Kentucky Derby question

UKwannabe

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Oct 30, 2005
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I'm not really a horse person....at all....BUT, me and a group of 4 are wanting to go this year presumably may 7th.

How does this work? Where do I get tickets? Is it similar to an upscale Keeneland? Do people tailgate before the races outside the track? Any other special tips/hints I should be aware of as far as etiquette etc etc?

This is more of a bucket list type thing for us so we're going in blind. Cats by 90
 

Glenn's Take

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May 20, 2012
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If you want seats you will have to go to the secondary ticket market. If you are fine with the infield you can just show up but you need to bring chairs and things like that. If you get seats you can dress up but as for normal racing days most people are not dressed up like they are at Keeneland. If you are over 30 I wouldn't do the infield and by the way, you are likely to never see a horse except on the video boards. Definitely no tailgating. If you do go I would shuttle in instead of trying to find a place to park yourself at the track. You will end up in somebody's yard and have a decent walk.
 

UKwannabe

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Oct 30, 2005
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If you want seats you will have to go to the secondary ticket market. If you are fine with the infield you can just show up but you need to bring chairs and things like that. If you get seats you can dress up but as for normal racing days most people are not dressed up like they are at Keeneland. If you are over 30 I wouldn't do the infield and by the way, you are likely to never see a horse except on the video boards. Definitely no tailgating. If you do go I would shuttle in instead of trying to find a place to park yourself at the track. You will end up in somebody's yard and have a decent walk.

Honestly that sounds horrible lol
 

jlock7614

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Dec 26, 2012
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Honestly that sounds horrible lol

People do tailgate before the races. If you do want to tailgate, I would get tickets for somewhere because they open the infield gates pretty early in the morning so all of the good/decent infield spots will be taken by early morning.

We park in Papa John's Stadium parking lot and tailgate there until about noon or so then go in. I can't recall if they have shuttles or not but it's really not too bad of a walk honestly. Maybe about a half mile in total.

You can also buy general admission tickets and stay in the Paddock area all day. It's crowded but not as bad as the infield.
 

BernieSadori

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Nov 16, 2004
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People do tailgate before the races. If you do want to tailgate, I would get tickets for somewhere because they open the infield gates pretty early in the morning so all of the good/decent infield spots will be taken by early morning.

We park in Papa John's Stadium parking lot and tailgate there until about noon or so then go in. I can't recall if they have shuttles or not but it's really not too bad of a walk honestly. Maybe about a half mile in total.

You can also buy general admission tickets and stay in the Paddock area all day. It's crowded but not as bad as the infield.
They have shuttles. But for how long they sit still, your are better served saving your money and taking the 15-20 minute walk.
 

dgtatu01

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Sep 21, 2005
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You can park at the football stadium. If you want seats it's going to cost you $2000 or so for a box with 6 seats. The Derby is a different animal than Keeneland's. It's a worldwide event. Keeneland's is a local event.