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The festival during the Kentucky derby
2011-04-07
Since the year 1935, there has been a week - long festival held in commemoration of the Kentucky derby. One of the events at the Kentucky derby festival is the royal Court. In the beginning of spring, a Queen for the derby festival is chosen as well as a court of princesses known as the derby princesses. These ladies are selected from the various colleges in Kentucky. The concept of the royal court was started in the fifties and now it has grow in leaps and bounds to the point that it is sponsored by a women’s organization known as Fillies Inc. Once the de3rby princesses have been selected, the derby festival queen is then chosen. Selection of the derby queen tends to occur on the night before the even known as Thunder over Louisville which is also part of the Kentucky derby festival. The derby queen is chosen by pure luck as a wheel of fortune is spun so as to find the eventual queen. Once the royal court is complete, they are then supposed to attend all the official functions related to the Kentucky derby. Their job is to promote the Kentucky derby as best as they can. They are also paraded around a float known as the Pegasus Parade and are required to be dressed in white ball gowns. The perks of being part of the royal court are quite attractive. For one, all the members of the royal court are awarded two thousand dollar scholarships. Other perks include receiving a complete wardrobe for the entire Kentucky derby festival as well as a chauffer throughout the whole period of the Kentucky derby festival. The members of the royal court also have VIP access to every single event that takes place during the Kentucky derby festival.
One of the major events of the Kentucky derby festival is the Thunder over Louisville event. This is known as the biggest ever fireworks display in all of the United States. It is also rated among the top one hundred events that take place in the United States. Hundreds of thousands of spectators congregate at Ohio’s banks to witness this. Thunder over Louisville event begins with an air show during the day and culminates into a half hour firework display in the night sky. The thunder Over Louisville is deemed all that more magical with the reflections of the fireworks on the surface on the river below.
Reasons why online betting on the Kentucky derby is better than going to the betting shop
2011-04-07
Many people have not yet realized the benefits of betting online. They prefer going to the betting shop and phone betting. These are some of the reasons that can convince them to change to online betting:
• Since there is a lot of competition online, the betting companies encourage people to join their service. They entice people by offering free bets. They normally come in form of matched bets where you put a certain amount of money and they match the amount therefore doubling your money. During the Kentucky derby, free bets are usually quadrupled making their services very attractive to betters. Betting shops never offer any incentives.
• Many online betting websites allow people to compare odds. You can seek the best odds online by comparing from one bookmark to another. Only when betting online will you get this service since it is even a free of charge service.
• With online betting companies, they have special offers. This is a very popular incentive with betting companies with websites. For example, they offer money back offers. This is meant to gain interest from the bettors. They do this in terms of when the betting horse does not run; you get your money back or if your horse gets injured etc. You can never find such offers in betting shops.
• They also have many betting options. They have new betting sectors such as betting exchanges which are formed resulting from the internet’s popularity. They allow any sort of betting variables with just one final result.
• There is a wide access of information in the internet. Therefore, you can obtain any data you want very fast and with no costs. There a lot of guides, blogs, reports and forums that can be of much help to you when choosing your betting options.
• There is no need of having to go down to the betting shops and bookmarkers. They might be miles away from you while you can bet in the comfort of your house and keep checking every now and then the best bets of the day.
• As long as you have a reliable internet provider, betting online is very fast. You do not have to stand for hours queuing or maybe miss how the race started just because you were in the betting window.
• Internet can be accessed from anywhere meaning you can place your bet anywhere in the world. Money can be transferred for making betting payments anytime whether night or day.
U.S. HORSERACING WANTS CLARITY ON INTERNET WAGERING
2010-06-28
New federal legislative proposal introduced
Writing in the US horseracing publication Bloodlines last week, the CEO of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, Alex Waldrop, revealed that the organisation’s lobbyists
have secured the introduction of important federal legislation to protect its $1.3 billion market for advance deposit wagering.
The bill, H.R. 5599, clarifies the relationship between the Wire Act, a 1961 federal criminal statute aimed at illegal bookmaking, the Interstate Horseracing Act (IHA), a civil statue passed in 1978 and amended in 2000 to permit online pari-mutuel wagering on horse races, and the 2006 Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA), designed to stop the use of credit cards for illegal online gambling… but not the NTRA’s lawful, IHA-governed transactions.
The article underlines once again the conflict between the horseracing business and enforcement officials.
Waldrop claims that it has long been settled that horseracing is authorised to engage in interstate wagering via the IHA and that Congress, in its own words, passed the IHA to “further the horseracing and off-track betting industries in the U.S.”
“But sometimes, Congress’s messages are ignored,” the racing executive writes. “Case in point: the Justice Department, which champions the Wire Act and UIGEA, [but] continues to ignore the clear message that Congress sent when it passed the IHA, amended it in 2000 and exempted it from UIGEA in 2006.”
Waldrop claims that ongoing enforcement activity confuses the clear mandate for the NTRA to conduct interstate wagering under the IHA, and this is making credit card companies “more skittish about accepting wagers from our players – hence, the introduction of H.R. 5599.”
The NTRA exec summarises the proposal as simply re-stating that online wagering on horse racing is legal under the IHA, and that laws like the Wire Act and UIGEA only apply to [other] illegal [online gambling] activities – a reference to the controversial federal legal carve-outs which protect the internet wagering privileges of horseracing, state lotteries and fantasy sports in the United States.
The motivation for HR 5999 appears to be concern that the advent of the UIGEA regulations earlier this month could result in over-blocking.
The UIGEA is designed to stop illegal online wagering transactions with internet gambling companies, and depends on the already overloaded financial institutions to enforce its provisions.
Congress has been repeatedly warned by both banking and political bodies that the imprecise nature of the Act, and the optimistic expectation that financial bodies will be able to differentiate easily between confusing ‘legal’ and ‘illegal’ transactions, could result in over-blocking. There have already been cases of such incidents that have caused disruption to two state lotteries.
Waldrop clearly recognises the importance of online wagering to the horseracing industry, writing: “As players increasingly place their wagers online making account wagering the most important growth area for wagering on horse racing, we have to stay alert to every potential obstacle to keeping that channel as open as possible.”
The NTRA has also approached the IRS to ease the tax withholding requirements on winning pari-mutuel wagers.
The lay out of this year’s events
2010-04-21
The preliminaries for the Kentucky Derby races usually start way early even before the schedules dates. All these events are in preparation for the mother of all races scheduled to take place in May during the year. This will mark the climax of the track events, and is the major attention-grabber that will be focused by the media.
The media has played an important role in publicizing the events. Prior to 1952, the horse racing events only attracted radio broadcasters. But since the, it has been telecasted live. This has been a good booster for the sports popularity especially since it is now a universal hobby. Even though there are some considerable changes in the game, all other factors have sustained time changes. April has seen a sizable number of scheduled events. Some of them have already passed and were a blast characterized by loyal followers of the sport. A number of events are currently underway.
There has been a beehive of activities in the month of April. If you have missed out on the first part of activities, then do not worry. There is still a myriad of untouched events which precede the main Kentucky Derby event. The following is a detailed calendar describing the events that are bound to happen in the remaining days of April:
15th to 26th April: One Million Dollar Hole-In-One Contest
The event is organized to take place in River Road Water Tower. This is a related golf tournament in psyching up for the forthcoming episodes.
16th April: The fellies Derby Ball
The ball will be at Galt House East. The featured events are ball room dancing and celebratory eating, drinking and dancing.
16th April: Kick Off Luncheon
This is an experience to launch the beginning of derby festivals. It is just a yearly occasion from whence the inauguration of horse racing festivities is commenced. The outset event will take place in Galt House East.
17th April: Thunder Over Louisville
This show will take place in Downtown Louisville Riverfront. The event is basically a ceremonial air show display. In this happening, there is a spectacular display of some of the large-sized fireworks in the planet.
19th April: Derby Festival Foundation Golf Play-offs
This is a match where golfers meet to challenge each other on golfing skills. The Audubon Country Club is the location to be if you are not to miss this event. The whole idea is to raise fund for charity works.
22nd April: Taste of Derby Festival
In line with the rich food culture that has developed in cahoots with the horse racing history, the tasting event is an opportune moment to experience dissimilar food delicacies. The event takes place in Louisville Slugger Field and attracts numerous pro cooks from the locality.
Kentucky Derby Packages
2010-04-16
The Kentucky derby is an event like no other. The supper bowl or the world series do not even come close to the colorful histories that have been associated with this event. This year will be the 136th event since the derby began and it will be in the usual place; Churchill Downs in Louisville. This will mark it as one of the many old events to be continuously held in the world. The first event was held way back in 1875 where the horse Aristides was the first to win in front of a crowd of about 10,000 people. In this year, that crowd is estimated to be about 150,000 people and this will be those that will be holding the tickets inside the stadium. Thousands of others will watch over the television. The most exciting event will be the two minute race. The premier sports travel offers a great package for those people that want to see the event live inside the stadium.
There have been many championships that have been won in the derby, but there is one that stands above the rest. This is a race that took place back in 1973 and done by a horse called the ‘secretariat’; but in the recent years, the horse as come to be commonly referred to as the’ big red’. The horse still holds the fastest time ever that has been recorded in any event. The horse also won the triple event that year and most derby goers refer to him as the greatest horse who ever lived. The last decade too has had its share of great horses that have graced the derby.
A single race lasts about 120 seconds the derby tour offers a collection of activities that are conducted in the entire city of Louisville. The Kentucky derby packages offer the best way to experience the beautiful pageantries and parties that will be at the centre of the event. Those that frequent the event will tell you that it is not an easy thing to get a ticket, leave alone a hotel room where you will be staying. Most people even book for the event even months before it has begun to avoid being left out. With a click of a button, you will be guaranteed to pick the winner at the bets. There will also be derby seats but they will be sold on a first come first served basis.
Cuisine at the Kentucky Derby’s
2010-04-16
The Kentucky Derby is a famous sporting event which involves horse racing and many festivals. During this time, the people of Kentucky get to enjoy so many parties and festivals. There are several cuisines which are specifically made for these events. These are sold at Churchill’s Downs and several other restaurants. The recipes used in these dishes and cocktails are available on the net (Taste of Derby).
The major recipe available during this event is the Derby pie. This delicious pie is half a century old and was initially the favorite pastry served at Melrose Inn, Kentucky. It is now the signature dessert at the Derby events in Kentucky. It is now a trademark of the Kern’s kitchen and its recipes are a family secret. The pie is made from English walnuts mixed with semi-sweet and rich chocolates. Its exquisite taste has made it very popular especially in Kentucky Derby events. The several festivals serve this rare dessert to its attendees. The best thing about this pie is that it can be delivered to the customers who are in Kentucky and is available in almost all the retail outlets selling food in Kentucky. It is also made in different sizes among them the 9 inch pie that can carter for almost 10 people in a sitting.
The most preferred cocktail during the Kentucky Derby event is the mint julep. This traditional beverage has graced the Churchill Downs as well as Kentucky Derby for close to a century. One only requires 2 cups of sugar, the Kentucky whisky from early times, 2 cups of water, crushed ice, fresh mint (in sprigs) and julep cups (preferably silver ones).
The drink is made by boiling the water and sugar together for five minutes to form syrup which is cooled. The syrup is transferred to a covered container and 6-8 sprigs of the fresh mint are added in it. This mixture is refrigerated overnight. The julep drinks are made one at a time and the julep cup is filled with the crushed ice and mint syrup mixed with the whisky is added to it. The syrup is added in one tablespoon to the ratio of 2 ounces of the whisky. This mixture is stirred rapidly using a spoon and garnished with fresh mint. It has managed to lure many to the event considering its delicate sweet taste including celebrities.
There are many other cocktails which are served during these events. One of them is Oaks Lily. Other common servings are meat dishes to accompany the drinks.
Horse betting ideas
2010-04-16
You can make some money out of the event at the Kentucky Derby. All you have to do is to place bets with other participants. It is a fifty, fifty situation and you should brace yourself for any eventuality. You are entertained and still get a chance to make some money. Horse racing is very enjoyable. Anyone who has been there can tell about a great experience. However, you can also be in a position to enjoy yourself as well. You should take note of the many chances that are there for you to go out and make some money. Fun and some extra bucks do not always come together. This is a special package. Here are some ideas to on how you can enjoy yourself.:
1. Go to popular places where you will find people with similar interests as you. There some participants who do not wish to do any horse betting on the track. You can go to the casino where there are the players who will be willing to take on your challenge. You should stay on to watch the races. Do not rely on what your opponents tell. They might not be truthful and you end up paying out some money unfairly.
2. Get some authentic tips about the race. These include the performance of the horses and the experience of the jockey. You can bet it at a small fee from the vendor. You can make some observations which can be helpful to in the long run. The form tells you about the distance to be raced and how many horses are participating. You should be in a position to tell which horse did what last time. These are the basics which the best players in the betting game use.
3. Make the choices carefully. You should go for a horse that is most likely to win. You can do this by compiling the facts that you find out in the preliminary research. There are three types of bets. The win which means you get the pay if the horse you placed a bet on comes first, the second and third are known as place and do not pay as highly as the win.