The Kentucky Derby experience. I could write about the glamorous hats or rave about dresses. I could go on and on about the mint juleps, the majesty of the grandstands, or talk about the biggest television in the world. When it comes to the horses, I could (and probably will in the next post) about write a small book with tons of pictures. However, I won't. For now, at least.
There was one thing about the Derby that I will remember clearly for the rest of my life: The sound of 164,000 people cheering as the country's best three year olds came running down the homestretch. The cheering starts from the moment the last horse loads in the gates and gradually escalates throughout the race to a level that I can't imagine any other sporting event could ever compare to. The grandstands vibrate with the roar of the crowd. There is so much shared joy, excitement, and anticipation in the air. You not only feel like you're part of the present, but that you are experiencing the history of the past 140 years. You know what it must have felt like a century ago and you know what it will feel like a hundred years from now. No matter what has or will change throughout time, that sound, that feeling, of being at Churchill Downs for the last few seconds of the most exciting two minutes in sports will always remain the same.
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| The first turn of the 140th Kentucky Derby |
There was one thing about the Derby that I will remember clearly for the rest of my life: The sound of 164,000 people cheering as the country's best three year olds came running down the homestretch. The cheering starts from the moment the last horse loads in the gates and gradually escalates throughout the race to a level that I can't imagine any other sporting event could ever compare to. The grandstands vibrate with the roar of the crowd. There is so much shared joy, excitement, and anticipation in the air. You not only feel like you're part of the present, but that you are experiencing the history of the past 140 years. You know what it must have felt like a century ago and you know what it will feel like a hundred years from now. No matter what has or will change throughout time, that sound, that feeling, of being at Churchill Downs for the last few seconds of the most exciting two minutes in sports will always remain the same.
