Big day? More than that! Here's a quote from our newspaper yesterday:
We race joggers, runners, rodents, beds, horses (duh), hot-air balloons and wine glasses.

About the only thing we don't race is cars. Traffic is appalling. Ask the folks whose autos crept home down River Road last night. At least they took the scenic route.

River Road was gridlocked because we raced steamboats on the Ohio yesterday. That's what we do here on Wednesdays of Kentucky Derby Week.

We regret to report that, for the first time in three years, the big, bad Delta Queen bullied the plucky little Belle of Louisville yesterday by about three boat lengths.

But the Belle still leads the series 20-19 -- an amazingly even score in light of the Delta Queen's superior steam engine.

Because it is locally intolerable to acknowledge that a boat from New Orleans owns greater horsepower than a boat from Louisville -- at Derby time, no less -- many believe the Belle's record is a result of the race being fixed.

Insert Belle captain's annual denial here:
"It's a straight race," Capt. Kevin Mullen said.

Insert annual tale of the Belle's rule-bending tactics here:
The gambit this year was to cut around the back of Six Mile Island to stay out of the current and make a quicker turn.

"It is not cheating," Mullen said. "It's a good strategy."

EDIT: can't resist--here's a link to all the major goings-on: celebrities who are coming, the big charity fund-raising parties, all the hats to be seen, Pegasus Parade and other activity pics, etc.
Derby Fun