Keeneland Race Track and KY Smiles for All.

Flying. 

Keeneland Race track. Lexington, Kentucky. Yeah, I never heard of it either, but if its kind of a big deal. I didn’t know what to expect at all, but everyone told me to go there because I think there was not much else happening and also because they thought that there would be a shit ton of people there.

Smiley x 2.

But there was not a shit ton of people because it was 50 degrees and it was raining, which actually turned out to be a good thing.

But I was there to have a good time so I explored the grounds for a while, hooked up with a Woodford Reserve Bourbon, a beer, and an all beef hot dog, and tried to get to where I wasn’t supposed to be. I was caught by security and they are very cool, if you are very cool, just as a FYI. I always try and act very dumb and happy and speak with an accent, because it is very unlikely that they will arrest you if you are just plain blissful and stupid and foreign. This is a well researched opinion.

On the way down in the elevator from the floor that I was not supposed to be on, with the security guy, there was a waitress with a paper plate with what looked like a burrito but was actually a hot dog with way too much cheese on it and I made a joke and she smiled and laughed.

The upside to the recent, but consistent, bad weather in Kentucky was that I could get railside and up close to the action. For some reason, they started the 5th race right by the grandstands. I know this was unusual because the bartender who served me my bourbon and had been doing so for other people for five years looked out and said “I've never seen that before.”

Rainy day means close shots.

So I felt this was a good moment for me to delve in and place a bet. I tend to be supersituous regarding betting so I walked around until I found a face I liked. And when I did, I told him that I had never done this before and was it ok if he bet for me. It was, and he asked me my birthday, which is 4/24/72. So he made me 5 different bets based on the numbers 2, 4 and 7.

Borel. 

I went to the rail and got some great pics. Problem is, when youre taking pics, you kind of miss the real action. So I put down the camera towards the end, and the end was #2 with the win and #7 in second. And #7, Najjaar, by the way, was being ridden by Calvin Borel, who won the '07, '09 and '10 Kentucky Derbies (Derby's?) and also the '10 Preakness. I learned this after I had already left. Not about his history, but that he rode at all. It wasn't until I saw my pictures and saw his name stitched into his breeches.

So I figured I probably won something. So I asked the guys next to me to read my tickets and take a guess at my winnings. They were happy for me, genuinely, and we smiled together and patted each other on the back.

#2 Holds for the win w/Borel closing.

Since I couldn’t remember where the guy was who sold me the tickets, I just handed them to another teller and they directed me back to him. I wanted to collect from him since he was so nice and would maybe enjoy seeing a virgin win.

When I found him he said “Hey, I've been thinking about you. You had a nice win there..” and he smiled at me and I smiled back, and I handed him my tickets and he fed them into the machine and gave me back the ones that didn’t win. Of the 5 he sold me for $20, three were winners and paid out $157. I shook his hand and thanked him for his winning style, he told me that I did well, and then I walked away.

My man. 

And then I realized I was missing something completely and walked back and asked him if it was ok for him to accept tips in return. He said sure. And I gave him a twenty. He said it was too much, and I gave him the hand to talk to, and said it was worth every penny. And then I took his picture. And he was smiling in that picture. Just like all the people were in all the pictures I took today.

And I love seeing people smile. It just might be one of my favorite things of all time.

Tell me, did any of this make you smile?

View the entire gallery here.