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Saturday was the 138th running of The Kentucky Derby. I was sporting a sizable hat that artfully covered up my black eye (see Cabo, You Charmer for details.) The streets of Portland were peppered with smartly dressed couples strolling arm in arm and Dixieland Jazz Bands producing lively music that instinctively made your hands clap and a smile skim across your lips.
The prior afternoon, my friend and I scrutinized over the horse’s names and stats; we read up on their training schedules; took careful notes as to which jockeys would be riding each horse; and we also noted which races they placed in prior to coming to Churchill Downs. Translation: we looked up the horses on our iphone and choose our horses based upon which names made us laugh.
After breakfast and the primping and scrutinizing over which direction to tilt our hats, we joined a friend for our first experience with placing a bet on a horse race. We cabbed it over to the the Rialto Corner Bar and excitedly placed our bets.
The party, and there were many to choose from, we attended was at North 45. It was their 5th Annual Kentucky Derby Party and Fundraiser. The fundraising efforts supported the Bleeding Disorder Foundation of Washington.
As we entered North 45 I felt like I had just walked back in time. Ladies and gents sipping cocktails and exchanging pleasantries at the beautiful wood bar. We sauntered our way to the back patio where it was jovial with gents dressed in seersucker and linen and the ladies donning some fabulous hats. The waitstaff and bartenders were all dressed as jockey’s, it was clever and sexy and I’ve decided to steal it for my Halloween costume next year.
A huge screen was hung high to broadcast the pre-race and race activities. Mint juleps in copper mugs loosened everyone up and set the mood for mingling, horse talk, and a willingness to buy an arms length of raffle tickets.
The race began, all eyes turned upward towards the screen and the cheering commenced. With only 1 and a quarter miles to cover, the much anticipated event was over within 2 minutes with a roaring round of cheers and, just as loud, sighs of exasperation.
On a day when speed was holding up, the Southern California-based horse blew past a tiring Bodemeister in the deep stretch to win by 11/2 lengths. It was the third time jockey Mario Gutierrez, 25, has ridden the colt, having previously won the Robert B. Lewis and Santa Anita Derby. It was also the first time a horse has ever won from the 19 post.
Lady luck was perched on my shoulder that afternoon and much to my delight, I won! I’ll Have Another was the natural choice for me to pick and it paid off! I did some research and uncovered this sweet bit of insight into the horse’s name. Reddam, the owner, said his wife is known for baking chocolate chip cookies, and when asked, he says, “I’ll have another.” Cute, but not what I was thinking when I choose this horse!
North 45 hosted it’s 5th Derby Party with savoir-faire and success with their fundraising efforts and a memorable time for all who participated. The event was free with food and drink prices at a very agreeable price point. A Dixieland band played after the race to continue the festivities and keep the race goers entertained. If a Derby Party is in your plans for next year, I’d place my money on North 45 as a winner.