The 2011 Kentucky Derby at Suffolk Downs?

The Kentucky Derby is the pinnacle of the Spring horse racing season.  Yes, the stakes are greater for the November running of the Breeders' Cup.  The Dubai World Cup similarly has larger purses than the Derby.  But when you ask thoroughbred trainers, when you ask jockeys and when you ask the ordinary person on the street, the Kentucky Derby is the most important horse race each year.  The fastest two minutes in sports, the sport of Kings, the First Saturday in May, they all mean the same thing.

Same here.  Instead of enjoying the race at home with our friends like we did in the 136th Run for the Roses last year, we decided this year to celebrate the Derby at the home of another venerable horse racing institution, Suffolk Downs in East Boston.  Once the home of the some of the most famous horses ever to run the oval tracks, Seabiscuit and Cigar just to name a few, Suffolk Downs has recently fallen on some hard times.  The MassCap, the big race at Suffolk Downs, hasn't been run since 2008 (Commentator blew away the field by about 50 lengths).  Just recently, a dispute erupted between the track's owners and the New England Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association about purses and number of racing days.  But not today.  Thousands of cars lined the enormous parking lot as we circled the lot in the rain looking for a spot close to the entrance.  I just wanted to get in to start looking at the horses.

4pm.  East Boston, MA.  There are four distinct chapters when gambling at the track:  figuring out which horse to bet on, actually making the bet, watching the race you've just bet on and figuring out if you won and the ramifications of that knowledge.

Who's the Skeevy guy next to you?

Handicapping.  We arrived about two hours before the Derby.  Because this was a party, we were not only doing some handicapping, but we also had a chance to talk to some of the New England Patriot's Cheerleaders, watch as the Aerosmith cover band tried to decide whether to play through the rain or not as a couple of fans milled around breathlessly awaiting their decision and look around for some of the promised BBQ.  We knew we were at the track too when a fellow who did not look destitute asked us for fifty cents.  I remained silent letting the LC answer for us.

"I'm sorry we're a plastic only family"  I started smiling as I wondered if I could bet on Nehro using my Visa Card.

Placing our Wagers.  I finally decided on a win, place and show on Nehro and an exacta box on Nehro and Mucho Macho Man.  Both of those horses showed tremendous closing speed at shorter distances.  I thought that with the 10 furlongs, they would both clear the field in the last furlong.  And I never like horses on dirt if they've only run on turf or synthetics.  LC picked Midnight Interlude and Mucho Macho Man, both to win.  I had spied a little nook near the Legends Bar to make our bet since all of the conventional betting windows were extremely busy.

A little too busy for a couple of old timers, I guess.  As we were waiting in line to place our bets, two 75 year old gentlemen started pushing each other because one had pushed the other out of the way to place his bet.  "I was here first!" I heard one of them shout at the other.  A security guard came over to break up the fight, to everyone's relief.  Noone wants to have to pick up the pieces from an old man fist fight.

"I've been coming here for 35 years, sonny. F*ck you!"  We all looked around at each other - did this guy just yell at a security guard to go f*ck himself?  After permitting him to make his bet (of course) the vulgar old man was escorted out of the Track by the First Security Guard and his back up.  A large intimidating gentlemen who I will call "Shorty."  Shorty menaced at this guy for a couple of minutes until he finally started shuffling out.  Meanwhile the other guy was merrily making a bunch of $1 bets.  I preceded to watch him go up at least three more times before the race.  My wife indicated that he was on the vulgar old man's side until he swore at the guard.  He started giving her some jaw too.  Oh for Christ's sake, can I just make my bet here?

Watching the Race.  After finally making our bets, we staked out a place to watch the race.  My kingdom for a HD TV!  We watched the race on 29 inch TV along with 30 other people.  Each TV had 30 people huddled around it, everyone clutching their tickets like they are holding a lottery ticket.  The excitement was palpable.  I'm not sure I can the TV I remember thinking.  But this was the biggest TV we could watch.  Finally, the race started.

This horse cost me a betting clean sweep

Unfortunately, as I thought, the TV was too small and the place too loud to really see what was going on.  I saw that Shackleford had the lead for most of the race.  I saw that my long shot was well out of it.  I couldn't tell what my other horses were doing.  Regardless, the excitement started to grow as the horses made the turn for the homestretch.  All I could tell as that a horse with two numbers had the lead.  Since we had horses 13, 15, 17 and 19 in some form or another, we felt good about our chances.  I start yelling for my horse to keep running, even though I wasn't sure if my horse was actually in the lead. 

Whichever horse won, it won by at least two lengths.

Post Race.  I was afraid to ask anyone who won.  The guy dressed in an orange suit, walking cane and sunglasses (we were inside on a rainy day, mind you) didn't seem to know who won, either.  An older gentleman pointed at the TV and told my wife that the 11 horse won.  He seemed confused because she told him that that was just the 11th race that he saw.  Even as the horse was interviewed on the track, as is NBC's tradition, we couldn't tell the winner.  After an exhausting trip around the track to see if i could find out the winner without looking like an idiot (too late), we found out that the winner was Animal Kingdom, the 16 horse, followed by Nehro and Mucho Macho Man.  I was a disqualification away from hitting all of my bets (I resigned myself to thinking)!  I did manage to win my Place and Show bets on Nehro, though.  So after all of the bets we made, I figured out that after all of that, we won 2 bucks.  Where's that guy looking for 50 cents, I can help him out now!!

Seriously, though, I'm not sure where I'm going to spend my $2 in winnings.

I'm cashing my winning bets and I see the old guy who got the other old guy thrown out of the place.  He's look at his tickets, tearing each one up as he scans them and rescans them.  He looks so sad about the losing.  Like I said, the fastest two minutes...

The 2010 Kentucky Derby - The At-Home Guide

Mint Juleps, Southern Chicken Pot Pie, My Old Kentucky Home, Millionaire's Row, JMR's failed bets - the traditions run very deep at the Kentucky Derby.  Even for us in puritanical New England.

The 135th Kentucky Derby in 2009 saw my horse of the year candidate, I Want Revenge, go down with a left hoof issue.  It was the day before the race and I had already placed a futures bet on the horse.  If I searched around, I could probably find that forfeited ticket somewhere in the house.  Undeterred, I ended up wagering on a couple of horses that year - none of which was the eventual winner, Mine That Bird.

That year was an eye-opening year for social gatherings, too.  Usually watching at home with a beer or with friends at informal gatherings, we instead attended a Kentucky Derby in the North End of Boston in 2009.  With Official Kentucky Derby swag of the 135th running, catered food and premade mint juleps, we were introduced to official Kentucky Derby partying.  We had a wonderful time, met some new friends and vowed to conduct our own party the following year.

Fast forward to 2010.  It's like 2009 all over again.  My favorite horse, Eskendereya, was scratched after a left leg swelling issue.  Maybe Todd Pletcher's run of 24 straight losses in the Derby would continue.  And I'm not convinced that the new morning line favorite, Looking at Lucky, will do anything.  In the Santa Anita Derby, one of the major prep races before the Derby, a little bump at the start and a troubled trip made Looking at Lucky just an also ran.  In a 20 horse field on the dirt, when a little dirt can fly in your face?  No thanks.   My horses this year would be Super Saver, a great horse in the muck who appeared to be improving in practice runs and as the track was getting more muddy.  And Ice Box, the winner of another Derby Prep race, the Florida Derby, with a strong finishing kick that could best a field that was loaded with a lot of front runners.

And taking our cue from the time we had last year in Boston, and making good on my vow from that day in Boston, we put on our own party - complete with prizes for best hat, best dressed and parimutuel gambling.  We bought the cheap official Kentucky Derby party favors and go on the hunt for food and Early Times Bourbon.  We find a place for the kids to go and invite all of our friends over to share in our good cheer.

The fastest two minutes in sports truly was that.  Acting as the pool manager for win, place and show wagering, the 6:24pm post time came up very quickly.  In fact, I almost missed the race trying to record everyone's bets. 

But alas, no worries there.  A quick opening by one of the early favorites, Sidney's Candy and long shot Conveyance, eventually yielded to a masterful rail trip by Calvin Borel, the jockey that won with Mine That Bird last year and Street Sense in 2007, aboard Super Saver.  Super Saver ended up having enough in the tank to hold off a hard charging Ice Box, with Paddy O'Prado taking the Show.  Favorite Looking at Lucky ended up a dismal 6th after getting bumped at the beginning.  When asked before the race who I liked, I should have said different horses and kept my favorites close to the vest since I ended up winning on my Win and Show bets, but had to share winnings with the very same people I convinced should take my horses.  After an hour and a half of careful calculations, the HOTB toteboard looked as follows:

                                   Win         Place      Show
4   Super Saver           $18.00     $9.60    $54.00
2   Ice Box                                 $9.60    $  6.20
10 Paddy O'Prado                                   $  5.00

Onto the Preakness Stakes.  After a strong showing, marked by a remarkable finishing kick along the middle of the track, I would consider Ice Box for the 2nd jewel of the Triple Crown at Pimlico Race Track in Baltimore on May 15, 2010.  He would be crazy not to ride in that race.   As for JMR?  I can't wait for 2011.

Next Edition.  A Kentucky Derby Party in Photographs

Photographs and graphics courtesy of Kentucky Derby.com and Sports Illustrated.