Students take in the Kentucky Derby

At the foot of the famous white grandstands of Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., classy celebrities, compulsive gamblers and college kids from across the country took in the 135th annual running of the Derby last Saturday.

About 80,000 revelers crowd into the Downs’ infield each year for a day at the track.
“Honestly, it wasn’t really about the horse race at all,” junior Mark Flagel said. “I just went for the crazy environment and people, and to say that I had been to one of the most famous sporting events in the country.”

Started in 1875, the Kentucky Derby is the first event in pursuit of the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing. The race itself covers 1.25 miles and is typically run within two to three minutes. The race caps off the two-weeklong Kentucky Derby Festival, and many college students arrive at the University of Louisville tailgating lots to kick things off early.

“We got in town about 11 that morning, and the parking lot outside the track was like a collegiate circus,” junior Josh Novick said. “There were people with every college logo imaginable on just staggering about aimlessly, and about the only horse I saw all day were the ones with policemen on them.”

The infield, which is a vast grass field covered in kiosks, offered free cans of dip, fried food and Crown Royal. It was in stark contrast to the classiness of the grandstands on the other side of the dirt track. Society’s elite, ranging from U.S. presidents to movie actresses, mingle within Churchill Downs’ Millionaire’s Row.

But for those only looking to spend $40, the infield provided entertainment.

There were people drinking beer from wiffleball bats, college boys in pastel polos going headfirst down murky mudslides and long lines of people waiting to bet on a 50-to-1 long-shot horse.This year’s winner Mine That Bird was exactly that.

“My friends and I had an absolute blast,” sophomore Jorie Malone said. “I met up with friends from other schools, saw creepy men in humongous hats and we definitely never even saw the race.”