It’s official: I am no longer allowed to wager on the Kentucky Derby. The last time I did, I put my money on Barbaro. This year, I put my money where my heart was, and bet ten dollars on Eight Belle to win. She did so well, until she went down with two broken legs after the race. She was euthenized on the track. So clearly, I have some sort of wager death curse. I so wanted this filly to beat all the boys, and I’m proud she outran most of them. My heart goes out to the owners and family of Eight Belle.

A few hours before the big race, my mom, two younger sisters and I took a trip to our local OTB. It seemed the whole freaking town was there! To get a parking spot, we had to slowly follow a guy through the  lot to snare his spot on the grass. When we were in line to place our bets, my littlest sister (1 1/2 years old) kept making her sign for a drink (she went thirsty; it seemed all they were serving was bud). Then she nearly started a brawl by punching our middle sister in the face (ok a bit of an exageration). We left shortly after that, to get home in time to make our virgin Mint Juleps. But my mom and I agreed we would definitely want to watch the race from the OTB next year so we could enjoy the energy and anticipation of the crowd. Should be fun–but I won’t be betting!