Even though Adam Shepherd grew up in Maine and says he doesn’t know which horse is the favorite at this year’s Kentucky Derby, he can’t wait for Saturday’s Run for the Roses to inaugurate the garden at his new Brooklyn Heights restaurant.

“For whatever reason, the Derby has always been a way to kick off the spring,” he said. “Especially after I got older and discovered bourbon.”

From bastions of horse racing like Gallagher’s Steak House to small Italian restaurants like Mr. Shepherd’s Lunetta, New Yorkers will be found sipping mint juleps and gripping the Daily Racing Form as the starting bell rings at Kentucky’s Churchill Downs.

Post time isn’t until 6:04 p.m., but Mr. Shepherd, who is also the owner of Bond St. in SoHo, plans to start the day with a bang. He is christening the garden patio at Lunetta with a Kentucky Derby brunch complete with a selection of “mini-bourbons” distilled in the Hudson Valley. (Bourbon can’t be distilled outside Kentucky.)

A three-time Breeder of the Year honoree in New York and the president of the New York Thoroughbred Horseman’s Association, Richard Bonzi, who said he will watch the race with some close friends at his home in Saratoga, offered up some words of wisdom for New York Sun readers.

“I think Circular Quay will win and I’m taking Scat Daddy second,” he said.

Gallagher’s, founded by the famed horse breeder Jerry Brody, is a staple for racing fans. A painting of Hall of Fame jockeys John Velazquez and Angel Cordero Jr. by Pierre Bellocq, who is renowned for his drawings in the Daily Racing Form, adorns the entranceway. It was commissioned for the restaurant by Mr. Brody, a spokesman, John Cirillo, said.

Saturday evening, “all the televisions in the bar will be tuned to the race,” Mr. Cirillo said.

About 60 steadfast racing fans will be missing from the city; they were recruited to watch the race in Louisville this year, the president of West Point Thoroughbreds, Terry Finley, said.

Mr. Finley, whose company manages partnership stakes in racehorses, will entertain potential clients this weekend with a tour of the Kentucky Derby stables and a private dinner attended by Mr. Cordero and another renowned jockey, Bobby Usser. One of Mr. Finley’s horses, Flashy Bull, competed in the Derby last year.

Bartenders at a Chelsea restaurant and bar, Trestle on Tenth, will be mixing up a twist on the mint julep, the traditional Derby cocktail, which is made with bourbon, mint, and sugar.

Their new creation, called “Summer Races,” starts with a concoction of muddled mint and pineapple mixed with citrus juices. Ice cubes and Rittenhouse Rye whiskey are poured on top, and the drink is finished with a lime wheel and pineapple leaf garnish.

“The citrus adds a nice acidity and the pineapple gives it an interesting flavor,” the general manager and resident mixologist, Erin Ward, said.

A Midtown Italian restaurant, Ribot, is serving a “Triple Crown” prix-fixe menu that features mint juleps and dishes symbolizing the locales of the Derby, the Preakness in Maryland, and New York’s Belmont Stakes. Named after one of Italy’s most famous thoroughbreds, Ribot’s Old World racing décor should strike a chord with any serious race fan.