Opening Day

Saturday April 26th, 2008. 5:00AM (perhaps earlier). An alarm will sound at the bedside of many. These are the trainers, jockeys, exercise riders, media partners, Churchill Downs Staff, and many local and visiting Derby fans. Why? It is Opening Day at Churchill Downs.

Long before the abovementioned folks wake up, the star athletes themselves will be awakened by backside staff. Hot towels will be brushed along their legs and back, a pick through the hay in their stalls, and some corn starch sprinkled on their legs to brighten up the white socks. It is a big day. So set your alarm, go to the Downs to walk around the backside... You may see the winning Derby horse (and just not know it), you will inevitably see jockeys and trainers, exercise riders (tough cookies they are), and more. There is no other feeling like rolling out of bed at 5:30am to go to the track. The dew is still on the ground, fog rising from the dirt track, and the beautiful sun rising with Twin Spires. As early and miserable it may sound…it is totally worth the pain of an alarm clock!

Unless you live in Louisville, or grew up a core race fan, you may not know the significance of tomorrow. Churchill Downs will be opening gates for the Derby Trial at 11:00am and horses will be called to post at 12:45pm. That's right, a full day of racing! Most likely these races will go on until about 6:00pm, so get your wallets out and get ready to place some wagers! Not to mention, you will get a free t-shirt if you arrive early enough!!

I don’t mean to sound like a blogging billboard, but honestly, if I knew more about Opening Week at Churchill Downs before my internship, I would have scheduled to arrive earlier in the week each time I attended the Derby. With races going on all day long, all week long, there is plenty of fun happening at the track.

For some information on value plays and wagering tips, visit Merv Huber and Jill Byrne’s page!
http://www.churchilldowns.com/handicapping/selections#value-plays