Classy or Trashy?

Springtime in DC, cherry blossoms blooming, birds chirping, 18 year-old tourists wearing short skirts, does it get any better? Well, yes, it does. Springtime is not only the season of rampant hormonal mating, but it also brings horse-racing and the Triple-Crown (sorry, the corporate whore Visa Triple Crown) to the masses. As always, we have two great and very different races in the DC Area.

The more publicized event has to the Preakness Stakes. This massive orgy of beer and horses at the Pimlico racetrack in B-more means that all the state-schoolers pile into the infield to flood their systems with cheap beers as the egg on their rival schools to see who's women have the nicer breasts. As judged by the 50,000 other people in the infield.

The lesser known, but equally fun Virginia's Gold Cup brings it at a whole different level. This oh-so-classy event is for the pink shirt-blazer or seer-sucker suit crowd. Mint Juleps, straight bourbon, and wine the entire day. The race itself is a steeplechase field event, so instead of running in small circles, the horses trot around a big field jumping over things. There is much falling down to the delight of the tipsy crowd.

Two years ago, I went to Preakness and got my drink on there, but last year, I was able to use the native connections to score an all access pass to the Gold Cup, including a ticket to the after party, where I was able to get down with the owners, the jockeys, and the Navy Seals who had parachuted in as part of the celebration. This year I am really struggling with my options. Do I go upscale again or do I just throw down to the Preakness rules of "no liquor, no bottles. Kegs? Are those glass?". Sometimes life is so hard.