A large crowd assembled at the Maker’s Mark Bourbon Lounge last night, 10/26/15. They were all eager to hear the last 2 of the 13 Breeders’ Cup races post positions to be drawn. 2000 tickets were available to the public. Media, staff, employees of Rood and Riddle (the event sponsor), horseman and their connections, and more attended as well. I was fortunate to snag a public ticket!
At 5:30 P.M. EST my friends and I parked on Keeneland’s grounds and made our way into the packed front end of the tent. There is more than enough room inside the Bourbon Lounge to hold a group that size but we all wanted to be in the front. We hoped to hear from Keeneland’s and Breeders’ Cup representatives plus our Lexington Mayor, Jim Gray, and University of Kentucky Men’s Basketball coach, John Calipari. Calipari was selected to draw for the post positions for the BC Distaff and Classic divisions. He began at 6 P.M. and very quickly we finally all knew where our favorite Thoroughbreds would be placed in the gate. The room erupted with applause when Triple Crown winning, American Pharoah, was selected for post 4 in the BC Classic. I have read that Bob Baffert, his trainer and Victor Espinoza, his jockey, are pleased as well. See the photo above for the full listing of these two races.
After the drawing, we were entertained by a live band and treated to hors d’oeuvors. I also appreciated the progress that was made in one day’s time to make the tent more beautiful. I had been there to train the previous day and since then there were several new touches. It should make for a nice Breeders’ Cup experience.
Finally, I enjoyed being part of the event. It is awesome to see so many people come together with such enthusiasm for the horse racing industry. I saw some old friends and met some new people as well. I also ducked outside to see what changes I could find. I found that there is now an infield screen facing the Bourbon Lounge and I could barely spot in the distance that the starting gate was now decorated for Breeders’ Cup rather than Keeneland.
Excitement is mounting. The Breeders’ Cup is sure to be a historical moment that we won’t soon forget. Do you think American Pharoah will get the grand slam?
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