Derby!

As you can imagine, the return of the Derby in a quasi-normal form is a moment for some excitement in the Bluegrass. There’ll be parties, but for the first time since March 2020 many of those parties will be conducted in safe, vaccinated environments. Anyway, here are my expert* views, depending on whether you like to bet on names, on looks, or to win:

Ear:

• Highly Motivated
• Known Agenda
• Soup and Sandwich

Eyes:

• Medina Spirit
• Essential Quality
• Midnight Bourbon

Mind:

• Essential Quality
• Hot Rod Charlie
• Highly Motivated

And here are some good recommendations for the drinking. The Mint Julep is a… limited cocktail even when done exactly right, and most people don’t do it right so generally speaking I’d look to the other candidates here.