Guests arrive at the Louisville Airport and transportation from the airport to the hotel is included in our package. Check into the Holiday Inn AP South (after 3 p.m.) If you arrive early, the hotel will store your bags and you are free to explore Louisville (10 minute taxi ride) on your own. Our STI travel director is available to meet and greet and get you oriented on your first day in Kentucky. Meet your fellow travelers for a welcome get together tonight at our hotel. We�ll kick start our Derby celebration with hot hors d�oeuvres and a Bourbon Tasting. Did you know that 95% of the world�s bourbon is from Kentucky? Each distillery boasts its own unique taste and character, defined mostly by the charred new-white-oak barrels where it must be aged a minimum of 2 years.

Enjoy breakfast at our hotel and then the day is at leisure. Perhaps our race enthusiasts would like to go to The Oaks Race today, a stakes race with 3 year old thoroughbreds (tickets must be purchased in advance), some may opt for a day on the town, but why not see first hand where all the excitement begins. STI offers a half day tour of Kentucky�s Bluegrass Country, one of America�s most genteel and elegant landscapes, spread over 15 counties and 4000 square miles and chockablock with Tara-style manor houses. Here, thoroughbreds live better than most aristocracy where cupola topped barns and handsome stables resemble more like French Villas and deluxe hotels! Bluegrass Country is also listed as one of �1000 Places to See Before You Die� OPTIONAL EXCURSION: Horse Farm Tour with Lunch-$200 (See Price & Options Tab to Reserve) Half day tour of Kentucky�s Bluegrass Country, one of America�s most genteel and elegant landscapes, spread over 15 counties and 4000 square miles and chockablock with Tara-style manor houses. Here, thoroughbreds live better than most aristocracy where cupola topped barns and handsome stables resemble more like French Villas and deluxe hotels! Bluegrass Country is also listed as one of �1000 Places to See Before You Die�

Enjoy breakfast at our hotel and then we�re off to the races! Transportation is included in our package. Churchill Downs is only 8 miles from our hotel, opens at 11:00 a.m. The Derby is the 10th of 12 races at 6:00 p.m. and the last race is at approximately 7:35 p.m. Remember that the crowds after the race number well over 100,000, so patience will indeed be a virtue. Estimates for departure from the track, regardless of your mode of transportation are 2 hours. Our STI team will be waiting for you back at the hotel for our post race party. The Basics: * Purse: $2,000,000 * Grade: I * Type: Thoroughbred * Distance: 10 Furlongs * Age: Three Year Olds * Sex: Both * Turf: Dirt Notes: The Kentucky Derby is an American horseracing event that is run at a distance of ten furlongs on the dirt track of Churchill Downs racetrack. This grade I racing event is open to three year old thoroughbred horses. The race is known in the United States as �The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports� for the approximate duration of this race. It is also called �The Run for the Roses� as a blanket of roses is draped over the winner. The Kentucky Derby is the first leg of the American Triple Crown for thoroughbred horses in the United States. The second most entertaining parade on the first Saturday in May, next to the Kentucky Derby post parade, is the parade of hats on display at Churchill Downs. STI will have its own mini-parade during the day, the winner will win a prize to commemorate her vacation at the Derby. Since 1975 the trophy has been created by New England Sterling located in North Attleboro, MA. The trophy, which is topped by an 18-karat gold horse and rider, includes horseshoe shaped handles, is 22 inches tall and weighs 56 ounces, excluding its jade base. The entire trophy is handcrafted with the exception of the horse and rider that are both cast from a mold. To complete the trophy by April, craftsmen begin the process during the fall of the previous year and literally work hundreds of hours. The trophy is believed to be the only solid gold trophy that is annually awarded the winner of a major American sporting event.

Enjoy breakfast at the hotel before checking out. Shuttles are available for your transport back to the airport. We hope you enjoyed your stay in Louisville and our first Kentucky Derby! Weather conditions may affect your travel to and from an event. If you are unable to arrive in a timely fashion due to weather - there are no refunds allowed. If an event is cancelled in its entirety due to weather, any/all refunds will be in accordance with the rules and regulations of the venue and/or team affiliated and all refund criteria provided will be followed by this office for the face value of the tickets purchased. In case any event is postponed due to inclement weather or other factors beyond our control, no refunds will be made and participants will be responsible for alternate accommodations and/or travel arrangements. Additional expenses or fare revisions, if any, shall be borne by the passengers, conversely, refund will be made to the passengers if any saving is effected thereby. STI is not responsible for any delays of transportation which may cause package members to miss any events of the package. The suppliers who are providing services are independent contractors and are not principals, agents, employees, master, servants, representative, partners or joint ventures of STI.