Are you waiting for the first Saturday of May with fond anticipation? We are, because it's time for the 136th running of the Kentucky Derby on May 1, 2010, also known as 'the fastest two minutes in sports.' But the Kentucky Derby is far more than just a race of thoroughbreds. It is celebration and ceremony there at historic Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. Leading up to that spectacular moment are weeks of festivities: golf tournaments, fireworks, the Fillies Derby Ball, the Pegasus Parade, a wine fest, even a spelling bee! Take your pick of races: before the annual Run for the Roses, you can watch races involving steamboats, hot air balloons, marathon runners, decorated beds being pushed around a track, and waiters balancing trays of wineglasses aloft, an event known as, what else?, "Run for the Rosé." So once you have your Kentucky Derby tickets, make plans to arrive in Louisville early and delight in the Southern hospitality and the fun!

But all that exists because of the Derby. The Kentucky Derby began in 1875. The horses are 3-year old thoroughbreds. The track at Churchill Downs is a mile and a quarter in length. It is the first event of the illustrious Triple Crown of thoroughbred horseracing, the second being the Preakness and the third, the Belmont Stakes. In 1973, a record was set by an incredible horse named Secretariat: the fastest Derby ever run at 1 minute 59 2/5 seconds. Those are facts. Yet it is the unpredictable that is the reason for a horse race like the 2005 victory of Giacomo, a 50 to 1 shot! Who knows what you will see when you witness the 136th running of the Kentucky Derby on May 1, 2010?