sweetmantours.com

09/06/2024

https://youtu.be/nCVovJZRlpI?si=Jl_LeY5GseseBHFV

28/05/2024

It is profoundly gratifying to meet so many wonderful folks who come to visit the Bluegrass. It is without question THE number one perk of the tour guide gig. These people come from all over the states and some are even from other countries. All have the same goal in mind; escape into the grandeur of this magical land. The warmth of the finest bourbon in the world, the majesty of the almost mythical thoroughbred horses and the allure of the countryside combine to ensure a journey which changes their point of view for the better, reintroduces them to fun and insists their senses take notice.
Here are just a few examples of the fun.....come join us!

16/05/2024

Stunning opening to the PGA event happening in Kentucky this weekend.

07/05/2024

There is nothing like it, nothing. 176,710 people gathered from around the world hanging out together in the city of Louisville, in the great state of Kentucky, all of them excited, all of them friendly and all of them with the same common goal, to relax and enjoy the spectacle which is the Kentucky Derby.

I'll bet when God invented happiness he had an event like the Derby in mind. It has exuberance and cheer built right in. It has people acting kind to each other. It has the most beautiful representatives of nature imaginable showing the off the miracles of God's handiwork and it has a spirit of joy which must be felt and heard all the way up to heaven.

I want to thank Ben Cuttrell and all the folks at Bucket List Events for providing us with the great seats. Thanks to their generosity I get to spend the perfect Kentucky Bluegrass day on the first Saturday in May. And I get to spend it with the Best Girl Louisville has ever produced!!!

GO BABY GO!

04/05/2024

It is absolutely "NUTS" how much fun surrounds the Kentucky Derby. Yesterday I had the annual privilege of escorting 55 anxious and anticipating first time Derby goers from all over the country on a tour to Buffalo Trace distillery and Lane's End thoroughbred farm. The excitement is at a fever pitch and it speaks so well for our central Kentucky community.
Today I have the unparalleled good fortune of escorting the best girl Louisville has ever produced to the ultimate Kentucky experience.
GO BABY GO!!!!!

04/05/2024

IT'S FINALLY HERE!
GO BABY GO!

-- Follow us on social media atFacebook: www.facebook.com/kentuckyderbyTwitter: www.twitter.com/kentuckyderbyInstagram: www.instagram.com/kentuckyderbyTikTok...

06/04/2024

PROFILES IN TOURAGE: Keeneland racetrack is a central point of interest for the entire thoroughbred industry. It is located in the heart of the most hallowed of equine ground, Lexington Kentucky. The April meet is now in full swing and with it comes all the gifts of spring.

Each year Keeneland draws throngs of visitors who long to enjoy the essence of the Bluegrass, the world's finest thoroughbred competition, the world's finest bourbon whiskey, the world's most accommodating people and some of the world's most beautiful countryside.

Keeneland provides you with lasting pleasant memories which will always bring you pause...and with that pause a smile...and with that smile a longing to return.

GO BABY GO!

24/03/2024

PROFILES IN TOURAGE
A few weeks ago, on an ordinary February evening, Ruth noticed there was a concert at the local high school featuring the Louisville Symphony Orchestra. We took advantage of this unusual opportunity and enjoyed beautiful symphonic sensations which filled the space usually meant for screaming teenagers at basketball games. Towards the end of the presentation we were all treated to a surprise which blew us away.
Michael Cleveland was born blind and mostly deaf. He is a musical genius who picked up the fiddle, not the violin (he doesn't know anything about violins), when he was around four years old. His rendition of The Orange Blossom Special stunned this Frankfort Kentucky gathering.
Michael is native of Indiana. He is an internationally known master of his instrument and the Bluegrass genre. In short, he flat out rocks!
The sound quality of the recording on my cell phone doesn't do this justice. I think it is miraculous that a person without the benefit of sight or scant hearing can make music as perfect as this. Call it heavenly justice!......."Blast Off!"

09/03/2024

Love this time of year!

09/02/2024

PROFILES IN TOURAGE

We received a little break from the winter weather recently and found the opportunity to get out and move around our beautiful area. Birthing season is technically upon us but it is still a bit early for the main onslaught of equine wonder. HOWEVER, the early arrivals are starting to pop up and this ignites our anticipation.

When you gaze into the eyes of these newbies they project all the excitement the bluegrass is known for. If you listen hard enough you can hear the roar of the crowds and the unmistakable ring of the starting gates bolting open. These are walking, albeit awkwardly, examples of raw potential and inherent greatness. Most importantly, they are reminders of the coming spring and all of the revitalization for all of us that accompanies it.

GO BABY GO!

17/01/2024

PROFILES IN TOURAGE

On February 1, Michael Blowen, founder of Old Friends Farm is retiring. Michael is a the preeminent example of ambassadorship for the thoroughbred horse industry. He exemplifies all that is good and meaningful in our relationships with the equine world. He sees past the track records and the trophies and connects with the most important part of any living creature, the heart. He has been and will continue to be the conduit between the "Love of the Horse" and the public.

If you've never strolled the grounds at Old Friends Farm, I could not recommend it more. Mike has created a place where anyone can go and experience a peace of mind which can only be transmitted through the gaze of a thoroughbred's eye and the vibe of champion's presence. This is a special place, founded on hooves and hearts.

08/01/2024

JUST AROUND THE CORNER!

08/01/2024

GLORIOUS GRAVITY!

30/11/2023

30/11/2023

PROFILES IN TOURAGE

The pros at BucketListEvents do an amazing job bringing folks from all over the world to the pinnacle of thoroughbred horse racing, The Kentucky Derby. For the past few years I have had the privilege of contributing to their pre-derby tours. Now our sights are set on 2024 and the excitement is already building. It is not too early to make your plans.

If you are interested in attending the Kentucky Derby I suggest you consider MyBucketListEvents. They take care of EVERYTHING and then some............IT IS SOOOO MUCH FUN!! https://www.mybucketlistevents.com/

This video features scenes from last year's extravaganza
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVJ8orrAw6M

27/11/2023

PROFILES IN TOURAGE SERIES

J.Mattingly 1845
“The Burden of Proof”

It is time to formally call attention to the extraordinary developments at the new J.Mattingly1845 distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky. Jeff Mattingly and his impressive team of bourbon
aficionados have accomplished what no other distillery or bourbon experience destination has been able to establish. They have successfully put the “Burdon of Proof” in your hands.

No other distillery takes such a personal approach to pleasing your individual tastes than J.Mattingly. All of the ‘J.Matt’ guides are deeply experienced and able to understand what it is YOU are looking for in YOUR bourbon. They can, and they do, deliver. Barrels are meticulously vetted and identified by a tasting team of professionals who have the experience to effectively communicate the properties to you. They offer the much sought after “double stave” process into their proprietary barrels which is the best and only way to enhance the unique flavors and qualities of the product. You have the ultimate ability to decide and blend the contents of your unique expression of spirits…an expression which will never be found in anyone’s collection, anywhere.

It is also important to note that the J.Mattingly experience is complimented by a family of folks who truly love what they do. They have only one goal in mind when you walk through their newly remodeled door. And that is; when you walk out of that door, you are more than satisfied. You are convinced you’ve had the most in-depth, fun and worthwhile bourbon experience possible. What they are really saying is, you are indeed part of the family and
you will always be treated that way. I must also make note of the great affection and affiliation the J.Matt family has with and for our veterans, active duty members and first responder teams. They are inspired by those who inspire!

I have the great privilege of accompanying many visitors to our wonderful home here in the Bluegrass. The majority of these folks are quite experienced and versed in bourbon and its many attributes. The J.Mattingly Experience is consistently regarded as one of the highpoints of their bourbon trail visit.

The J.Mattingly 1845 experience is simply a “must visit” to anyone’s serious bourbon trail adventure.

The Burden of Proof is on you….as it should be.

21/11/2023

PROFILES IN TOURAGE…LONG LIVE THE KING.

Some photos just grab you and bring your day to a halt. Here we see Secretariat taking a pause for a refreshing bath. He was majestic and graceful in every move he made.

20/11/2023

Hoping this wonderful fall weather will last just a little bit longer. These lazy autumn afternoons are a delight for our visitors on the bourbon trail . You can sit back, gaze into a perfect sky, sip the world's finest bourbon and "figure it all out."
www.sweetmantours.com

20/11/2023

Thanks to a great group of Bourbonites. The Bourbon 30 Boys from New Bern NC really know how to have a good time. They also know their bourbon quite well. 

04/11/2023

WHITE ABARRIO IS A BEAST….. congratulations Breeders Cup Classic champion, 2023 

29/10/2023

29/10/2023

WELCOME TO THE PROMISED LAND…..the dump room at Buffalo Trace distillery. You can almost hear the angelic chorus in the background. You can certainly see the delight in our distinguished guests faces. Next stop, the. tasting room!

19/10/2023

Let’s hear it for the Hotze’s and crew…What a great group of Bourbonites! It was a pleasure showing them around!

16/10/2023

Run Happy says hello! Life is good at Claiborne farm…plus he gets live in secretariat’s old stall….huge horseshoes to fill!

07/10/2023

INSPIRATIONAL BEAUTY MIXED WITH FUN…A COMBINATION WHICH IS IMPOSSIBLE TO BEAT.

19/08/2023

Morning workout at Keeneland….
“…It’s breeding and it’s training and it’s
something unknown that drives you and carries you home.”

17/08/2023

As a tour guide here in one of the most beautiful places on earth, I am frequently asked which thoroughbred racehorse was the "best" of all time. I am admittedly an amateur compared to most of the experienced horse folks I've had the privilege of meeting. But I am still entitled to an opinion and my heart always goes to Big Red, Secretariat. For those who need more convincing evidence of his superiority, I defer to the accomplished journalist William Nack. check out this MASTERFULLY penned description of why Secretariat stands.....alone.

SECRETARIAT 🐎
Ground Control
At the top of the stretch at Churchill Downs at 5:38 p.m., the hour had come round at last: Secretariat was battling his arch rival, Sham, and they were nose and nose through the first 100 yards into the lane when Secretariat began to pull away, slowly but inexorably, and Sham began melting down the wick of that fiery pace as 130,000 people sent up a roar and Secretariat bounded home alone in 1:59 2/5—the fastest Kentucky Derby ever run—the first horse ever to shade two minutes for the mile and a quarter. In the doing, he pulled off the unprecedented feat of running each successive quarter-mile split faster than the preceding one—0:25 1/5, 0:24, 0:23 4/5, 0:23 2/5, and 0:23 flat—literally running faster and faster as the race went on.

He electrified the crowd that afternoon, and I can hear their echoes in that hallowed grandstand yet today. Secretariat had been voted the nation’s Horse of the Year as a two-year-old in 1972, and he had already shown himself to be a horse of gusting speed and highest quality, but the Kentucky Derby was his first transcendent moment as an equine athlete, the performance by which he joined the racing gods—the likes of Man o’ War and Count Fleet, Citation and Native Dancer, Swaps and Dr. Fager—and announced that he belonged in their pantheon. The Preakness reaffirmed his Derby brilliance, while his pièce de résistance, the Belmont Stakes, left him spinning in an orbit all his own, alone.
~William Nack

14/08/2023

Let's go back one more time to 2022...80 to 1 odds...but the most important metric can never be measured. It's breeding and it's training and...It's something unknown that drives you and carries you home.

Please like and subscribe!Learn more about eXp: https://ryanespey.exprealty.careers/All my social links: http://www.RyanEspey.com ...

10/08/2023

An absolute CLASSIC candid shot of Secretariat, the greatest racer who ever graced the track. This picture was taken by Sports Illustrated as they flew past the tote board. Secretariat and Ron Turcotte rocketed into history at the 1973 Belmont setting the all-time speed record for the race. They had already set the record for the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness earlier while achieving the coveted Triple Crown.

The other horses in the field were no longer an issue. They were 31 lengths behind. The facial expression shown on Turcotte’s face was his stunned reaction to seeing the time on the board….It was impossible.

….and Secretariat was building speed as he crossed the finish line.
Www.sweetmantours.com