Horse Racing History Surrounds Keeneland Race Track

Two times a year – April and October – people pass through the gates of Keeneland Race Track to watch some of the best horse racing in the country. The days are filled with socializing, wagering and, of course, some great races.

Fans that attend the races also have a chance of potentially seeing a future Thoroughbred star run down the track on the way to becoming part of history as well. The reason? Of the 20-plus stakes races held during the two meets, two in particular stand out. In the spring meet, the winner of the Toyota Blue Grass stakes earns a ticket directly into the Kentucky Derby, while in the fall, the Breeders' Futurity Stakes showcases an up-and-coming two-year old who might be headed onto the Triple Crown trail the following year.

This was true again for this year's Derby, Stately Victor, the winner of the Blue Grass Stakes, and Noble's Promise, winner of last falls Breeders' Futurity Stakes, both ran in this year's Derby. Stately Victor finished eighth, while Noble's Promise finished fifth.

That is just one of the reasons visitors to Lexington always make Keeneland a stop on their trip to the area. The history of horse racing that surrounds this track is a who's who of the great horses and names in the sport. Arts and Letters, Dust Commander, Riva Ridge, Alydar , Charismatic, Spectacular Bid, Sea Hero and Whirlaway are just a few of the great horses who have raced on Keeneland's track over the years.

In addition, a few famous horses made appearances at the track over the years as well. Nashua, the 1955 Horse of the Year, made his final public appearance at Keeneland in Oct. 1956. Then in 1965, Kelso, the five-time Horse of the Year (1960-1964), made an appearance the day before the Blue Grass Stakes as part of his tour of American tracks.

So, how did it all get started?

When Lexington was in its early days, horse racing would take place on the streets of downtown. However, in time, people realized that a change was needed.

In April 1935, the Keeneland Association was formed and in August of that same year, 147 acres of land in Fayette County along Versailles Rd. was purchased next to Calumet Farm from Jack Keene for $130,000 and some stock. Soon, a race track was built and on Oct. 15, 1936, Keeneland held its first races with 25,337 in attendance.

Over the years, Keeneland has done many renovation projects to the property, including expanding the grandstands and apron area, adding new restaurants and facilities for patrons to enjoy, adding more barns to increase the number of horses that train at the track, expanding their sales pavilion and more.

One of the biggest projects came in 2006, when Keeneland became only the third race track in North America (along with Turfway in Florence, Ky., and Woodbine in Toronto, Canada), to install a Polytrack racing surface on its main track. At the same time, they widened the turns and lengthened the stretch.

One of the other things Keeneland is known for are the Thoroughbred sales it holds each year. These include yearling sales, two-year olds in training sales, November breeding stock sales and more.

The first Thoroughbred sales occurred on April 25, 1932, where a total of 31 horses were sold for $24,885. The first two-year olds in training sale took place in 1993, when a total of 108 horses were sold for $6,817,500. The highest price for a horse was $8 million for a Storm Cat colt in a 2004 sale. With the current recession, last year's sale's were down. However, things are beginning to pick up, so hopes are rising for this year's sales.

Here are some other fun facts about the track you might find interesting – and might want to take time to see.

* In 1986, Keeneland was designated as a national Historic Landmark, a designation that is richly deserved.

* Jockey's statues: Located right next to the paddock area are a series of jockey statues painted in the colors of the silks worn by the winners of the major stakes races each year at Keeneland. It's colorful and a great tradition.

* Keeneland Library: Started in 1939, the Keeneland Library holds the largest collection of horse racing records, publications, periodicals, racing memorabilia, horse racing artwork, photo collections and so much more. If you are writing an article or just want to read about horse racing, the Keenleand Library is a must stop for your research. One of the biggest collections ever received came in April 2000, when the daily Racing Form donated its entire archival library to the Keeneland Library. It consisted of more than 4,000 volumes and featuring newspapers from as far back as 1880. The library also has some beautiful artwork – paintings and statues – displayed for visitors to see.

* Keeneland Kitchen: Located next to the black water tower – a landmark in itself on the property– the kitchen is open every morning for breakfast, and during meets and sales in the afternoon for lunch. It is a fun place to go for a meal, with good food and good prices.

* Barns: Keeneland allows visitors to walk around and look at the barn area. If you go very early, you can see what life is like on the backside of the track, as the workers feed, groom, hotwalk, bathe and take the horses to the track for a workout. You just have to be very careful. Remember, the horses have the right of way.

* Simulcasting: Keeneland offers simulcasting at the track during the year. However, in 1997, they offered something very unique – drive-through wagering for the simulcast. Yes, you can head over to Keeneland at lunch time, head for the drive-through wagering windows, make a few bets, and still have time to stop for a bite to eat on the way back to the office.

* Movies: Two major movies used Keeneland for filming some of its race scenes. In 2002, film crews were at Keeneland to do some scenes for the movie Seabiscuit, which was released in 2003 and starred Tobey McGuire and Jeff Bridges and was based on the book by Laura Hillenbrand.

Then, last fall, Walt Disney came to Keeneland to film scenes for their upcoming movie about Secretariat. The film will start Diane Lane as Penny Chenery, John Malkovich as trainer, Lucien Laurin and OttoThorwarth as jockey, Ron Turcotte. It is scheduled for release this coming October.

If you take a tour of Lexington, Keeneland will be one of the stops during the tour for sure. However, there is so much to see – even if there are no races going on – that it is worth returning on your own if you have the time to walk around and enjoy the history of the place.

Photos by Rick Capone