Bikers Love All Kinds Of Speed! Derby Day At The Chihuahua Races

Derby Day in the U.S. was this past Saturday--the 148th running of the Kentucky Derby. Meanwhile, a "derby" of another sort was taking place, the (somewhat) annual Chihuahua Races at Tucson H-D. It was also International Female Ride Day but the girlfriend with whom I'd planned to ride with texted that she was feeling unwell so Mr. Sandi and I hit the road and rode to the races instead.


We arrived early enough to get good parking spots and mosey around the dealership a bit, enjoying the spectacle of lots and lots of little dogs doing their little dog thing. We also got to scope out the "track" setup before most of the participants and spectators arrived.


The track looked pretty short to me. But evidently, from the behavior of many of the canine contestants, it was rather long. Oro perhaps it was just all the distractions along the way.


A few of the pre-race sights..........




Some spectators decked out in their Derby Day hats


And one of the contestants wore her Derby hat before her race began.


Lots of "meet 'n greet" doing on......


And not all dogs in attendance were Chihuahuas! This little princess was happy to spectate from on high but was ineligible to race because of her breed. It was the "Chihuahua Races" after all....although a number of the little racers looked suspiciously unlike true Chihuahuas.


The races were hosted by Tucson Harley-Davidson and sponsored by a local country-western radio station.


CONTINUED IN MY NEXT POST

 

There was a great turnout of both spectators and racers, in fact there were so many racers that seven heats were needed to allow all the dogs to race! The dogs started at the north end of the breezeway racetrack and ran south. Or not. A good many took a "detour" off into the crowd. But orienting the track that way was a good call because a few of the little pooches "overshot the runway" and if they'd been heading north they'd have run right off the sidewalk and into the parking lot!

Each entrant had a handler at the starting line and another at the finish line urging them on. The first dog to cross the finish line was the heat winner and advanced to the semi-finals and then the finals. It sounds obvious that the first dog to cross the finish line was declared the winner. But it wasn't uncommon for the first dog down the track to veer off at the last minute or even stop about three inches from the finish line needing to be coaxed to cross over it. It was hilarious! Check out the owner and dog on the far left. Game faces on and serious business.




The team members at the finish line were awesome. Some had a few tricks up their sleeves. In fact, the guy who had the dog that won the whole enchilada pulled out his keys, jingled them loudly, and yelled, "Chacho, wanna go for a ride? Let's go for a ride!" The dog ran straight down the track and right to him.


In between races we met a dog or two and enjoyed watching the interactions between chihuahuas and their owners.

This is Bean. He had a great bow tie on his collar that had skulls all over it. Very cool. Bean did make it to the finals but saw (or smelled?) something on the sidelines that seemed far more important than the finish line.


We didn't meet this little guy but I think he was getting he was getting a little help getting his game face on.


Semi-finals racers lining up at the start....pay particular attention to the black and white pup on the far left.


The finals! It was a runaway victory for Chaco. He must loooove going for a ride!




The 2022 Champion of the Annual Chihuahua Races, Chacho, and his family with the Golden Chihuahua trophy.


After the racing was over, Mr. Sandi offered to take me to breakfast to celebrate International Female Ride Day. I have my IFRD shirt on from August of 2020, a departure from the usual May date that year because of (what else) Covid.

So, a short but sweet ride, a hilariously fun "doggie derby day", and a delicious breakfast with my hubby--an unexpected and unanticipated but wonderful way to celebrate IFRD.

 

Update: I saw on the Tucson H-D web page that name of the dog that was the overall winner was Chapo, and NOT Chacho. Gotta get those names right!

 

Have a fantastic time in the moors and dales, Joe! I hope you get some lovely weather.

Yep, I think that the main reason that my Harley is called a "Fat Boy" must be related to that back tire. And if it's not, it should be!