Bluegrass to Blue Ridge 5-9-21 (Lexington, KY)




Horse Day


Breakfast started with an other appetizer…Muesli…popular with a lot of Europeans, I can’t seem to enjoy it.  But as usual on a Tauck trip, there was plenty of other food to enjoy.  Today we move to Lexington, so bags needed to be ready by 7:30am and we were on the bus at 8:30am.


With many outside activities planned today, the weather was a factor.  So far it has been unseasonably cold and overcast; today we added wind and rain.  First up on the agenda, Churchill Downs.


Our visit comes just one week after the running of the 147th Kentucky Derby.  The Derby grounds have a very special feel, different from any other race track I have been to.  After a brief discussion regarding timing of the morning events, we headed straight outside to beat the rain.


About a dozen horses were working out and we lined up along the “rail” and took pictures of the passing horses.  Back inside we headed up to the suites where we had great view of the grounds, the infield, the paddock, the winner’s circle and of course, the spires.


Next was a Tauck exclusive - taking a seat, we turned our attention to a talk given by a local jockey.  Charlie Woods, Jr., now 70 years old, is the 8th on the all time jockey’s winning list at Churchill Downs,  His lifetime winnings exceed $37M, although he never rode in a Derby.


Injured multiple times in his career, including a broken pelvis when his very first mount fell back on him, he can still wear his jockey silks.  Charlie chatted about his training and career.  He brought some of his clothing, saddles, crops, and helmets for us to see.  


Following the talk, we spent time in the onsite museum and watched a movie on the breeding, raising and training of a thoroughbred race horse.  During our time at Churchill, the rain started in earnest and would stay with us most of the way to Lexington…kudos to Ginger for driving us safely through the storm.


Just as we were leaving Churchill Downs, the news came across our electronic devices that the Derby winner, Medina Spirit, had tested positive for a banned substance, betamethasone.  This was the trainer’s, Bob Baffert, 7th Derby win, giving him more wins than any other trainer.  However, he does have a controversial history with banned substances in other states.  Churchill Downs announced that they expect a secondary test to be done and if positive, they will invalidate the win.  Mr. Baffert claims the sample must have been tainted.


Lunch today was on the grounds of the Kentucky Horse Park; this was originally a working horse farm with a long history dating back almost 200 years.  In 1972, the land was sold to the Commonwealth of Kentucky and in 1978, it opened to the public as the only park dedicated to “man’s relationship with horse”.


The park has many barns that house previous Derby winners and draft horses.  Live presentations, demonstrations and trail rides are also available, but due to the weather, we spent time in the wonderful museum that traces the history of the horse and how he has helped man throughout world history.  If in this area again, I would enjoy a second visit, but with better weather.


Next up was a visit to Spy Coast Farms.  This horse farm breeds and trains show horses - think jumping.  Unlike race horses, which peak as 3 year olds, show horses do not even begin training until 2.5 years old and most will peak at 10 years of age.  This farm has a horse that has qualified for the Olympics in Japan later this year, but with COVID and quarantine procedures, may not attend.


The farm has a very active breeding program and expects 43 births this year.  We were able to pet many of the horses and visited the barn where the newborn foals stay with their mothers; one was less than 24 hours old and too cute to describe.


The farm also boards horses they do not own and some belong to some very well know celebrities; Bill Gates and Bruce Springsteen both have horses boarded here.  The farm also provides quarantine services for those that bring horses from outside the US for either competition or breeding purposes.


The hotel for tonight, just one night, was the Marriott Lexington Griffin Gate Resort.  An unusual choice for Tauck, it is undergoing a $30M renovation requiring us to enter through a side door.  The hotel staff did a great job and greeted us with bourbon mixed with a local ginger ale.  Though I am not one who cares to mix my bourbon, I still found it very refreshing.


Dinner was at an onsite historic home with Tauck provided beer and wine.  The meal was nothing memorable, however, the entertainment was stellar.  A four man Bluegrass band, “No Tools Loaned” played for about 30 minutes before we sat down to dinner.  After dinner they delighted us with an additional 45 minutes, both performing and telling us a little of the history of Bluegrass and how it is influenced by both Jazz and Gospel music.  Of course they closed out our private performance by playing “Rocky Top”, which is a town we passed through just a few days before on our way to Pigeon Forge.


Pictures 5-9-21

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