Once again, we followed our tour guide's advice and went back to Keenland first thing in the morning. He'd told us that they would run the horses in the morning, which you can watch for free. Watching them go around the track was just awesome and made us want to come back and see a race. So beautiful!
Having been there yesterday, we were able to explain to other visitors that the screeching hawks were just a recording. There was an official Keeneland tour going on and we heard a slightly different story about the track surface (changed back to attract specific races, no mention of the heat factor).
Afterwards, we continued with our Guide's advice and had breakfast at the Track Kitchen. This is basically the company cafeteria where the jockeys and other Keeneland workers eat. It's definitely not fancy, but boy do you get your money's worth. We had the breakfast special where you get a eggs, potatoes, biscuits, and more for just $5.00.
The walls are covered with pictures of champion horses from every year. We looked around, but couldn't find Secretariat. In fact, the photos completely skipped the years that Secretariat raced. We asked the cashier (who was extremely friendly) and he told us that Secretariat actually never raced there. That was a surprise.
Afterwards, we drove over to the Legacy trail. The trailhead is really nice and very well marked with a big stone entrance. It's a great trail through some really nice areas. We got a little mixed up when we didn't take the detour (which is really the actual trail), but managed to find our way back when we spotted some other riders. We wished it had gone all the way downtown (not quite), but it was still a great ride. I quite enjoyed the abandoned mental hospital at the end, which dates back to 1816.
We went back by the Kentucky Horse Park for some more souvenirs. Tried to bike there, but the trail didn't quite go far enough that we could tell. Then we finally hit the road to head home. Fortunately, the good weather stuck with us, so the trip back was far more pleasant. We definitely look forward to going back.
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