This weekend, however, was one of our most exciting since we got settled in Ohio. We took an overnight trip to Lex, KY. We started with a tour of Labrot & Graham, one of the area's oldest and best distilleries. It's located in an incredibly scenic part of the bluegrass region out in the horse country. Here is what whiskey looks like before it gets distilled:
Following some surprisingly good Mexican food close to the distillery, that afternoon we had a beautiful hike in a wildlife refuge about 20 min. outside of Lex:
Today we went, of course, to the races! Unfortunately it was not the season for Churchill Downs, but Keeneland, the other major track in the area. The facility is set amongst the rolling hills of the bluegrass. You park on a grassy hill and walk into the building where you see the horses warming up in the paddock. The grandstand itself looks like it might have in the 20s.
Anyway, we got off to a rough start. Just in time for the 2nd race, we made a couple of hurried bets to win. One of our horses came out to an early lead, but faded down the stretch. The other -- my pick of Missing Treasure -- was completely trounced the entire way.
The next race we tried a conservative show bet on another "Cat," Cunning Cat going off at 7-to-1, but I pressed the wrong button. It didn't matter, our horse never contended.
The next couple of races were more of the same. We mixed it up with an exacta bet, and got the winner, Cat And A Half, the prohibitive favorite, but Crafty Brutus was never in the running. At 5-to-1 Maui looked like a nice horse for a conservative show bet to get us on track, but again, nothing but failure and frustration! The 6th race we finally picked a solid horse, Yucatan, which had beaten several horses in the field, yet the odds were going up. I thought this could be a horse to make us some money back, so I placed an aggressive win bet. The horse did o.k., but finished fourth. And to a 75-to-1 longshot! Again, no money! The gambling blues were definitely starting to sink in. Down nearly $20, to our last $2 bet.
Ready to give up, Margaret James stepped up. She liked the 2 and the 8. I liked the 2's better career winnings. We took a look in the paddock and she looked ready to go. Although I was feeling desperate to get our cash back all at once, I also felt like we needed to have a winning bet to turn things around. We placed a conservative show bet. It was a crazy race! Coming off the final turn, just about any horse in the field could have taken it. The 3 and 7 were the clear 1-2, but Ten Carat Ruby was right there in the pack as they came down the stretch. The replay showed her neck and neck for the all important 3rd spot. Finally the result was posted--Victory! Melissa's pick (purely on the catchy name) showed! The bet paid $4.80. Not much, but we were back in it. Positive energy was returning.
But we had decided we would only stay for one last race. This was the marquee--the $500,000 Juddmont Spinnster. With a name like that we had to stay and bet. This time it was my turn to pick. I liked the 6, Asi Siempre. Good career earnings. Lots of experience running this distance. The same jockey that had carried us to riches in the previous race. We'd had bad luck with the Romanesque names, but Asi Siempre--it has a nice ring to it. We took a look in the paddock and she seemed nice. With $4 now remaining on our original $20, I decided to tempt fate. An aggressive $2 to win and $2 to show.
As we returned from the paddock, I realized that the starting gate was right in front of our section of the grand stand, so I took the opportunity to test out the "sports" option on our camera settings. Here's how it went down. Horses approach the gate. Nervous anticipation! Asi Siempre does fine going into the gate. She's ready to roll. And they're off! There she goes, breaking just off the lead. She's the gray with the jockey in shocking pink:
She settles into about 7th place, at the tail end of the pack stalking the leaders. The 5, Summerly, is out in front, but Asi Siempre is in perfect position if she can close! Coming around the turn she makes up ground. Now things get confusing. They are far away, and a lot is happening. The leaders have tired themselves out, and the stalking pack has overtaken them. But who is winning? Do we even have a chance?
And down the stretch they come! And it's Asi Siempre with a clear lead! All she has to do is hold on for a few more seconds. Asi Siempre at the wire! Another winner!
And here she is prancing in her glory, on the way to the winner's circle.
The odds had fallen to 9-to-2, but she paid $11 plus $4.60 to show. Resisting the temptation to let it all ride on the last race, we decided to finish on a serious high. With the $.80 voucher left over from our winnings in the previous race, we cashed out down only $3. Thank you Asi Siempre and Keenland!
