Kentucky and Racing Memorabilia…in Nevada?

Jill's Journal: Nevada isn’t exactly the hotbed of Thoroughbred racing, but Carson City IS the recently-adopted home of Mike Pegram (the very fun, sometimes irreverent racing owner and BFF of Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert). The most familiar images of Pegram – a good ol’ boy to the core – always involve a giant smile on his face and always, always a beer in his hand. And apparently that’s not just on t.v. or in person at big races in Kentucky. That’s also exactly how Rob found him at a casino in Carson City.

Pegram, wealthy from a vast McDonald’s empire and extremely successful in horse racing to boot, recently expanded his interests to casinos. He owns two of them in Carson City and, of course, we had to check them out. The Carson Valley Inn is where Rob ran into him. Pegram has several paintings of his racing triumphs on the walls of the attached hotel lobby. But it’s his Bodine’s where we found the really good stuff, including the saddle towels and win photos from some of his biggest runners.

Real Quiet’s saddle towel from the 1998 Kentucky Derby – we were there!

Silverbulletday’s 1998 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies – we were there!

Silverbulletday’s 1999 Kentucky Oaks – Rob didn’t make this one, but I was there!

And there’s more – Captain Steve’s Dubai World Cup, one of Midnight Lute’s two Breeders’ Cups, and Thirty Slews’ Breeders’ Cup. Boy, oh boy…I so love our gypsy life, but seeing this kind of stuff makes me homesick for Kentucky. Most especially this time of year, right in the middle of an always-spectacular autumn, Keeneland’s fall meet, and 10 days out from the Breeders’ Cup at Churchill Downs. Of course, I’d say that in the spring too with breeding and foaling season, Keeneland’s spring meet, and the Kentucky Derby. :)