Kentucky Derby Rally
Kentucky Derby Rally - Louisville and Lexington, KY
April 29th thru May 6th, 2008
Duane Scudder, along with his able assistant Darlene, outdid themselves once again, by organizing and shepherding a group of 17 coaches from Indio, CA to Louisville, KY for the 134th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs. Along the way most of the group stopped in Oklahoma City for a tour of Freymiller Trucking, a major mid-south trucking company. (The Freymillers, who live at Bob Lee’s Desert Shores, were with us on this trip.)
Upon arrival in Louisville on Thursday, April 29th the coaches were all parked at the Kentucky State Fairgrounds, which is less than a mile from Churchill Downs. A headquarters tent was set up nearby, and the group got busy the first evening with a serious cocktail party.
The following day, Wednesday, started with a Continental breakfast, followed by free time until 2 pm when a bus furnished by Prevost arrived to take us to the Ohio River for Steamboat Race on the Belle of Louisville. While we were having a sit-down dinner and trying to watch the other competing steamboats, the crew of our boat did some creative cheating which led to a First Place finish for our guys.
On Thursday, May 1st, we were bussed to Churchill Downs for brunch in the Turf Club, which overlooks the race track. Brunch was followed by a tour of the Churchill Downs Museum and much of the Grandstand and Paddock area. The bus then ferryed the group to downtown Louisville, where we toured the Louisville Slugger Bat factory and the Muhammad Ali Museum. To top off the day we had dinner at the Buckhead Mountain Grill, across the river, on the shore, with a grand view of downtown Louisville. The bus dragged the tired group back to their coaches after a wonderful, full day.
Friday was a more leisurely day, free time after the Continental breakfast until 5 pm. The Prevost driver took a group on a spontaneous shopping trip to a nearby Mall. At 5 we were bussed back across the river to Clarksville, Indiana where we arrived at the Derby Dinner House. There we dined and were treated to a quite professional production of “Thoroughly Modern Millie.”
Saturday is Race Day! Big Contimental breakfast. Bus to the Downs. Big crowd! Really BIG crowd! Lotsa horsing around! Big Brown wins the big one! By a big margin. Big, big traffic jam after the race. Some of us walked back to the Fairgrounds, some waited a couple of hours to catch a bus back. Big Day! Worth all the hassles.
Sunday, May 4th, we departed Louisville in our coaches and drove about half way to Lexington, then stopped at Claudia Sanders Restaurant (The Colonel is gone you know?) for a sumptuous Sunday Brunch. You’ve never seen a more creative parking job, 17 coaches in a small parking lot, but it fell into place. After brunch we continued to the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, and got settled into our RV spots there. The rest of the day was ours to do as we pleased.
On Monday the group was bussed to Keeneland Race Track, where we had breakfast at the track kitchen with jockeys and trainers, toured the race track facility and met the jockey of Seattle Slew. In the afternoon many of the group visited the Horse Park, after which Larry Finegan convened a Delta Sierra business meeting. Later Mary Alice and Jerry Bueser furnished champagne, as is the custom for those of us who purchase a new coach.
Tuesday, the final day of the rally, Prevost once again carried the rally attendees to several stud farms that are usually not open to the public. Back at the Horse Park we finished the rally with a catered Southern Style dinner at the campground, a suitable “Farewell” for the group.
Thanks to the Buesers for plenty of Champagne at the tent, usefull for Mimosas in the morning and “Sleep Aid” in the evenings. As purchasers of a new Country Coach, they have thereby performed their mandatory Champagne duty.
Duane and Darlene did a wonderful job, and we were all appreciative! Their connections in the horse world allowed them to get us into places we would otherwise never see. They handle pressure gracefully and make things work right.
And Thankyou, Thankyou, Thankyou to Prevost for the bus and bus driver time!!! They really do support us! Also, thanks to Buddy Gregg for providing a Country Coach demo bus, chauffered by Brian Dunlap and his wife Renee. We all appreciate the part our sponsors play in making Delta Sierra rallys a first class experience.
Tom Cullen
T O M C U L L E N
–On The Road–
760 399-6247
admin | Rally Roundup | 08 12th, 2008 |
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