Stalking Burgoo to its Natural Habitat

The Wrigley Field of Horse Racing


Because my gay bipolar bear is an obsessive fashion maven, Wro gets giddy about ladies’ hats, dudes’ sport coats, jockeys’ silks and, of course, dudes and jockeys themselves. For outdoor fashion, Lexington’s Keeneland Park is Paris, New York and Milan all stitched together -- the ultimate runway for scouts of summer’s most dapper styles. I came along to Kentucky to stalk the great American stew burgoo to its natural habitat. Burgoo is to racing in Kentucky what hot dogs are to baseball and beer is to the Daytona 500 - something so intrinsically part of the experience that it’s impossible to imagine without it. For historical appetizers, we visited some only-in-Lexington attractions beginning with Kentucky Horse Park.

Kentucky Horse Park

These 1,200 acre grounds, surrounded by 30 miles of white plank fencing, is dedicated to mankind’s relationship with horses. Two museums, twin theaters and regular competitions highlight the attractions. But the cool thing for Wro was how easy it was to get up close and personal with 50 different horse breeds that live here. There’s so much for horse-loving kids to learn, and adore. Our highlights were anecdotal:

~We learned that Isaac Burns Murphy, a black jockey (1815-1896) rode 628 winners, an amazing 44 % of his mounts, including three Kentucky Derbys;

~At the Man of War Memorial, Wro read an explanation, by Joe Palmer, of why people consider him the greatest race horse in American history.

“Man of War, loose in his paddock at Fairway, dug in as if the Prince of All the Fallen Angels were at his throat latch and pieces of sod threw up behind the lash of his power. Watching you felt that there had never been, nor could there ever be again a horse like this.”

Even the jockey of Upset, the winner of the only race Man of War ever lost, said he was sometimes sorry he didn’t move over and let him by. Wro measured Man of War’s stride, 28 feet, four more than Secretariat’s, 2 more than John Henry’s and 27 more than Wro’s;

~Wro got really excited to learn that the public is invited to watch the creation of the Kentucky Derby rose garland - 550 classic roses, one to the bush are hand sewn to the green satin fabric;

~At the American Saddlebred Museum, we learned that Supreme Sultan was the Man of War of his breed. Saddlebreds are a Kentucky original, the ultimate horse for shows, dressage and jumping.

Racing's Holy Ground

In 1790 Lexington outlawed horse racing on downtown streets and the social center of the city moved to the race track. Some 140 years later, Keeneland was founded. It has been refined and expanded ever since, but it remains the ideal home of the sport of kings, a time traveler’s dream. Behind its ivy-covered walls, women still powder their noses after lunch, dress codes are strictly enforced and white parasols are handed out, lest the afternoon sun darken the complexions of fair ladies.

All other modern race tracks have been hard hit by the metastasizing spread of faster, more addictive forms of gambling. Some tracks persuaded legislators to allow slot machines to subsidize horse racing. With or without slots, these tracks degenerated because of lost, or less savory, sources of income.

Keeneland is uniquely blessed. Its horse auctions inject genteel money into the track operations, allowing it to become a living history museum of all that is honorable, noble, and even royal, about horse racing. This is the only track in America where the Queen of England races horses. We began our day there though in less sophisticated trappings.

The kitchen serves breakfast to the public. During the racing season, the most illustrious jockeys, trainers and owners can be found having a pre, or post-workout breakfast in the humble cafeteria. I could have slept later, but Wro, dressed in silk himself, insisted we go “look for hottie jockeys.” And I have found that long days become even longer if I deny his first impulses of the morning. It’s not mentioned in the manual of mothering skills, but it works for us.

Things didn’t go all that well. The jockeys having breakfast were wearing workout clothes, not their finest silks. They were also engaged in tactical sessions with trainers and owners, and didn’t have time to hear Wro tell wild stories about racing horses in Mongolia. I made certain he swallowed his meds as we left for the Thoroughbred Center.


Superior Muck

Owned by Keeneland, the center is dedicated to the racing side of the horse business. Only active race horses are stabled here. Since Kentucky has racing 52 weeks a year, it’s convenient for trainers, so 300 horse barns house some 1100 horses. The Center doesn’t mention this, but my Chinese fetish for numbers led me to conclude that, with the average price of a race horse sold at Keeneland auctions topping $70,000, there is probably $80 million of horse flesh here.

Math geeks might also like to know: Stalls rent for $5.50 to $7 a day; Total costs to owners are about $25 - $35 grand a year, per horse; Horses train about 10 minutes day, or five times as long as they race; It takes a horse three strides to reach full speed.

The center includes two race tracks and a famous sales pavilion. Wro noticed that many riders had Irish accents. (We were told there are so many Irish in town they have their own pub.) They wore Kevlar vests, like homicide cops. Wro was love struck.

I spotted a curious sign: “Attention Keep Muck Clean: No Trash, String, or Sawdust.” It turns out that all recycled muck is sold to Campbell’s soup, to fertilize their mushroom fields.

In Barn 28 we met Mike Cameron, an ESPN analyst and trainer. We noticed him because he keeps a resident goat there. He was a walking advertisement for the track.

“Keeneland is the finest track in the world, the only American track the Queen of England races her horses at. They hand out white parasols to women and they even expect trainers like me to wear a coat and tie, just to saddle a horse. The climate is eternal Spring and Fall. It’s 15 degrees warmer in winter than Cincinnati and gets only a quarter as much snow. It’s cooler in summer too.”

Post Time

We didn’t check Mike’s numbers. It was time to get back to the track. Don’t misunderstand my point about Keeneland being trapped in time. It is, but that doesn’t mean it’s out of step with contemporary America. On the day of our visit, Keeneland’s attendance exceeded that of Aquaduct (New York City), Santa Anita (Los Angeles) and Gulf Stream (South Florida) combined! It is the Wrigley Field, or Carnegie Hall, of horse racing, venerable and beloved like no other venue of its genre.

Back to business -- My plan was to stalk burgoo in its natural habitat. This is a legendary Kentucky dish, an 18th century porridge made with squirrels, hens, cows, pigs and sheep. I found an old recipes that began with “800 pounds of cow flesh.” I determined to try this dish in its natural habitat, which I supposed was a track kitchen serving 20,000 to 30,000 people.

Track chef Ed Boutilier admitted that health and safety codes prevented him from following the old recipes. He also said something about proprietary information. So, Wro and I went over his head. Ed’s boss is Larry Wolken, President of Turf Catering and “the second longest employee here, after the bugler. My father came from Chicago, to run the concession stands the day the track first opened.”

Each racing day, Turf Catering serves sit down dinners for 3500 while their concessions serve an additional 10,000 to 30,000. They have 50 full time employees to feed the year-round simulcast crowd. They add 700 additional employees for racing seasons, and that’s just for food. Over 65 % of them return each year, so it’s a good part time job. As Larry showed us around, we’d stop at concession stands to check on the hot dogs.

“Dad always said, ‘You’re only as good as your last sandwich.’”

Down at the serious end of the kitchen, we sensed we were getting closer to pay dirt.

“I stole the bread pudding recipe from Paul Prudhomme,” Larry confided.

Then we passed a station where five 80 gallon copper kettles simmered the stew of Kentucky racing lore. Larry acknowledged that the track’s famous burgoo begins with 150 pounds of chuck stew meat, 25 pounds each onions and celery, three #10 cans each of tomatoes and mixed vegetables, 20 pounds of okra, a #10 can of tomato puree, 2 pounds each of onion base and beef base, 3 pounds of chicken base, a quart of lemon juice, a half gallon of Worcestershire, a half gallon of red wine, a bottle of white wine, a cup of Tabasco, water “as needed (not too much),” 30 pounds of diced potatoes, and corn starch to thicken. That will yield 65 gallons. I can’t wait to try that at home, but only when I can add fresh whole squirrels, rabbits and sheep.

Corned beef briskets, another track specialty, were also being simmered in 80 gallon tubs as Larry recalled his role in Keeneland’s most famous day of racing.

On Her Majesty’s Cocktail

“I served Her Majesty a gin and tonic. I think she had a filet too, but I remember the gin and tonic she ordered. Frank Atkins was the oldest employee here before he died and he was in charge of ushers. Frank would arrange people for photos of trophy presentations and he had a habit of grabbing people and moving them around. Sure enough, he did that to the Queen. Everyone gasped when he did that, but fortunately, it was no problem. So, ever since then, we have always said that other than Prince Philip, Frank was the only guy who knew if the Queen wore a long line bra or not.”

Historic (Literally) Recipes

Mint Juleps

“The mounds of ice and the bowls of mint julep and sherry cobbler that they make in these latitudes are refreshments never to be thought of afterwards, in summer, by those who would preserve contented minds.” Charles Dickens

1 serving

1 cup sugar
1 cup water
12 sprigs of mint
3 ounces bourbon
1 sprig of mint

Bring the sugar and water to a boil in a saucepan and simmer 5 minutes, without stirring. Pour over the sprigs of mint in a heatproof bowl, crushing the mint with the back of a spoon. Chill, covered, for 8 to 10 hours. Strain, discarding the mint. You may store the syrup in the refrigerator for several weeks, preparing individual juleps as desired.

For each serving, fill a julep cup with broken or crushed ice. Add 2 tablespoons of the mint syrup and the bourbon and stir until the cup is frosted. Garnish with 1 sprig of mint.

If you go, we recommend

Lexington Convention and Visitors Bureau
301 East Vine
Lexington, KY 40507
859-233-1221
http://www.visitlex.com/

Keeneland
POB 1690, Lexington, KY 40588, 859-254-3412
http://www.keeneland.com/
Fran Taylor Ex Dir

Kentucky Horse Park
International Museum of the Horse
4089 Iron Works Parkway
Lexington, KY 40511, 859-233-4303
http://www.kyhorsepark.com/

Old Friends
411 Mill Road Place
Midway, KY 40347
http://www.oldfriends.org/
Michael Blowen