while this is going on. Ugh, that was enough horse farm experience for me thanks!!!
Although he had a stallion there as we walked around and Gvr Jones showed me all of em, a new stallion that was there at the time, lovely grey named El Prado and I rememeber petting his head and saying what a nice horse. Had no idea he'd turn into what he did.

thats pretty funny...guess I shouldn't tell you what my job was when we took the studs to the shed on th morgan farm I used to work at...;)

We stayed Wed-Sunday in a hotel in Elizabethtown. 30-40 minute drive maybe, right off the highway w/ plenty of conveniences around and all of the hotels are nice. It was very easy to come in and out of Louisville everyday and was cheaper than all the hotels in Louisville. The year before I did the ride to and from Lexington and found this one much easier (and shorter!).

Just a heads up, but during Derby season, unless you're a breeder, will be hard to get into any stud farms for a look. It is still breeding season and I'm told most farms give perference to their clients who are in town for the Derby.

I saw A.P. Indy that way...couldn't figure out if I should have been honored due to his status or grossed out. LOL

Nah thats ok, my clearest vision of that day was the guy who was holding this thing like plunger with a puffy thing wrapped around it at the end. I said what the hell is that guy doing? I was told his job was to place that between the stallion and the mare in the crucial area to make sure that the stallion didn't damage the mare. It just struck me as crazy that could be somebody's job. I mean, can you imagine being a kid in school and the teacher asking you what your daddy does for a job and you answer that he holds this thing between humping horses so that the stalllions schlong doesn't get too far in there?

I LOVE Morgans!!!

dont forget the thunder over louisville..fireworks show..its about the best in the world..

me too. though it's required here since it is the state animal...I had a blast on the farm where I used to work...it was primarily training and showing but they stood a couple of studs and had anywhere from 5-10 foals a year. hard work but I learned a lot.

Have you gone here?

http://www.morganmuseum.org/html/siteseeing.html

I learned to ride on a Morgan, not the saddleseat type that seems to be overtaking the breed, but more like the original Justin Morgan type. Is that the Lippit? I'm assuming you've also seen the movie "Justin Morgan Had a Horse"?

Definitely try and get down there for the Post Position draw. It was pretty cool how they had it this year in the open air on 4th Street.

Elizabethtown is definitely a good option if you are looking to keep the price down. It is a wicked easy commute into Louisville, 30-40 minutes, all highway driving. Also E-town is already half way to Mammoth Cave if that sort of thing interests you on the Sunday after.

Don't sweat it if you can't get tickets. You don't have to go to the infield. We went general admission last year and there is a section of lawn around the first turn that is nothing like the infield and you can actually see things. They also bring all the horses past you before and after the race so you wind up getting a much better view of them there than you get in the crowded paddock. Here are some of my pictures from last year to give you an idea of how close you can get down there:

http://www.finalturngallery.com/Sniper-s-Pictures

yeah i helped organize the library there as part of community service that my co-op barn did...I think they are thinking of relocating to the KY horse park for added exposure though.

I learned to ride on a morgan too...also had one teach me how to drive...and another teach me how to get run off with while driving LOL

That was my job too when I worked at a Trakehner farm. :D

FUN stuff there... haha.

That is really neat! :)

This may change now that columbus is no longer the yankee's farm club. i think scranton is now their AAA club?

Lexington is not cheaper/nicer than Louisville
in fact, I find the opposite to be true
if you stay in Lexington you'll never forgive yourself
and why waste time at a horse farm that week
when there's so much going on in Louisville
no one has addressed tickets
be prepared to drop some $$ there
If I find a deal I'll let you know

one of the funniest days of my life was when the guys @ Ashford took my mom up in the video booth to watch with them while Grand Slam covered a mare...they explained everything to her...so funny, she nearly died. She just couldn't believe how matter of fact everyone is about such a brutal looking act.

Thanks for the input so far everyone, I appreciate it. I started looking at hotels, car rentals, ticket brokers, major sights I need to see and I've got to be honest - it's overwhelming! I'm contemplating doing a travel package deal that provides tickets, hotel, transportation, and farm tours - it costs more but it may be worth it to have someone else take care of the logistics... I know a lot of you have done the Derby for many years and you've got your itinerary down cold but for a newbie like me I think a package might be best... any thoughts?

might be the best way to go...wow Spokane! have fun!

[quote=oracle80]Skip Lexington, its as boring in that town as watching paint dry or watching grass grow. QUOTE]

Are you talking about Saratoga Springs or Lexington, KY? There is plenty to do in Lexington, way more than you can do in the sticks up in NY. Must be real exciting up in Saratoga Springs. Atleast in Lexington their in UK basketball and horse farms.

What are you guys doing in Saratoga Springs? Watching Skidmore basketball.:eek:

Agree that the post draw party is a great idea to catch.

Disagree with a lot of what is being posted here. Derby is a party in Louisville, so if you don't like Louisville and you don't like good times, choose another time to visit the farms in Lexington, Mammoth Cave, and the Derby museum. Those are all nice, but not what my group of 20 goes for (mostly 30 somethings). Lighten up and spend a few late nights on the town.

Shepherdsville, KY is only about 10 miles south from the track and there are a couple of reasonable lodging options there. Taxi ride only $30 or so from there.

We bought tickets for $125 outside the gates last year, and there were numerous ones floating around.

It all depends on whether or not you have a driver. If you have someone to drive or aren't planning on drinking too much that you can drive then being 30 minutes away isn't a big issue. You can certainly go out in Louisville and stay 30 minutes away.

Is the party in Louisville really that raging on Sunday afternoon?

lol i wonder if some of you even read the posts:confused:

sry but lexington is cheaper . alot of hotels require 3 night min stay at outrageous prices in louisville. he already said notta on the hard partying and thats what most of it is. and lexington is far better then louisville. if you want to drink and party stay in louisville if you want to see horses head to lexington

you want to pet horses, go to Lexington
you want to bet horses, stay in Louisville
I don't care what you're into you'll have a better time in L'ville

Louisville is awesome! If you love the party scene, you'll love that city. I went out drinking every night. I love 4th Street Live, and the Galt House (which is very close to 4th Street Live) is a beautiful place. I was trying to talk my parents into going to the Derby and staying in the Galt House in 2007, but they won't bite. My mom doesn't like the big crowds. They'll hit up Louisville when there isn't a lot going on. Oh well, it looks like I'll be taking off to the Derby by myself next year. I wouldn't want them to know how I REALLY am anyway. In Louisville, they would see the angels wings and halo come off, and be replaced with horns and a tail. LOL:D

I already have my outfit picked out for the Derby next year! I know, I know...I'm obsessed.

If you wanted to spend some money, then I would definitely recommend staying in the Galt House.

Thanks for all your help... with so many options, it may take me a while to get this trip planned... I appreciate everyone's input - I know for certain that I will see the derby museum, go to the pp draw, show up at morning works (which means no wild nights of partying for me), see any farms that will let me take a tour, stay as close to the track as I can (so long as it is safe and not more than $500 a night) and hopefully meet several of you folks from here at DT... and I'll have to buy a drink for Steve, GPK, Oracle, Mermaid and anyone else who's handicapping has help me win a few bucks over the past year (I hope GPK will collect on that - if we have more good Balmoral Sunday nights I may owe him a six pack! :D )

Yeah...my folks stayed behind after the BC and went to Winstar, Ashford and Lane's end and got to see: Tiznow, Rock hard ten, Ap Indy, Giant's Causeway, Mine shaft, Blue grass cat, Distorted Humor and even Aragorn.

They said it was an awsome experience.

Don't get me wrong, Lexington has it's place
just not during derby week

EXACTLY what I'm saying