This past Saturday we watched the Kentucky Derby on television. No, we don't own a race horse, and we've never attended the Kentucky Derby, but we did go to the Red Mile Race Track near Lexington, Kentucky back in the early 1980s.
That summer, Loyd represented Coble Dairy at the National Dairy Association meeting held in Lexington, Kentucky. We enjoyed staying in an up-scale hotel, over-looking a city park that featured a row of beautiful water fountains that were lit up at night. It also adjoined a shopping mall and the famous Krupp Arena.
Loyd attended meetings during the day, then we ventured out at night to enjoy some of the local sights. Since Kentucky is horse country we visited the Horse Museum one afternoon, and then decided to go to the Red Mile Track to watch the Harness Races. Information on the track was readily available .... harness racing was held every night, and could be watched from either the clubhouse or the grandstand. I called the clubhouse for information on menu, reservations etc. I even poured over pictures of tourists before deciding how we should dress for drinks and dessert in the clubhouse.
Off we went, excited about our evening at the Red Mile!! I wore a white summer suit with a turquoise sweater. Loyd wore a light summer blazer, with open shirt collar and tan pants. We would feel right at home among the clubhouse set!
However, as the old saying goes "the best laid plans do often go astray". Reservations for the clubhouse were not required during the week... all we had to do was to get in line, pay the attendant, then go to the right to enter the clubhouse.Once we went through that gate the crowd behind us pushed us to the left toward the grandstand entrance. We had two choices... either make the best the situation... or go back to the gate and start all over again.
Maybe the grandstand would work out okay. After finding seats down in front, we settled down to watch several harness races. At nightfall the wind started blowing hard and we decided to move up under the roof area for protection. That didn't help much, so we went inside to get hot dogs etc. Once again the people were loud and pushy!! Two really large men, dressed in leather pants and sleeveless vests, were behind us, and watched intently as Loyd opened his wallet to pay for our food.
We watched the races on television awhile before going back to the grandstand seats. By then I was feeling a little anxious about the atmosphere. Young children were running amok, parents were inattentive, egging the races on, cursing and betting against each other.
Looking around, I realized those two men that watched us inside were seated close behind us. We casually went back inside to the restrooms before taking seats in yet another section. Once again these guys took seats close by. Now everybody knows that I am very cautious in public, but by that time, Loyd was beginning to worry also. We decided to remain seated for a couple more races, then leave long before the races were over. Our goal was to get away before these guys realized that we had left.
I went back to the bathroom and concealed most of our cash and my rings in my clothes. I tied my Mother's diamond ring in Loyd's handkerchief and stuffed it in my bra... I stuffed the cash between my pantyhose and my body... then we made a mad dash for the gate, asking for an escort to our car! The attendant was concerned but could only watch us as we rushed to our car.Thank goodness we had parked nearby and left for our hotel safe and sound.
What started out as a new experience taught us to be better prepared while traveling. Now we keep less cash on us and get Travelers Checks for most expenses. Also, we never pay for food publicly with a large bill, and I leave my cherished ring at home now. And if we ever go back to horse country again, then we will only go to the Kentucky Derby!
P.S.
You can Google The Red Mile Race Track to learn more about it. We didn't tour the famous round barn etc.
