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Mint Juleps and Stallions in Kentucky
By : Chanize Thorpe
Photos J. Kevin Foltz
Kentucky has a contagious obsession with horse racing and bourbon drinking. Place a bet on a horse or two at the famous tracks and sip your way through the Bourbon Trail, and, inevitably, you too will come down with a case of Derby Fever.
A Champion is Born
The only way to explain the Bluegrass State's love affair with horses is to start at the horse farm. These great estates are home to some of the world's famous Thoroughbreds that are prized for their shining beauty, dazzling speed and pure muscle power. They're also adored for their likelihood to produce the next generation of racing phenoms. An hour east of Louisville, in bucolic Woodford County, is Three Chimneys, a 35-year-old boutique farm best described as an equine resort. This 100-acre enterprise has quite a few impressive claims to fame. Their horses are overseen by woman stallion manager Sandy Hatfield, an unusual sight in what's been traditionally a boys club-type of job. The legendary Barbaro was sired here by Dynaformer; Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew made his home here; and 1980 Derby winner Genuine Risk had her first foal on their grounds. "America's Horse," Smarty Jones, the undefeated Derby winner and Preakness Stakes wonder, receives more than 25,000 visitors a year and commands a $100,000 stud fee. Margaret Layton, marketing director of Three Chimneys, shows true passion and emotion when talking about the retired stallions and the new shaky-legged foals playing in the paddocks. And when conversation turns to Barbaro, her eyes get misty and she says, "Chances are he would have come here. He would have loved it." In addition to hosting royal stallions, Three Chimneys has had the pleasure of a human noble visit; in 2007, Queen Elizabeth II attended the Kentucky Derby.
It's Showtime
Most racehorse owners dream of having their pride and joy head to big-time tracks for high-purse races. One such place is Keeneland in Lexington. Scenes from the movie Seabiscuit were filmed at this 73-year-old institution because of its authentic appearance. Each April and October, horses come to run various races on a turf (grass) course and the new sophisticated synthetic all-weather Polytrack. Keeneland attracts everyone—the monied, families and a younger crowd. College students spend weekends here, picnicking on the grounds and placing $2 bets on horses with intriguing names like Sassy Skipper, Not Me But U and Party Crasher.
Churchill Downs in Louisville is home to the famous Kentucky Derby, which is held the first weekend in May. This is the grande dame of racing, and celebrities like Melissa Joan Hart, Nick Lachey and even Sean "Diddy" Combs don their nattiest threads and outrageous hats and join the crowds for an energy-filled day of drinking, hooting and hollering, as the majestic stallions thunder around the track at a frenetic pace.
Sweet Drinks are Made of This
But a derby isn't complete without a mint julep, the race's official drink. The bourbon used at the Kentucky Derby is Woodford Reserve, from a small distillery in Versailles, Ky., that's been making the spirit in copper stills since 1812. The small operation has the big distinction of selling a $1,000 gold-plated mint julep cup, complete with cocktail and silver straw, each year at the Kentucky Derby, with proceeds going to an industry charity. It also produces a special bottle for the event, with thoroughbred racing legend Secretariat gracing the 2008 edition.
Tour any distillery and you'll learn one important fact: All bourbons are whiskeys, but not all whiskeys are bourbons. To receive the moniker, 51 percent of the mash must be made of corn, and the spirit should be distilled no higher than 160-proof and aged more than two years in charred oak barrels. Thirty minutes away from Louisville is the Jim Beam company, the granddaddy of bourbon production and the world's top-selling whiskey. After watching a movie about the distillery's enormous process—the company's produced more than 10 million barrels since the end of Prohibition—the thirsty head into the Beam family's old home to sample the premium Booker's and Knob Creek label. Some don't like to mess with tradition and drink their bourbon neat (sans ice or water); others like it with a twist.
Maker's Mark Bourbon House & Lounge in Louisville pours more than 50 types of whiskey to patrons young and old. The drink menu features the Bourbon Ball, a mixture of Maker's Mark, white crème de cacao, Frangelico and cream served over ice, and the Miss Smith, a slow sipping martini of Maker's Mark with applecorn liqueur, apple juice and garnished with a Granny Smith slice.
The chandeliered lobby bar in the classic Brown Hotel in Louisville offers bourbon flights depending on your budget or luck at the track. The Coach Flight ($15) has three moderately priced tasters, and the Millionaire Flight ($25) gets you top shelf samples.
Where to Eat
No visit to Kentucky is complete without tasting a Hot Brown, said to be invented by the posh Brown Hotel. And while the hotel's English Grill serves rather fine fare, this dish, served at its more casual Thoroughbred restaurant, is anything but gourmet. Rather, it's your typical after-party food—an open-faced turkey sandwich layered with bacon and decadent Mornay sauce. It's a feast full of flavor, fat and, sometimes, morning-after regret.
Proof, on Main Street attached to the trendy new 21c Museum Hotel, incorporates Southern favorites into an upscale menu, with chickpea and country ham fritter appetizers, Kentucky bison burgers and braised rabbit risotto. With more than 40 bourbons on offer and a extensive wine list, the artwork next door might make sense after a drink or two.
Where to Stay
The Brown Hotel, a grand historic Louisville landmark, has been hosting Kentucky Derby visitors and guests like John Edwards and Bill Murray in its ornate, Adams-style building since 1923. Rooms are spacious and mix the modern (flat-screen TVs, duvet-topped beds) with antique-style furnishings. brownhotel.com
The Homewood Suites by Hilton in Lexington are family-friendly, with separate sleeping and living areas, kitchenettes and free breakfast before you hit the racetrack. homewoodsuites.com
How To Get There: American Airlines and American Eagle provide service to Louisville and Lexington, Kentucky. Visit aa.com.
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