Attending Churchill Downs’ opening night April 24 that showcased the arts, from dance to painting to singing, what a director of one arts program mentioned in between races struck me as emblematic of the evening. She mentioned how they wanted to get the arts back in front of people, as something they could attend and support with that attendance. A friend and I had seats near a section of the tote board that said “Kentucky Derby” at the top of it. I wondered initially why that ended up being the photo op spot for attendees the whole night, often when no horses were on the track, until I realized they likely were wanting the “Kentucky Derby” in the background of their photos. What stood out to me related to what the art director mentioned as I watched the people pose for photos was that it imparted a sense of being glad to get back to a bit of normal life and go to events after a long stretch of them being off-limits, much as I felt when I got to get back to Keeneland races early this month.

We came back the next day for the designated training time for Derby and Oaks horses. Derby week restrictions were in effect beginning opening night regarding what items could be brought into the track, and they extended to the morning training, although it was not featuring racing. It was fortuitous that it worked out to attend the morning works, as I originally booked a tour through the Derby Museum which they canceled as they weren’t open that early on Sundays and were not sure if free attendance would be allowed as in pre-COVID times. Just never know what the new protocols might be as these events become possible to attend again if it requires some form of reducing number of people present. But they did announce the public would be allowed to attend and since that is my only chance to see the Derby horses live this year (not yet ready to be around a crowd of Derby attendees, though it is more limited than in a normal year) so I was happy about that. Having Derby week restrictions in effect already meant I was not allowed to bring my better camera with its detachable lens even into morning training. So the photos here are phone quality but they still are a sense of the morning.

After the previous night’s rain, the morning dawned a bit hazy until the sun was able to burst through the clouds and dissipate that a bit.

Given the weather may have been iffy, quite a few of the contenders put in their final works the day before, and that meant only a handful of Derby horses made appearances during and right after the designated training time for them. The bulk of them during that time were, then, Oaks horses.

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Known Agenda was the first to make an appearance, followed shortly after by Malathaat. She, Clariere, and Pauline’s Pearl impressed me most among the Oaks contenders I saw that morning. But all of the horses have a draw, as athletes in their prime, in the peace of a morning at the track.

During Clariere’s gallop, a small animal came across her path near the top of the stretch. Given my vantage point well past the finish line, I couldn’t tell what it was but it was an uncommon occurence.

Later, the same animal made another foray onto the track as Medina Spirit galloped its way, and they even had to dodge it before turning around to begin the gallop. It wasn’t ideal to have even that small obstacle in the way, but a wave of levity swept through the crowd at the unexpected accompaniment to the training session by what was an opposum.

I had also hoped to see Monomoy Girl, who had shipped to Churchill Downs shortly after her Apple Blossom run, and she had made an appearance over the Churchill surface two days before. There was a horse that strongly seemed to resemble her that galloped by the grandstand twice, yet I only had the profile to go by as that horse never turned his or her face my way. Just as with being eager to buy into the lease offering for her, I was eager to see her for the first time since buying in and after attendance at all her races last year was not possible. The horse I thought was likely her was too difficult to definitively identify without ever getting a look at his or her face, but all I can say is MyRacehorse later sent out an update she did gallop this morning at Churchill, and the horse I thought was her had the right saddlecloth and seemed to have the right build to match Monomoy Girl’s. So while I don’t know for sure that was her, there’s a good chance that was. So my Derby week goals of getting more photos of everything related to Authentic’s Derby win that will give way soon to a new Derby winner and seeing the Oaks and Derby contenders train and probably even seeing Monomoy Girl were all achieved. I will still tune into the race from home, but I look forward to how it all unfolds and next year being more aligned with Derby attendance being possible. We’re getting closer to not having to curtail much of what we do and it makes any other restrictions still in place a little easier.

Somewhat in that vein, given attendance will be greatly restricted from usual Derby crowd size, I noted that there seemed to be more of a push to consider 2022 Derby tickets, when there should be less or perhaps no restrictions. And it was not just because the most recent Derby was only a few days away as I saw emails about tickets still being available, at least for general admission, which also was being restricted.

Here’s to a good Derby and Oaks and safe trip for all, and it will be nice to see a bit of normality returning in crowds being there!

I’ll always recall the moment I first heard of Monomoy Girl. She was on a list of entrants for Keeneland’s 2018 Ashland Stakes, noted as the likely standout of the field. When she went on to win that race by 5 1/2 lengths, using it as a springboard to Kentucky Oaks success the following month, being intrigued turned to having found a new favorite racehorse.

I eagerly awaited her return to the races after 18 months off, and was delighted to see she hadn’t lost a beat and won, though it was not at graded stakes level as she was building back up to racing before trying that. While I couldn’t attend due to COVID restrictions barring spectators from Churchill Downs, I was also glad she won that day for it was my birthday and felt like a gift in a time when gatherings and any celebrations were not possible.

When she was sold late in 2020 and became part of Spendthrift’s stable and they parlayed some of the ownership of her into a lease format for MyRacehorse, it was an exciting thought to be a little more of part of the story of the horse I’d followed since her 3-year-old year, even as it was under the lease agreement only for racing rights (including some of her earnings) for 2021 instead of outright shares like with most of their other horses. If not for Spendthrift having a commitment to MyRacehorse and being willing to provide lease rights, the chance to be even a little bit of a part of a horse of this caliber would be unlikely and I commend them for that.

Expected time frame for the lease shares to go on sale were around February 25, ahead of her Bayakoa start. The SEC took a longer time than anticipated to approve the lease for sale to investors, and I had been so eager to buy in and didn’t want to miss getting a shot before the shares sold out that it felt longer than the nearly 2 months past that time it took to approve the shares to be sold.

One thing I primarily wanted to mention, having had shares in several horses through MyRacehorse, is that the experience with each is as individual as the horses themselves. I’ve always loved Monomoy Girl’s consistency and determination, and so even when she finished second in the Apple Blossom, I was proud of her effort and it did make the anticipation pre-race more amplified for being a bit more directly involved. And that is how it is with Monomoy Girl. She impresses me with her determination and though jockey Florent Geroux indicated she may have loafed a little and lost some of her focus to maintain a lead, she never threw in the towel and I look forward to what comes next in her journey through this racing year. And I certainly hope to get back to one of her races, particularly with an investment in her, which was all off-limits due to COVID last year.

I am excited for her future endeavors and to see if it works out to get to attend with paddock or winner’s circle access which MyRacehorse offers through a lottery system for investors. That would be icing on the cake for a horse I’ve followed as avidly as I have her, and something I never dreamed would possibly be in the cards when I first heard of her. I am grateful to Spendthrift and MyRacehorse for putting such dreams in reach!

It was only one year that Keeneland held races without the general public in attendance, but for something that had been part of the rhythm of my spring and fall since October 2005, the hiatus in some ways felt like so much longer. It was but a small disruption to the cadence of life as most of us had known it prior to 2020, but such things that are intertwined who we are and involve a place we love still matter to get back to when the time is right. So I was grateful that Keeneland was able to welcome limited numbers of spectators back, but it was not until a quiet moment sitting near the rail waiting for a field to come onto the track that the serenity I generally feel at Keeneland at some point during a visit there swept over me. Things felt more normal, more of how life had once been, at that time and I savored that more than I had any other time. That is the beauty of Keeneland. It evokes feelings no other track ever has. After the day I went (the second day of the meet, Blue Grass Stakes day), I saw one of their promos on social media referring to making up for lost time. And I fully understand. It is not in any way trivializing what people endured and still may due to the pandemic, and losses they may have suffered. Rather, it is to say there can soon be a path back to what people treasure, even if they are not experienced quite as they were, and that can be restorative.

It felt a little surreal to arrive in the parking lot, and realize attending the races was in my reach. I only saw well-known racehorses last year one morning leading up to the Breeders’ Cup, as they went through preparations at Keeneland, and so it was wonderful to be back at a big race day when necessity dictated missing them all last year. And I knew that was not the most important thing, to experience those days in person, but when racing feels like it is intrinsically part of a person, the desire to have been there runs deep. So I savored this Blue Grass day, greatly. It also was one I felt glad to be there for because I’d had my second COVID vaccine a day and a half before, and had just shaken off a plethora of side effects the morning of Blue Grass day.

I thrilled to witness a dead heat in an allowance early in the card, between the Empire Maker filly Empress Eleanor and her rival Enjoyitwhilewecan. Amazingly, that same race had another dead heat for fifth place. I’ve heard connections are not enthused by dead heats for the win spot because it means the purse is split, but I still thought how exciting and somewhat of a rare occurrence, so I thought it could be a harbinger of the racing excitement to come over the course of the afternoon. And no doubt part of it was a healthy sense of elation at being back to witness a day of top-notch racing.

The results of the day’s stakes races are all documented on Equibase and in industry publications, so I won’t recap those especially over a week after the events unfolded, but the Blue Grass certainly merits a mention. Much of the attention was focused on Godolphin’s undefeated Essential Quality, and he dug down with all the determination a stellar racehorse inherits in spades, adding a fresh luster to the Derby prep, and very likely stamping his status as the Kentucky Derby favorite.

I don’t know if, in the midst of the day’s work, the jockeys, outriders, or anyone else involved in the day’s card being run had time to note the cheers of the crowd and were glad that some spectators could return, but it struck me at one point. Again, a Blue Grass Stakes was run to the voiced enthusiasm of attendees instead of near-quiet of the previous running.

Essential Quality shipped to Churchill Downs shortly after his Blue Grass victory, as his connections sought to give him ample time to train over that course in preparation for the Run for the Roses. I don’t know if he will regress slightly after every race so far being a winning one and a Blue Grass that took a lot of grit to win (although that quality bodes well in a race that is testing as the Derby), but I don’t dismiss his chances. His status as the likely Derby favorite was further cemented the week after the Blue Grass when Concert Tour did not prevail in the Arkansas Derby.

That same day the Arkansas Derby was contested was the second Saturday of Keeneland’s meet, as well as the date of the Grand National in England. While I chose to only attend the meet twice, still wanting to be cautious about large gatherings, I am so glad it has fans back and am savoring it even more, even while watching on the track’s live feed instead of on-site, and the second Saturday continued to be a showcase of what racing there means to people and the quality the top horses who gather will display. 5-year-old mare Change of Control captured the Giant’s Causeway, giving trainer Michelle Lovell her first Keeneland stakes win and 500th stakes victory. The victory was also the first Keeneland stakes win for the mare’s jockey, Colby Hernandez.

Stage Raider wrapped up the day’s card with an emphatic victory in his second career start. While he raced greenly down the stretch, the half-brother to Justify by Pioneerof the Nile signified that he should be a star on the rise.

The Grand National also proved to be a spectacular renewal, marking the first time a female jockey won, as Rachel Blackmore and Minella Times prevailed by 6 1/2 lengths. I had never watched the race before, but a friend in England mentioned she picked a horse though she’s not into racing, but seemed it was still almost a British tradition. I loved hearing that, and when I heard Blackmore notched a historic victory, I was more compelled to tune in. It was incredible to see a race with 40 runners that lasted over 9 minutes and featured two race callers taking turns to call the race. I went to Liverpool two years ago, and had not even realized until then that is where the Grand National was. I still recognize it as an iconic race, though I had never tuned in until this year, so kudos to Blackmore, her mount, and all the connections. A great two Saturdays of racing!

When Keeneland hosted A Taste of the Races in late March, it had been nearly two years since the track hosted a spring meet, usually as sure a sign of that season as flowers blooming and days getting warmer. Given the hiatus of the spring meet in 2020, postponed like so many planned 2020 events, this year’s Taste of the Races felt like a swing of the pendulum back to a little bit of normality. And to see the flags bearing the track’s name and numbers akin to post position numbers on flagpoles in downtown Lexington was a welcome sight indeed. How I’ve missed that track and attending the races there!

Prior to the store opening for the Taste of the Races sale, I wandered the grounds and watched the horses train. I drove through gate 1, nothing that would have merited mention before, but as it was off-limits for so much of last year, it was wonderful to take the long drive to the track entrance and begin to soak in the ambience. Horse racing is not everything, of course, when so much has been disrupted in an unprecedented situation for many who have never faced a pandemic on this scale, but seeing a gate that was never off-limits before and knowing that a tradition will return is even more welcome after all the recent uncertainty. Making that long drive was a chance to savor the sights of a stage set for all that Keeneland does so well, and the caliber of horses and performances who will leave their marks in their races in the next few weeks.

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As the number of horses on track was less than expected, I observed maintenance crews tidying the walking ring and painting steps near the jockey garden, and it all pointed to signs of the welcome to be extended to fans for the first time more widespread attendance will be possible since October 2019.

While it naturally will still be limited, that they can host fans again is wonderful, and hopefully the pendulum keeps swinging towards more of what we once knew, even if in a somewhat altered format, in the months to come.

It will be interesting to see how Keeneland manages this first post-pandemic April meet. I know it will be with the level of emphasis on the experience always offered. I already know distinctions will be that benches cannot be moved from their arranged positions, carefully placed to achieve social distancing, that no walk-up ticket sales are offered. I am still curious to see how the patrons will be guided to adhere to COVID protocols. But more than anything, being there for the races again will be the overriding experience to soak in and I am grateful it is possible. Here’s to a wonderful spring meet!

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