I got into horseracing by dating a guy who was into it. I never bet much, and usually spend more time watching the horses than anything else. I enjoy reading the racing form and trying to make my predictions, even when my money has run out. I'm fascinated by the whole thing, and could dedicate a blog post entirely to that! But I'll save that for another day.
FRIDAY 5 AT 5
All the Pretty Ponies
(5) My Parent's First Trip to the Track
When I lived in Baton Rouge, I spent my weekends at the Fair Grounds in New Orleans. One weekend, my parents decided to come with me, and we splurged for Clubhouse seating and got a window seat with a nice view. 
(4) Pigskins and Ponies Weekend
When I lived in Nashville, my mom and I went to Pigskins and Ponies weekend at Churchill Downs. We were excited to see what it was like to watch the races from Millionaire's Row. Ok, so I wanted to see what it was like to watch races up there and my mother was intrigued by the food they would have.
Again, living in Nashville put me close enough to Louisville to justify a trip to the Breeder's Cup at Churchill Downs. My mom also tagged along for this weekend. My mom was excited to see Zenyata and I was equally excited when she lost because my exacta brought me a good deal of money.
I know, it's a blasphemy to place the Kentucky Derby as the second best trip to a track that I've had in my life. This has nothing to do with the fact that it was pouring down rain. It was, but my mom was an amazing sport and put up with me claiming we HAD to be the first people through the gates (we were) and that we HAD to stay out in the elements and watch ALL the races (we did). My mom had always wanted to go to the Kentucky Derby for the majesty of the event, and even with the weather, it did not disappoint. My the time they started playing "My Old Kentucky Home", I was teary eyed and the sun came out to play. It's truly worth every penny that you will spend for this experience.
The Preakness truly is lives up to the tagline "The people's party, the people's race". I bought infield tickets that allowed access to stands to watch the races, and had myself a blast with the mix of the infield party crowd and the true horseracing fans who enjoyed the cheaper option of seeing the race. I only rank this above the Derby because it fit me better personally. My only disappointment was not being able to obtain a black-eyed susan anywhere in the infield.
At this point, you may think my mom also enjoys horseracing. The truth is my mom doesn't enjoy horseracing. She doesn't enjoy sports at all, really. She just enjoys travel, food, and spending time with her kids. So this Friday Five and Five ends with a special shoutout to my mom for all the roadtrips that she tagged along to just because she loves me.
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