Shampoo Solo

Scott and I were watching one of the prep races leading up to the Derby several weeks ago, and the anchors got to talking about Winning Colors, a filly (one of three, and that’s her, above wearing the eight) who won the race back in 1988.

I turned to Scott and said, “I remember watching that race.”

The anchors went on to say that that race was 20 years ago, and that Winning Colors had passed away in February 2008. This led me to two conclusions:

1. I have outlived Winning Colors.
2. I am old enough to remember something that happened TWENTY YEARS AGO.

Neither of these things, as far as I’m concerned, are minor.

Perhaps most major of all, and I’m not really sure I’ve really written about this here yet, is that this year, Scott and I are going to the Kentucky Derby.

In person.

We splurged on fancy grandstand seats (you didn’t honestly think I was an infield type of gal, did you?), and when the broker we bought them from noticed that they didn’t actually get those seats we’d purchased, they gave us better seats, in the first row of the grandstand.

It’s hard to explain exactly what this means to me — mostly because I haven’t quite wrapped my head around it, and I think there’s a reason for that: I’ve been watching the Derby on TV for more than 20 years. I can’t quite imagine what it’s going to be like to be there, in person, but I’ll tell you all about it when I get back. (And, for the record, I’m backing Colonel John.)

Also, I’m making a prediction. There’s no clear frontrunner in the Derby field this year, but next year … it’s going to be a horse named Nicanor. Just you wait.

(If he looks familiar, it’s probably because he’s a full brother to Barbaro. Yes, that Barbaro.)