Sunday, May 07, 2000

Bets, celebs, class, crass

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Crowd enjoys range of run

By Kristina Goetz
The Cincinnati Enquirer

        LOUISVILLE — It was a party all right — complete with the mud, the duds and, of course, the studs.

Geishas (from left) Tama, Mamechizu and Mayuha, traveling with the Derby's winning owner, Fusao Sekiguchi, arrive at Churchill Downs on Saturday. (Gary Landers photo) | ZOOM |

        For revelers at the 126th Kentucky Derby there were two kinds of parties — the genteel gala of the monied and the crowded craziness of the infield.

        From high atop the chic Skye Terrace, entertainment celebrities and other high-rollers dined in air conditioning on lobster, mashed potatoes and blackened, whole-roasted prime rib. Ladies wore brightly colored boas, matching hats and diamonds. Men donned seersucker suits and satin.

        At the end of the eighth race, Fusaichi Pegasus was the best-dressed, with a blanket of deep red roses draped around his neck and a fat purse for his owner. The odds-on favorite won more than $1 million. He breaks a jinx; a favorite hasn't won the Derby since 1979, when Spectacular Bid lived up to his name.

        In a sleek black cowboy hat, country singer John Michael Montgomery walked to a window to cash in tickets on an early race. He also planned to bet on the big race.

        “I won on a number five and number one,” he said. “So I'm in pretty good shape. I'm ahead right now and whatever (amount) I'm ahead I'm going to bet all on the Derby.”

        The Kentucky native said that before his recording career hit the big time, he would do his betting at Keeneland.

        “I never went to the Derby,” he said. “I went to Keeneland. Luckily, when I got a hit record I was able to get tickets.”

Eric Williams of Chicago. (Ernest Coleman photo) | ZOOM |

        Television actress Dixie Carter also placed a few bets. She wore a pale pink blouse, a matching hat and dainty, pink-tinted sunglasses.

        “I'm tired, but I'm having a good time,” she said.

        Other singers such as George Strait, Travis Tritt and the Backstreet Boys, who were followed by screaming teen-agers, also attended. So did Lt. Gov. Steve Henry and his fiancee, Miss America Heather Renee French.

        A little farther down in the grandstand, in the box seats, the attitude was still genteel even if the bank accounts weren't as large. One man even laid his program over a spilled soda to allow a woman to walk by unmussed. Summery hats bobbed as women walked, seeking shade from the 82-degree weather and the few, light sprinkles.

        Julie O'Leary, from Rock Island, Ill., said she always buys her hat at the hotel where she stays. This year, it was a beige straw hat with a white rose and a long, white feather, from the Executive Inn West.

        “I wanted my feet to be comfortable so I wore these sandals,” she said. “The straw hat matches them perfectly.”

        Before having lunch with his father, presidential hopeful George W. Bush shook hands and snapped pictures with fans and supporters in the paddock. As he made the media rounds, some in the crowd shouted that they would see him in the White House.

        Other fans yelled, “George! George! George!” as they pushed their way to the crowd-control rail to catch a glimpse. He said during an interview that he didn't plan to place a bet.

        “I can't afford to lose; I'm in government,” he said. “But people in Kentucky know how to put on a good event.”

        He added: “I'm not against betting. I'm just against losing money, especially my own.”

        He stumped throughout the day, telling people what he would bring to the Oval Office.

        “I think they know I'll bring honor and dignity to the White House,” he said, adding that he has a lot in common with Kentuckians. “I'm a compassionate conservative and so are the people of Kentucky.”

        Out in the infield, the party went from class to crass as college kids guzzled beer, traded Mardi Gras beads and cooled off in kiddie pools. There was mud wrestling, exhibitionism, groping and obvious drunkenness.

        Peggy Martin, 23, of Newport, said the best thing about the Derby is its two-party atmosphere.

        “You have the people who are social, and you have the people who are carefree and here for the sheer entertainment, for complete openness.”

        E.P. Scott, 85, hung around with the racetrack regulars. He has missed only one Kentucky Derby in the last 50 years, when his wife died. He bets often and he usually doesn't lose.

        “It's fun,” the Louisville resident said. “Having a drink, meeting with friends and watching races.”

       

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