LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — 12:32 p.m.
Every committed Kentucky Derby-goer has a system that works. Getting to the track, picking horses and navigating the crowds can be a challenge for the uninitiated.
Longtime friends Tisa Lawless and Lisa Ware are doing their ninth Derby together. Lawless comes in from Dalton City, Illinois, and Ware from St. Petersburg, Florida.
A few years ago they found an Indiana hotel that doesn’t raise its rates for Derby weekend. They arrive around 8 a.m. and mark off their front-row spot in the grassy infield with police tape, and quickly lay down bets using a tried-and-tested system: Lawless chooses horses using the letters of her first name, and Ware bets the No. 3 horses in every race.
“Also any horses with cat in the name, or anything religious,” Lawless said. Ware hit a long shot on the first race of the day with Paganol’s win.
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12:28 p.m.
Greg Stumbo, Speaker of the Kentucky House of Representatives, sported a flashy pink tie as he headed up to Millionaire’s Row at Churchill Downs. But he wanted everyone to look at his wife’s giant, floppy blue hat.
“I paid more for that hat than the last horse I owned,” he said.
Stumbo, a Democrat, also boasted about his can’t miss betting strategy: pick the winners.
“We’re not gonna bet on Far Right, believe me,” he said.
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12:27 p.m.
The Kentucky Derby is known for women’s fashion, especially the hats. But 48-year-old Jeff Rieg wasn’t going to let the women upstage him.
His hat, a flowing feather boa that reached down to his calves, included a “lucky monkey” and roses. He’s been wearing it to the Derby for 20 consecutive years.
“Each year I add something new to it,” he said.
This year’s addition: mini twin spires to match the famous icons of Churchill Downs.
“This is my vacation,” he said.
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12:26 p.m.
Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear arrives on the red carpet with his wife, Jane.
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12:09 p.m.
Miss Kentucky, Katie George, arrives on the red carpet.
The University of Louisville volleyball star apologized to the media.
“I’ve never done this before!” she said of her walk down the carpet.
George is wearing a pink dress and matching feathered fascinator.
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11:45 a.m.
On a normal day, Karen Vanzant, stands nearly 6 feet tall, a half foot taller than her husband Terry. On Derby Day, she plunked another two feet of bright yellow feathers on top of her head.
Passers-by gawked at the Colorado couple in glittering yellow. Some asked them to pose for selfies. The Vanzants happily obliged.
“We don’t ever dress up at home,” Karen said, as strangers snapped photos. “This is our one time a year to put on a show.”
They started coming to the Derby two decades ago and liked it so much they keep showing up, year after year, carefully planning their extravagant outfits.
“It was on our bucket list,” Terry said. “We said we were gonna come, we did and we haven’t stopped since.”
Karen sent a photo of her yellow sequin dress to a Louisville hat shop and told them to be creative. She paid $500 for the magnificent yellow plumes.
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11:30
Star Jones arrives in white and pink on Churchill Downs’ red carpet. Her wide-brimmed hat teemed with pink flowers and feathers. A small crowd of Derby-goers is gathering at the gate to try to get a glimpse of celebrities.
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11:20 a.m.
For his first Derby, Rob Levit had to go with The Vest.
The 59-year-old from Amherst, Ohio, relies on it when he wants to make a statement. It’s emblazoned with orange, green and pink patterns and includes a dash of flowers similar to roses. It was a gift from his mother 20 years ago.
“It’s a little bit out of character in what I normally wear, but it blends in beautifully here,” he said from the infield of Churchill Downs.
He was feeling pretty good about himself until he was upstaged by a man wearing cutoff overalls and nothing else, his tie-dyed goatee waving in the wind as he breezed past him.
“I can’t beat that guy. He’s very natural,” Levit said.
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10:46 a.m.
Kentucky Derby Day has started in earnest with the first of 13 races going to post at 10:30 a.m., leading up to the 141st Run for the Roses at 6:24 p.m.
Gates opened at 8 a.m., and the grandstands, infield and paddock areas are already busy with racing fans milling and mingling. The forecast couldn’t be better: mostly sunny with temperatures in the low 70s. More than 160,000 are expected for the Derby, a day after a record 123,763 turned out for the Kentucky Oaks.
The morning has had some news with the last-minute scratch of International Star with a cracked hoof, reducing the field to 18 horses. The first race also produced the first upset, as 12-1 choice Paganol won going away and paid $30.20, $19.40 and $10.60.
That should make some bettors happy as a long day begins.
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