A delayed start to Keeneland’s Spring Meet meant a good opportunity to catch some racing without the crowds.
Kentucky had some serious flooding in early spring, and Lexington’s Keeneland racetrack delayed the start of their Spring Meet. What should have been opening days on Friday and Saturday got postponed to Monday-Tuesday. It was an inconvenience for a lot of race fans, so the track decided to give free admission and free parking on the new dates. Heck yeah, I’ll go for free! I also scored some other free goodies like hand-made cookies and lemonade, a baseball hat, and this crazy 360° video demonstration.
The day was bright but chilly. Early afternoon crowds were thin and I strolled around at will, unimpeded.
When the wind proved too much to bear, I dipped inside for a quick warm up and a hot dog. Keeneland has a bunch of indoor seating areas where race fans can camp out all day.
I expected lots of Derby-like outfits to be on display, but since this was Tuesday the crowd just looked like regular track fans. Only a couple of women attempted to dress up. The rest of us were bundled against the cold.
Later in the afternoon temps rose to a tolerable degree and folks gathered around the paddock area to preview the horses.
Post time found me leaning on the rail in a good spot to catch the action.
By late afternoon the crowds picked up and I decided to race off. Hoofed a couple of furlongs to my car and got away clean.
All told, it was a pretty cheap day at the races. I spent $10 on the horses and $6 on a hot dog. The dog was the best bet of the afternoon!
4 comments
Uncrowded is the way to go.
Blessed are the few!
Looks like a lot of fun.
It was a fine day!