Local sports fans who want to get a taste of the "Greatest Two Minutes in Sports" will have the opportunity to celebrate this year's running of the legendary Kentucky Derby. The Shreveport Derby Day at David Toms Golf Academy will be held on May 7 from 3 to 7 p.m.

The day marks the 148th running of the one and a quarter mile Grade I stakes race on the dirt track at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky.

Local fans can experience some of the excitement of race day without traveling farther than East Ridge Country Club and David Toms 265.

Matt Snyder created the event, which began in 2015, as a fun outing for the area, and it has grown since. "We've missed two years, and we're having a comeback. It's a celebration of everything Kentucky Derby, Snyder said.

"We have a huge screen where we watch the race. Everybody dresses up. High-end drinks, high-end food. Everyone gets a mint julep cup when they walk in the door. It's an all-inclusive event. Once you buy your ticket, all your food and drinks are covered. We do mint juleps, famous at the Derby. We do the Lily Rose, also from the Kentucky Derby from the Lily Oaks, which is the race the day before."

Snyder is lining up the musical enter- tainment, which will provide the amusement until race time. Then, all eyes will be glued on the big screen as 20 of the nation's top 3-year-olds will thunder away from the starting gate, hoping for the prized roses at the finish line.

The Kentucky Derby is the longest continually held sporting event in America and is one of the most prestigious races in the world. It's the first "jewel" in the so-called Triple Crown of Thoroughbred racing.

Tickets for the local event are $100 for a single guest, an all-inclusive ticket that gets the bearer all of the benefits Snyder mentioned. Table sponsorships are available for up to 10 guests at $1,500.

According to the event publicity, "Patrons can be seen dancing, enjoying cigars, playing lawn games and 'betting' on their favorite horse with complementary raffle tickets. This is not just a 'great party for Shreveport' – indeed, Shreveport Derby Day is one of the finest Derby parties in the country. Join us this year for a truly one-of-a-kind event!"

For more information, go to www.derbydayshreveport.com.

As Snyder said, "Out there (at Derby Day, when you get five or 600 people, it is so electric. Everybody is jumping up and down, yelling, it's so fun."