Attending the Kentucky Derby in the company of 150,000+ of your best friends must be fun. Being at the rail when the sun comes up with the horses a few feet away from you is an unbelievable experience and, one that I’ll never forget.
Churchill Downs sets aside two days for a program called Dawn at the Derby. Each year, it allows spectators to enter before dawn to watch the morning workouts of derby horses.
It’s incredible to stand at the actual rail (something 99% of anyone will never do) and watch the jockeys blast past. The horses are far larger than you’d think, and they move. They thunder past the rail, close enough for everyone to feel their hooves hit the ground.
One of the best parts of the dawn workout is when the jockeys slow down and let the horses walk alongside the rail; they are close enough for a person to reach out and touch them. I’ll never be fortunate to see the derby, but each year I make a beeline before dawn to share in this beautiful experience.
Are we there yet? 