LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) – Danielle Bunker’s flowery hat drooped and rain dripped from her pink poncho as she settled into the waterlogged Churchill Downs infield, but she wasn’t going to let gloomy weather dampen her Kentucky Derby bachelorette party.
“It’s all in the experience,” Bunker, 28, said Saturday as she munched on a pretzel and prepared for a daylong party with nine friends who set up lawn chairs near the giant videoboard. “We’re bummed but we’re from Ohio, so we’re used to it. We’ll make do.”
Steady rain turned part of the sprawling infield into a muddy pit hours before the Derby. But some hardy fans staked out spots to watch what for some is a first-time experience and for many is a yearly pilgrimage to the world’s most famous horse race.
Ponchos and rain boots were in fashion on a day usually devoted to sundresses, fancy suits and people-watching between horse races. Rain was predicted to end hours before the Derby went off in the early evening. The last Derby run on a sloppy track was 2013 when Orb splashed home in front.
Skies were clearing by early afternoon on Saturday.