Happy Kentucky Oaks Day everyone!
I know that the entire world waits until the first Saturday in May and the Run for the Roses, but the first Friday in May and the Run for the Lilies is just the best day to celebrate all fabulous fillies!!
Enjoy!
















Happy Kentucky Oaks Day everyone!
I know that the entire world waits until the first Saturday in May and the Run for the Roses, but the first Friday in May and the Run for the Lilies is just the best day to celebrate all fabulous fillies!!
Enjoy!
Foxhunting is something that I’ve been intrigued with for years now. While I’ve not had a lifestyle that permitted me to join the field, living somewhere again with an active hunt club (two, actually, here in the Lexington area) makes the opportunity to learn about the sport very accessible.
Recently, compliments of a foxhunting friend, I went on my first Iroquois Hunt hound walk. Simply put, a hound walk is a walk through hunt country with a pack of hounds of varying ages and experience to teach them the lay of the land and to learn about their individual personalities.
While the Master of Foxhounds (MFH) and huntsman will walk with the scent-hungry hounds, there will also likely be a few mounted foxhunters along to turn the hounds should they not respond to the call of the MFH, or to seek out the occasional wandering novice hound.
On this particular day we were five on foot and three mounted with eleven couple (hounds are counted in pairs, so twenty-two) of foxhounds. And tried as I might have, I couldn’t resist uttering the words “Release the hounds!” when I saw the doors of the trailer open and the pack burst out.
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Photo by Melaina Balbo Phipps |
We walked across the field over the hilly landscape while the hound advanced and retreated to the sound of the MFH’s prompts and horn blows.
They will survey the land . . .
Photo by Melaina Balbo Phipps
and when they come back in . . .
Photo by Melaina Balbo Phipps
Whether you find yourself at Belmont Park or watching the Belmont Stakes from afar, let everyone know who you’re cheering for by wearing the purple and green colors of his Dumbass Partners silks.
Clearly, his owners and trainer Art Sherman are anything but dumbasses. The story is truly the stuff of fairy tales, and I for one hope the racing gods are ready to give California Chrome and his connections a happy ending.
While you watch this third leg of the Triple Crown, be sure to sip on the official cocktail of the Belmont Stakes, the Belmont Jewel.
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My Violin after morning training at Carriage Station Farm in Lexington, Ky. |
Each year, on the eve of the Kentucky Derby–one of the most prestigious tests for 3-year-old colts in Thoroughbred racing, Churchill Downs plays host to the Kentucky Oaks, an equally glorious competition for 3-year-old fillies. Today is that day, the First Friday in May. And while there are endless reasons to talk about the race card and the horses, there’s no denying that a race day like Oaks Day brings out the style maven in a good many ladies at the track.
Taking advantage of the strong female presence on the track, Oaks day has become an opportunity to raise funds and awareness for breast cancer and to honor survivors with an annual Survivors Parade. Racing fans also show their support by wearing pink and sipping on the traditional Kentucky Oaks cocktail, the Oaks Lily (a portion of the proceeds from sales of the Oaks Lily is donated to breast cancer research, so consider it drinking for the cause).
While pink can sometimes seem a bit too girly for those of us no longer in our twenties, a classic style like this Valentino dress will adapt to just about any woman’s style.
And while you’re getting ready, you might very well get thirsty . . .
Here’s the recipe for the Kentucky Oaks official drink:
Kentucky Oaks Lily:
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