Yesterday was the 139th running of the Kentucky Derby. Years ago the Derby was a big event in our family. We would have friends over, cut out the names of the horses from the newspaper, throw money into a pot, and then each person would draw one or two of these slips of paper out of a hat. The pot was always small - never more than 4 or 5 thousand as I recall - but it made the race interesting. In a fit of nostalgia, I decided to head down South Santa Fe Drive to an off track betting parlor/restaurant/bar called Red and Jerry's, located in some hellish town called Sheridan, to watch the race. Sitting amidst such establishments as World of Tiles, the Santa Fe Adult Store, Tire Warehouse, and Krystal's (where the fun begins), Red and Jerry's is located very close to (or possibly right over) the site of Centennial Park, Denver's old horse track. Imagine my surprise when I found out Red and Jerry's was actually charging to get in. Not only that, the restaurant and bar area was already sold out. If you wanted to see the race, you had to pay $10 and watch it from their Event Center next door. I took a peak inside - it was even more depressing in there than the surrounding neighborhood, if that is possible. Oh well. To hell with nostalgia.
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