I must confess that

I have never been to Keeneland, Lexington's thoroughbred racetrack, nor for that matter any horse race in Kentucky. I once went to Louisiana Downs in Shreveport with my father and grandmother when I was 19. I learnt I should never bet on horses; I bet on the long-shot and the favourite to show in a five horse race. Guess which horses didn't make it?

But it sounds like today's Blue Grass Stakes was well worth seeing, as we lead into the Derby.

40-to-1 shot wins shocker, earns trip to Derby: Stately Victor surges down stretch to capture Blue Grass Stakes

You must understand that horse racing is serious business in Kentucky, both literally and figuratively. And the Derby is the event of the year (akin to New Orleans' Mardi Gras, I suppose, but with mint juleps and hats). Even those who aren't fans catch the fever at Derby time. I usually try to tune in. I love grey horses, and tend to favour those, or black ones if there are no greys. They don't tend to win, of course--most horses are bays, so the odds are in their favour. But still...my favourite Derby winner was Black Gold, who won in 1924. His story was told in Marguerite Henry's book named for him. He was euthanised after breaking down four years after the Derby during a race at the New Orleans Fair Ground, and he is buried there. Despite his injury, he finished the race on three legs. A race, the Black Gold Stakes, is run at the Fair Grounds in his honour today.