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Tags: Australia Travel / Spring Festivals / Spring Travel / Horse Racing / → All Tags

Down Under Gears Up For The Melbourne Cup

It might be fall in States, but spring has just sprung up Down Under and we're ready to get out and play at some of the continent's best seasonal festivals. The biggest event this season is definitely the Spring Racing Carnival in Melbourne. You might wonder that a bunch of horse races grabs the attention of so many Aussies and anyone visiting at the time, but the highlight of the carnival—the Melbourne Cup—is correctly dubbed "the race that stops a nation".

And you don't have to know the slightest thing about horses to get involved. Come next Tuesday afternoon, you won't be able to get service in any shop in Australia as everybody will have their eyes glued to the TV to watch the Melbourne Cup race. Over 100,000 people attend the race in person, and most of them get dressed up either in their best dress or a crazy costume; like at the Kentucky Derby, the most important thing is to have a great hat.

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Tags: Race Tracks / San Diego Travel / Horse Racing / Del Mar Race Track / → All Tags

Opening Today At The Del Mar Race Track: Thoroughbred Races, Big Hats

It's that time of year again, when the Del Mar Race Track opens for the season. The gorgeous race track, built along the even more gorgeous Del Mar coast, is open starting this afternoon through September 9th.

In contrast to some other Southern California tracks we could name *cough* Santa Anita *cough*, Del Mar has a reputation for cultivated classiness. There is an entire site specifically set aside for Scenester Events, with categories like "Lifestyle," "Fashion," and "Wine & Dine." They also emphasize that the race track is a frequent destination for local celebrities.

The track is also very careful to sell itself as a family destination. The first Sunday of this season is a "Family Fun Day" that includes a plush toy giveaway. The subsequent Saturday has a demure microbrew festival and a chili cookoff.

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Tags: Kentucky Derby / Horse Racing / Paris Hilton / Tom Brady / Brooke Shields / → All Tags

Paris Hilton Does Kentucky

The Kentucky Derby may not be a huge draw for average joes this year, but it's still reeling in A-listers.

Well, at least the Derby-eve party on Friday night is. The notorious Barnstable Brown bash is hosted by Louisville's locally-famous socialite twin sisters Priscilla Barnstable and Tricia Barnstable Brown, in their opulent mansion in the tony Bonnycastle neighborhood. The 21-year-old fiesta has made enough of a mark on the socialite set that it even draws celebs who don't bother to stick around for the race.

In addition to Hilton, Tom Brady, Brooke Shields, and Kid Rock will be among the boldface names at the twins' house. For the first time this year, the bash will be followed by an after-party at the Sports and Social Club, a brand new downtown club, so there could be a chance to get in some late-night celeb-sightings.

Related Stories:
· Kentucky Derby 2009 Barnstable-Brown gala guest list [Courier-Journal]
· Where to Make Your Own Last-Minute Kentucky Derby Hat [Jaunted]
· Kentucky Derby Tickets Still Available, Compliments of The Recession [Jaunted]

[Photo: casaroger]

Tags: Kentucky Derby / Sports Travel / Fashion Travel / Horse Racing / → All Tags

Where to Make Your Own Last-Minute Kentucky Derby Hat

With the Kentucky Derby only three days away, we're darn sure that milliners within 100 miles of Churchill Downs are working overtime to craft last minute hats and add extra feathers for optimum flash.

Observing the parade of outrageous headgear at the Derby and downing a few Mint Juleps is as much a part of the spectacle as the horse race itself. In these economic times, noting that a spectacular hat typically ranges from $150 to $500, we fully expect more women to take to crafting their own brims or even redecorating last year's masterpiece. For this, we turn to Dee's Crafts in Louisville.

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Tags: Horse Racing / Sports / Kentucky Derby / → All Tags

Kentucky Derby Tickets Still Available, Compliments of The Recession

This may not come as much of a shock, but we can add horse racing to the list of things getting battered by the recession.

We're just three weeks away from the Sport of Kings' biggest day, but this year's Kentucky Derby appears to less of a hot commodity than in years past. WHAS Louisville reports:

Normally, you'd have a hard time finding a hotel room in Louisville for Derby. But not this year. Some of the area's most popular hotels still have vacancies….Those who normally shell out thousands of dollars to attend the Kentucky Derby are scaling back their spending. What’s the main reason? The Derby is an event often referred to in the industry as an "incentive event", like the Super Bowl or Final Four, something given as a reward to companies' top employees or customers.

Ahhh, so that's who was always able to afford things like the $1,900 infield suite two-day package. But, even if your boss isn't putting you up in fancy digs for the May 2 Derby, the race is still doable on a much smaller budget: $40 general admission tickets are still available.

Related Stories:
· Kentucky Derby [Official Site]
· Hotels, restaurant reservations and Derby tickets still available in troubled economy [WHAS]
· Kentucky Derby Hotels [HotelChatter]

[Photo: Velo Steve]

Tags: Summer Travel / Beer / Beer Festivals / Horse Racing / → All Tags

Back of the Envelope Travel Guide: The Del Mar Scene

When you think of horse racing you immediately think of the big guys like the Kentucky Derby or the Belmont. Or maybe you just picture grumpy old guys bickering over horses and swapping stories.

But at the Del Mar Racetrack and Fairgrounds, outside of San Diego, there's so much going on that they call it the Del Mar Scene.

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Tags: Sports Travel / Gambling / Horse Racing / Spring Travel / → All Tags

Adventures of Link: Triple Crown Travel

Now that Big Brown won the Kentucky Derby, it's time to plan your future racing excursions. Next up on the calendar is the Preakness Stakes, run in Baltimore on May 17. The final leg of the three-race series is the Belmont Stakes, which takes over Elmont, New York on June 7.

It's totally possible to just head to the track and enjoy these events, though there isn't quite as much pomp and circumstance as there is at the Derby. Still, lots of people will be dressed to the nines and there's always tons of betting at horse races. (Yay, betting!) And for $25 at the Preakness and $10 at the Belmont, the races are some of the cheapest sports tickets around.

Related Stories:
· The Preakness [Official Site]
· Belmont Park and the Belmont Stakes [Official Site]
· Attending the Preakness [ESPN]
· Attending the Belmont Stakes [ESPN]
· Sports Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo of the Belmont ticket booths: JGNY]

Tags: Animals / Horse Racing / Festivals / → All Tags

No Horses To Race In Birdsville

It's bad enough to worry about chickens with the flu, but now horses are coming down with sniffles? That's the problem facing Australia right now with a highly contagious bout of equine flu doing the rounds.

And while the horse flu isn't dangerous for humans, it does put a dent in a few tourist attractions, and this week it's the famous outback Birdsville Races. Held annually in outback Queensland for the last 125 years, officials have just announced that this year's races have to be canceled because the risk of equine flu spreading is too high.

Despite that, they're still predicting that 6,000 tourists will head to Birdsville for the related festivities. There are numerous sideshows, concerts, races and an auction to keep visitors amused, although we're not sure we'd truly enjoy a horse race festival in the middle of nowhere with, you know, no horses.

Related Stories:
· Birdsville Races Cancelled [news.com.au]
· Don't Play With Chickens in Bali [Jaunted]

[Photo: bdonald]

Tags: Celeb Travel / Anna Nicole Smith / Horse Racing / → All Tags

Dannielynn Smith Re-routed Through Kentucky

Two months after the death of Anna Nicole Smith, DNA tests revealed yesterday in the Bahamas have confirmed that photographer Larry Birkhead is the father of her daughter Dannielynn. It was a great day for Birkhead, who broke up with Anna Nicole in July of last year, but not for widower and lawyer Howard K. Stern, who had a "commitment ceremony" with Smith in September and is listed on the baby's birth certificate.

Birkhead and Smith met at the Kentucky Derby in 2004 and he's a Louisville native, although these days the paparazzo calls Burbank home. For all you would-be celebrity baby-daddies, this year's Derby will be held May 5, which gives you 24 days to build up your tolerance for mint juleps and giant, ridiculous hats.

But if you really, really want to get involved in a paternity case of your very own, might we recommend setting up camp early? The Kentucky Derby Festival presents events all throughout April -- this Friday and Saturday, for instance, is the Adidas Derby Festival starring up-and-coming basketball players. Dannielynn may be staying in the Bahamas for the moment, but you don't have to.

[Photo: Starfruit Gossip]