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How to Get Last-Minute Tickets to the Kentucky Derby 2013

If you’ve got your oversized hats and mint juleps ready, then you’re probably aware that the Kentucky Derby is set to do its thing this weekend on Saturday, May 4. Sure you can head over to the local gambling establishment to place your bet, but we’re thinking that it might be a little more exciting to check things out in person.

Thankfully there are still tickets available for this weekend’s events, and things are actually somewhat affordable if you’re just looking to mix and mingle in the general admission area. You probably won’t get to see any celebrities here, but standing room only tickets can be yours for just $40 per person.

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How To Get Last Minute Tickets To The Kentucky Derby

On Saturday thousands will head to Churchill Downs to place their bets on the 138th Kentucky Derby.

If you want to get in on the action but still haven't purchased tickets, it's not too late. Though you won't have a seat, or a good view of the track, you can still purchase a General Admission ticket for access to the paddock area (where you can see the horses), the Gate 10 corridor, and the infield.

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Last-Minute Kentucky Derby Tickets are Only $40

We're less than a week away from the Kentucky Derby, or as we prefer to think of it this year, the second time in a month when we'll be permitted to wear big, stupid hats (the first being The Royal Wedding). Although it's a tad too late to score the best boxes where the mint juleps come served in proper silver cups, there's plenty of tickets left for the infield, aka general admission, for the big horserace on Saturday, May 7.

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How To Get Tickets To This Year's Kentucky Derby

The Final Four is over, so it’s time to look forward one of the next big sporting events. The Kentucky Derby is just over a month away, so if you’ve haven’t made plans to get yourself to Churchill Downs now is the time to do so. We’ll let you know how to get tickets and access to the first leg of the Triple Crown, but then we're relying on you to figure out where to buy the appropriate hat.

We always kind of assumed that getting tickets to the Derby was going to be pretty challenging, but it’s actually not too tricky at all. There’s still plenty of seats available too, so no need to resort to hitting the ticket brokers and scalpers in the parking lot.

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Who's the Favorite Horse to Win Saturday's Kentucky Derby?

Last year, we went out and bought a big white churchy hat and preppy purse to match for a Kentucky Derby party in midtown Manhattan. After several strong mint juleps, we finally watched he horses on TV dash around the track at Churchill Downs, and today we can't even remember the name of the winning horse. Oh wait, that's right—it was "Mine That Bird."

Well, Mine That Bird is taking this year off and the current favorite for the finish line is a lithe brown horse by the name of Lookin at Lucky, jockeyed by Garrett Gomez. The horse has some promising odds of 2-to-1, with "Devil May Care" a second favorite with 6-to-1 odds. We typically pick our favorite in the a super subjective manner: what horse name most tickles our fancy. This year it's "Awesome Act," just because it's be awesome to have a horse with "awesome" in its name go down in horseracing history.

Who's your favorite? A complete list of the racers is here, and don't forget to tune in for the brief race on Saturday at 6:24pm EST on NBC. That is, unless you're actually going, in which case we say put a couple dollars down on Awesome Act for us, okay?

Related Stories:
· Kentucky Derby favorite Lookin at Lucky will start in first position [Washington Post]
· How to Get Tickets to the Kentucky Derby [Jaunted]
· Sports Travel [Jaunted]

[Photo: KentuckyDerby.com]

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How To Get Tickets To The Kentucky Derby

Get out your best hat and heels because The Kentucky Derby is right around the corner and we have all the scoop on getting the best seats in the house.

All of the seating inside Churchill Downs for the derby, which takes place on May 1, is reserved seating. These tickets can only be purchased online but should be purchased in advance since they usually sell out pretty fast. Right now, there are still reserved seats available starting at $60.

Cheaper options, after the jump

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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]

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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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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]

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Louisville Steakhouse Is OJ Free

Jeff Ruby, owner of restaurants in Cincinnati, Louisville, and Belterra, Indiana, has become a bit of a cult hero in Kentucky. Not because he served a great steak, but instead because he refused to serve O.J. Simpson at his surf and turf joint on derby eve.

Ruby said he found Simpson in the Churchhill room of his "Jeff Ruby's Louisville" steakhouse and told Simpson, "I'm not serving you."

After telling Simpson to leave, he said the former NFL football star was "classy" about it, rounded up his party and left.

Then, Ruby said, he went into the Churchill Room to be sure they were gone and people at other tables started standing. "They all got up and gave me a standing ovation, started applauding."

Sounds like the Courier-Journal may want to re-think their Jeff Ruby's restaurant review:

They're not quite perfect for romantic dining tête-à-tête, but Jeff Ruby's Louisville, an outpost of an idiosyncratic mini-chain of steakhouses based in Cincinnati, doesn't pretend to offer an intimate experience.

So if you are are looking for a steakhouse in Louisville, that is sure to be O.J. free, look no further.

Related Stories:
· Jeff Ruby's [Official Site]
· Jeff Ruby Denies OJ Simpson Service [WCPO]

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Kentucky Derby Report: Celebs Ensure No One Cares About The Horses

Street Sense may have walked away the winner of the 133rd Kentucky Derby, but you can't put a horse on the cover of US Weekly. Throughout the weekend, celebrity guests lined up for mint juleps and donned giant hats to fit in with old-school VIPs like Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, starting with Friday night's Barnstable Brown gala.

Better known as the place to meet the former Playboy model of your dreams, the gala played host to athletes like Bode Miller and Apolo Anton Ohno and stars like Melissa Joan Hart. Nick Lachey even had the cojones to bring new girlfriend Vanessa Minnillo after he and ex-wife Jessica Simpson had done the derby. Post-race, Kevin Federline used some of his remaining seconds of fame to get into the Stuff magazine VIP Issue party, hosted by Taryn Manning.

If they weren't in Loovull, they were in Las Vegas catching the Oscar de la Hoya-Floyd Mayweather boxing match. Jim Carrey took girlfriend Jenny McCarthy there to see the fight, and Eva Longoria cheered for de la Hoya (and hit his after-party at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, even though he didn't win).

[Photo: SAWF.org]

Related Stories:
· Kentucky Derby: Kid Rock & K-Fed's Rap Battle [People]
· A night of biff and bling [Daily Telegraph]

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The Kentucky Derby Is Still Decadent And Depraved

There are two ways to enjoy the Kentucky Derby in Louisville--VIP or down and dirty.

VIP
You are going to want to get yourself to 21C hotel or The Barnstable Brown Gala. 21C, one of the coolest new hotels in the U.S., hosts a contemporary art museum and plenty of private parties. The hotel owners actually book out most of the properties 91 rooms, but visiting the hotel for drinks is not out of the question.

Advanced reservations are required to attend the $1700 per person Barnstable Brown Gala on Derby Eve. The dress code is black tie optional, and they mean it. Little known fact: Anna Nicole Met Larry Birkhead at 2004 Barnstable Brown Gala.

As for finding available Kentucky Derby hotels in Louisville for this year--forget it, focus on next year.

Down and Dirty
Fourth Street Live is Louisville's version of Bourbon Street. Expect to find live bands, plenty of grind it out clubs, outdoor bars and restaurants. The crowd will be college kids with fake ids, twenty-somethings on a roadie, local and visiting corporate clones, and plenty of people from out of town.

To get there from Churchill Downs, take I-264 East to I-65 North. From I-65 North, take the Broadway exit. Take a left on Broadway then a right on 4th.

Going to the derby? In Louisville this weekend? Leave your derby visiting tips in the comments section.

Jaunted's Unsolicited Derby Pick: Cowtown Cat

Check Out The Kentucky Derby Map Here.

[Photo: merfam]

Related Stories:
· Churchill Downs [Official Site]