July 10 marks the opening day of charming Ellis Park’s annual live race meet, which runs through Labor Day. The summer meet is highlighted not only by wonderful weather and good times, but also great racing: The Gardenia Stakes and the Claiming Crown are two of the featured race events. And for the 2010 edition of the meet, horses aren’t the only animals racing to the finish. Fun fan events include camel, ostrich, and wiener dog races.

According to Patti Nickell, author of Horse Lover’s Guide to Kentucky, “Its twin spires may not be as famous as those of Churchill Downs, but western Kentucky’s Ellis Park in Henderson has a history nearly as colorful. Built in 1922 by the Green River Jockey Club, which hoped to model it after New York’s famed Saratoga, the track began its existence with a design snafu and an opening race featuring the wrong breed of horse