SONYA JENKINS

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American Pharoah was the big winner at the 141st Running of the Kentucky Derby, which brought excitement, fashion and horse-race hoopla amongst a record-breaking crowd of 170,00 attendees to Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky May 2. Although I had hoped to travel to Louisville early – to witness the Oaks the day before the Kentucky Derby – I was only able to make it to the host city of “the most exciting two minutes in sports” (The Kentucky Derby) on Derby Day. But experiencing one day at the Kentucky Derby was like experiencing Christmas in May! I woke up excited that I had obtained press credentials for Sonya’s Spotlight Web Magazine, granting me access to the Red Carpet and Green Room, Dining Rooms, Millionaires Row, Skye Terraces and the Media Center. Of course I couldn’t be everywhere, so my assistant, Carla Johnson, and I mostly floated around Millionaires Row –  mingling, betting on horses and taking a ton of photos. We chatted it up with attendees from Ohio, North Carolina, California and beyond.

Since I’m no neophyte when it comes to attending The Kentucky Derby (I’ve attended six times), I knew that having the right chapeaux would make me a winner, even if the horse I bet on did not win. With Derby fun and fashion in mind, I met with Vernell “Grand Diva” Washington, Global Representative for Grace’s Hats and CEO of Grand Diva Enterprises (www.granddivaenterprises.com), a few days prior to the Derby. I told her I wanted a hat that was big and colorful, so she helped me choose a darling orange chapeaux from her myriad of colorful Nigerian imported hats. The flowers and feathers on top of the hat set it off and made me feel like a flower in bloom myself. My chapeaux was indeed, a winner. I couldn’t help but don it at the airport, after getting off my flight, where I got handclaps as I “Derby walked” down the concourse. Yes, there is a certain “Derby walk” that most women acquire who attend the Derby. It’s a certain strut that makes us feel like we’re gliding on air. By the end of Derby day though, the strut becomes more of a Derby slouch – in flat shoes. Most of us fashionistas start the day off in high heels, but end up in flats (some even end up barefoot) by the close of Derby. It’s all about the hats on Derby Day though, so as long as the hats stay in place, that’s all that matters. And mine definitely stayed pretty on my head during a perfect weather day in Louisville where the temperature was in the mid 80s.

Although I usually make getting red carpet interviews and taking celebrity photos my priority when attending affairs, there was something about this particular Kentucky Derby that made me want to mingle more with my girlfriends, colleagues and the new acquaintances I met from across the globe than to catch up with celebrities on the red carpet. I figured there will always be another time for red carpet interviews. The Kentucky Derby definitely brings all races and ages together in an atmosphere of warmth and fun. Many attendees sip on Mint Juleps, the official drink of the Kentucky Derby or the Lily (the official Oaks drink) and mix, mingle and eat, while betting on their favorite horses. I met several first time attendees who told me that attending the Derby had been on their bucket list.

While there was no big win for me at the Derby this year, as far as betting on a winning horse, I definitely won big just by being invited to cover America’s Greatest Race! Enjoy a few photos that I took (below) from my 2015 Derby experience. See you at the Derby next year!

                                                                                                  Sonya Jenkins

 

 

 

 

Beautiful Hats and All That!

 

 

 Fine Dining on  Millionaires Row.

American Pharoah wins the 141st Kentucky Derby 2015