The Kentucky Derby a great American event for all

[3kings]

I've always been a horse racing fan since going to Monmouth as a little boy with my grandparents but I wanted to share this on here. In a way it is a tribute to this boards founder Steve Byk and his daily effort to grow the sport he loves and has helped me enjoy more.

I had the pleasure of taking my entire family to the Kentucky Derby on Saturday. No one had ever been there before but I wanted to share my love for racing and the Derby with all of them. I acquired the 16 tickets necessary and loaded three generations of my family into a rented van and drove the 2 hours from my brothers home after his recent move to Kentucky. The group encompassed my 92 old father to my 16 year old son and everyone in between. I even volunteered to be the designated driver, stop chuckling those that I know on this board, to assure everyone could have a good time without reservations.
Everyone had a blast and the derby was something different to each of them. My father who made me pick all the horses and place all his wagers I think it was a test to see if I knew what I was doing. After playing five pressure packed $20 WPS show wagers netting a total of $455. I survived and passed his test. For my mother it was a bucket list item made more special by the fact her entire family was together. My brothers and their wives enjoyed gambling, adult beverages, and spending time with family. My nieces and nephews and there significant others had fun drinking, dressing up, and gambling including the family's first ever show parlay. A few who are NYC based said they will probably attend the Belmont because they had so much fun.
I've been very lucky to get to many of this country's great sporting events and the derby is my favorite. The convivial attitude because there are not two opposing sides along with diversity of the crowd is what makes this event different. Yearly I meet DT members Dave (Thunder Gulch) and Brian (B.T.) and we put together group P4's and have a blast partying and rooting together while even cashing a ticket once in a while. The Derby is a great American event and if you love horse racing and want to help show it to others plan a trip and make them fans for life.