GENE SIMMONS' "Playmate" Bets $100,000 On Kentucky Derby Horse
May 6, 2007, 17 years ago
The following story is courtesy of Nashuatelegraph.com:
What better place to shoot a reality show than in the most surreal setting in American sports? Rock star GENE SIMMONS made a grand entrance into Churchill Downs’ paddock on Derby Day with a beautiful blonde on each arm. One was his longtime girlfriend, actress Shannon Tweed, a former Playboy Playmate who was romantically linked to Hugh Hefner. The other lovely lady was her sister, Tracy Tweed.
Simmons wore a black shirt that matched his long, bushy hair and a dark suit with a rose in the pocket. The snake-tongued lead singer of Kiss made his first trip to America’s Race yesterday to tape an episode of his A&E; series, “Family Jewels,” and the crowd loved him. Simmons caused a major stir in the cramped enclosure, especially for Ah Day, the even-money favorite in the fifth race.
The horse seemed annoyed by the mob near his saddling stall, and Ah Day finished second after Simmons sent the field to the track by yelling “Riders up!”
Those who lost money on Ah Day were not nearly as upset as Simmons was after Shannon made a $100,000 bet on a Derby horse. Nobody would say which one, but the show’s plot, if reality can have a plot, hinged on Shannon’s major wager. Although director Joel Raatz said the horse’s identity was a secret, it really wasn’t much of a mystery.
Read more here.
