I still can't believe it. I don't know if I've ever missed this first Saturday in May ritual before. From the time I was around 7 or 8, and we lived in Kentucky, and our dad sat us all down to explain what "odds" were (Dad never missed an opportunity for a teaching moment, even if the subject was bookmaking and we were all under the age of 12) I don't think I've ever missed the Run for the Roses. Each year, despite Dad's lessons, I usually ignored the odds and made my choice of winner based on whichever jockey/trainer/owner/horse had the most touching backstory that year. Or if one of the horses had a name that I could somehow relate to something in my past or present life that seemed remotely connected. This year, I might have picked "American Lion" because I read the book recently. Or "Sidney's Candy" because Sidney is a dear friend of mine, and because I like candy. When the kids were young, they may have indulged me once or twice as we looked over the list of Derby contenders in the paper and we made our picks. ("...uhhh, I don't really care, Mom..." "What do you mean you don't care?! It's the Kentucky Derby! You have to make a pick!" "Well... ok... that one looks cool. Can I play Nintendo now?")
But mostly it was just my thing. Oh, I'd call to everyone when they started to play "My Old Kentucky Home"; sometimes they reluctantly shuffled in just to appease me, but I remember plenty of times watching the race by my lonesome. I loved it all. The ladies in their hats, the free flowing mint julips, listening to the NBC commentators (complete unknowns during any other NBC televised event all year, sport-related or otherwise*) talk about the track conditions and the weather conditions and the conditions of the ladies' hats. And then the horses would be paraded to the starting gate. One or two would always balk at getting shoved in to the little pen but somehow they'd always be convinced, and the announcer would yell, "Annnnnnd they're off" and there it was - the most exciting 2 minutes in sports.
Now I must add here that the recent fates of 2006 Derby winner Barbaro and 2008 filly contender, the sweet Eight Belles who had to be euthanized on the track following the race, have made me rethink my fascination with the sport of horse racing, and how humane - if at all - it is to ask these beautiful huge animals to push their hardest on these seemingly tiny little legs... but that is a commentary for another forum. My point here really started as: I missed the Kentucky Derby! Because I am here in the UK and no one was talking about it! If I'm not careful, the 4th of July might just come and go as any other summer Sunday! November 25th could just become the fourth Thursday in November! Already you've deduced that Susan & Darlene are not going to receive their usual Mother's Day cards on time because the 2nd Sunday of May is not Mother's Day here in England.
I need to start paying better attention. And congratulations to Super Saver.
*except for Bob Costas
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I missed it, too. Completely forgot -- though I'm not nearly the dedicated Derby fan that you are! Kevin and I were actually married on Derby Day -- May 5, 1984. Everyone crowded around the TV at the bar in the reception hall to watch. We had placed a bet on a horse named Ferdinand (because it was similar to a nickname (Ferdie) we used for our cat Fred. Ferdinand placed first, but I forget how much we won. I always pick based on names that appeal to me, and I'm usually pretty good. I picked Big Brown because my kids always loved the UPS trucks when they'd come to our house. :) Had I remembered this year, I would have picked Super Saver, because that was the name of a grocery store in NJ my mom shopped at when we were kids.
ReplyDeleteI'm really enjoying your blog, Sue! As I'm typing this, I'm watching House Hunters International on HGTV, and the buyer is a woman from South Africa looking for a posh flat in London.
Happy Mother's Day!!!! :)
In the belief that the 'sidney' is me, must say I'm flattered. Never took an interest in the Derby, but did I ever tell you my Grandmother was a bookie? Does that count?
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