Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby Museum

     There's a reason that horse racing is called the sport of kings.  You need a king's ransom to participate.  We might have journeyed to Louisville at Derby time, but actually attending the race was too rich for our blood.  We settled for a short visit on opening night and a tour of the track and a visit to the Kentucky Derby Museum the next day.

Attendance on opening night was 24,431.  A week later on Derby day, there were 170, 513 people in attendance.

The twin spires.

Mike and I in front of the museum.  That's Barbaro behind us.  The museum is part of the track complex.

They present a movie.  The white stripe in the center of this picture is the screen.  The action moves around the room, so you have to keep rotating on the little stools.

Mike, bursting out of the starting gate.

Mike and I posing with the likenesses of California Chrome and Victor Espinoza.

Anyone can be a jockey at the museum.

Of course I made weight!!

Yeah, these are nice   ...

... but hats are better.

A horse cemetery outside the museum.
Just the head, heart, and hooves of thoroughbred horses are buried.  The rest of the body is cremated.  Only three horse have been buried whole - Secretariat, Man O' War, and Seattle Slew.

Some horses still on the hoof.
The big guy is Au Moon, a 9 year old gelding.  The little guy is Winston, a 22 year old miniature horse.  Winston is kept as a companion to the bigger horses because horses are happier when they have buddies around.