Omigosh, dreamy trip!! They say the Derby isn’t the race–it’s the whole week or more of festivities leading up to the event. They were like totally right!

I’m here on the fabulous Jane Dempsey’s Kentucky Derby Junket. Her family has been running Derby tours for over 60 years, and having grown up in the horsey world, she is an unending fountain of knowledge and true Derby Diva.

We are a group made up of mother-daughters, senior couples, and legendary Derby-winning jockeys and their families. WOW! I am now buddies with Dave Erb (’56 Derby Winner on Needles) and Braulio Baeza (’63 Derby Winner on Chateaugay). We happily attended their Gallop to Glory tribute at the Galt House Hotel. Visit it to check out their newly cemented hand prints!

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So there I was in a private car driving home from stunning Lexington-area horse country with famed restauranteur Danny Meyer. Between his business calls, I was hoping to talk to him about food, restaurants and travel.

Earlier, we had blown our minds on the realities of stud farms at elite Three Chimneys Farm. The 2000-acre farm is picture perfect–just how you would imagine Kentucky to look. Perfectly manicured lawns! Acres of them!

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