Ginger Lou knew the burgoo.

But really, how many other Kentucky Derby rookies recognized this strange brew of stew on the menu at the Paddock Grill?

Sure, every racing fan can tell you a mint julep is the favorite drink at Churchill Downs. When it comes to the main staple _ or, make that stable _ to eat here, it can be a bit more tricky.

Me, I’d never heard of burgoo. But my wife, Ginger Lou, had tried it _ being from the South, she was familiar with the mix of pork, turkey, ham and other meats, slow cooked with all sorts of vegetables.

“It’s from way back, and it started here in Kentucky,” advises Jo-Jo Doyle, executive sous chef for Levy Restaurants, which serves more than a half-million folks at the track during Derby week. “This is Daniel Boone stuff we’re talking about.”

Like a lot of people who prepare burgoo, Doyle is passionate about his blend. He puts okra and beans in there, others don’t.

“It’s kind of like your mom’s spaghetti sauce,” he told me. “You like it the way your mom made it.”

Doyle says many newcomers to the track ask about the local dish, which he calls a cousin to the Brunswick stew that’s also popular in the Southland. He’s more than glad to serve the burgoo in a bowl _ he reckons he scooped out about 100 gallons a day this week.

That said, don’t look for burgoo at the main concession stand or in the upper dining rooms on Derby day. While it’s tasty, it can be messy. Let’s just say it might not be best to have thousands of racing fans _ a few of them tipsy, perhaps _ trying to handle a hot, sloppy dish in all of their fancy clothes.

Walking around the track today, I asked several Kentucky natives about their favorite recipes for burgoo. More than a few recalled how their grandmoms made it ... as in, with possum.

“Well, I think people say possum because it has shock value,” Doyle said. “But let me state for the record: We do not serve possum at Churchill Downs.”

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All during the day, there are announcements coming over the loudspeakers back in the barn areas. Sometimes, it’s to advise a change in schedule. Other times, it’s to call trainers to a meeting. Once in a while, they caution people to look out because a horse has broken free and is running loose.

At 9 a.m. today, the track chaplain came on with his “Minute to God” devotional.

He read a brief Bible verse and quoted from a passage NHL player Shane Doan wrote about teamwork and faith.

The chaplain’s talk was interspersed with references to racing, and he closed with “have a safe and blessed day, horsemen.”

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Hall of Fame jockey Jerry Bailey stopped by the pressbox this afternoon to do a live radio show. While he was waiting to join the host on the air, he noticed her friend studying a racing form.

“How do you pick ‘em?” he said.

The blonde with the big hat said she chose horses with neat names. She gave up trying to figure out the charts, she said, because it never worked.

Bailey perked up and said he’d be glad to give her something that worked _ his famous “point system.” She liked that idea a lot, brought over a detailed chart on the big race and laid it out before the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont winner.

“Good,” he said. “Now close your eyes and point.”

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Heading over to Churchill Downs this morning, we saw a cute sight: horses being horses.

Most times, a Derby horse isn’t going to work out on the track the day before the race. But they still need to get out of the barn and relax.

So as we drove up Longfield Avenue looking for a parking spot, there was Colonel John on the other side of a chain-link fence, just grazing in the grass. A few fans walking on the sidewalk stopped to watch and a couple of cars slowed down.

Could that really be a colt that might win the Derby? You bet.

Colonel John had company, too. Recapturetheglory was out there this week, and so were other contenders. It’s kind of the backyard at Churchill Downs, an uneven patch of grass with some little trees were horse can get away from it all.