Derby Detritus

Fans of the Kentucky Derby see nothing wrong in reveling in wretched excess, recession be damned. Big hats and big bets (and, no doubt, big hangovers) are the rule of the day. So it’s no surprise that the volume of trash left behind at Churchill Downs each year is enough to choke a thoroughbred.

According to the Courier-Journal, 500 volunteers collected an estimated 180 tons of trash during yesterday’s clean-up, ranging from discarded sprigs of mint from long-since-quaffed juleps, to trampled lawn chairs, to discarded betting tickets. And with 50-1 favorite Mine That Bird pulling off the second biggest upset in Derby history, there were a lot of the latter.