LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The 129th Kentucky Derby was a spectacular day – especially so for Funny Cide, who won the big race, and for anyone who slapped down a few bucks on him at 12-1 odds.

As always, the level of spectacle at Churchill Downs depended on how much you could afford. Everyone in the crowd of 148,530 (fifth-largest in Derby history) enjoyed sunny, cool weather.

But those who paid the minimum $40 enjoyed it from the mob packed into the infield and paddock area, with no seats and little view of the track.

Those who paid a few hundred or a few thousand dollars more enjoyed the day from box seats at the finish line, or even better, from exclusive dining areas above the track, where celebrities and politicians mingled with the merely rich.

It was the difference between $7 for a ham sandwich on the ground and $68.25 for grilled tenderloin of beef on the upper floors. Down in the crowd, Jackie Spechio, 36, pored over a racing guide with her friends. They sat on towels spread across cobblestones near the paddock.

Spechio, a Louisville native who lives in Poquoson, Va., has attended the Derby every year since 1980. She favors the cheap seats, or more precisely, the patch of ground to which her $40 admission fee entitles her. Hundreds of race fans surged around her, some trying not to step on her towel, others not caring.

“This might not look like much, but it’s the ideal spot,” Spechio said. “You’ve got the giant viewscreen to see the race. You’ve got a bar right over there. You’ve got a bathroom 10 steps from the bar.”

Encircled by the racetrack, the infamous infield hosted its usual booze- and nudity-fueled festivities. D.J. Kruger and a dozen buddies from Atlanta had made their annual pilgrimage. Lawyers and technology workers, they guzzled Bud Light and offered to lick temporary tattoos onto the torsos of young women, a surprising number of whom accepted.

“We can’t even really see the race from here,” said Kruger, 27. “This is all about getting away from our wives and girlfriends for a weekend.”

Sally Proctor, 38, hawking Derby souvenirs from an infield tent, was delighted to see $80 fleece pull-overs and $54 sweatshirts selling at a brisk pace. Cheap seats or not, people in the infield spend plenty of money at the Derby, too, she said.

“Let’s face it,” Proctor said. “Anyone who’s drinking beer and mint juleps at 10 in the morning isn’t in a very conservative mood.”

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(c) 2003, Lexington Herald-Leader (Lexington, Ky.).

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PHOTOS (from KRT Photo Service, 202-383-6099): Derby

AP-NY-05-03-03 2138EDT