You can wager on The Puma (not a cat) or Right to Party (please invite us) or Emerging Market (note that this column does not offer investing advice). All are horses, and all are racing in the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, May 2. And for just $2, the chance to win can be yours, no fancy hat required.
Monterey Bay Race Place operates regularly on race days, Thursdays-Sundays, but mint juleps—with housemade simple syrup to sweeten the bourbon—are a special for the Kentucky Derby. (And of course you are welcome to wear your derby hat.) While most race days bring 50 to 75 people in the door, this famous horse race usually draws closer to 400.
Some people stop by just to place a bet (doors open at 8am on May 2), while others make a day of it.
As staff, Kelly Violini-Rodoni, CEO of the Monterey County Fair, cannot place bets herself, but she’s forthright about what her priorities would be: “How cool their name is or what color they are.” (Silent Tactic, Pavlovian and Further Ado are all in the running.)
Most importantly, she notes, Derby Day is a chance to be part of a great American tradition at a price that won’t break the bank. “The guys there always tell me, you want to go for the popular horse, but if you go for the one with the worst odds, you can win the most money,” Violini says. “And for $2, you’re not going to be poor if you lose.”
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