Browse Exhibits (9 total)
Hispanics: The Heartbeat of Kentucky's Equine Industry
As part of 250LEX celebrations of Lexington, Kentucky’s 250th anniversary in 2025 and in support of the independent, local artist-driven project Hispanics: The Heartbeat of Kentucky’s Equine Industry, Keeneland Library provided the buildout and hosting of this virtual gallery, hosted a physical display featuring the project’s photography, and commissioned photography of the project’s paintings.
The artists’ project synopsis is below. Browse the virtual galleries using the menu to your left to explore the artists’ biographies, paintings, photographs, and poems. Click on the thumbnail images in each gallery for expanded images and more information. Access video footage of the locally based artists’ work.
Project Synopsis:
Hispanics: The Heartbeat of Kentucky's Equine Industry, a project created and sustained by Lexington-based Latino artists, aims to illuminate the vital, often unseen, contributions of the dedicated individuals who make horse racing possible.
Through a diverse collection of artistic expressions, including photography, videos, paintings, and poetry, we showcase the intricate work involved in preparing a horse for racing. Our goal is to celebrate the deep human connection that drives the prestigious equine industry, ensuring that the dedication and talent of this workforce are as admired, honored, and recognized as the horse races themselves, which have traditionally captured all the attention. In doing so, we aspire to foster a deep appreciation for their work and enhance their morale and satisfaction, as they feel fully valued.
By sharing their stories and experiences, we strive to educate the public about the diverse individuals behind the scenes, who contribute positively to the cultural landscape of the equine industry and make it more visible and accessible to all.
Of Turf and Stone: Keeneland Through the Ages
For more than 100 years through 1933, Thoroughbred racing in Lexington took place at the Kentucky Association track near downtown. In the 1930s, a group of prominent Kentucky horsemen formed a committee to build a new racing plant. They settled on a site west of Lexington along the Versailles Pike owned by noted horseman J.O. “Jack” Keene, who had begun building a racetrack with several stone structures. Facing income losses during the Depression, Keene agreed to sell around 148 acres, including the track, to the new Keeneland Association in 1935. Construction quickly began on and around the existing structures, and Keeneland hosted its first Fall Meet in 1936.
Nearly 90 years later, Keeneland is a crown jewel of Thoroughbred racing, conducting prestigious racing seasons in April and October, and is the world’s largest Thoroughbred auction house, welcoming horsemen and women from around the world to its five on-site auctions each year. Keeneland now covers 1,234 acres of prime Kentucky Bluegrass and is a National Historic Landmark renowned for its beauty, charm, and timeless traditions.
Founded with a goal to “create a model race track to perpetuate and improve the sport and to provide a course intended to serve as a symbol of the finest traditions of Thoroughbred racing,” Keeneland is a privately held company with a not-for-profit mission. It remains faithful to its founding principles by returning profits to the horse industry in the form of higher prize money for its races; funding equine research, health and safety initiatives for horses and riders as well as Thoroughbred aftercare; and contributing to local charitable and civic organizations through a blend of financial and in-kind sponsorships.
While Keeneland is tradition-bound, it continues to be a leader in the improvement of the sport, and the evolution of Keeneland’s grounds, architecture, and facilities is emblematic of its honoring the past while moving the sport and its legacy forward. Keeneland Library’s exhibit, Of Turf and Stone: Keeneland Through the Ages, explores both the constants and transformations from its founding to today, as Keeneland continues to build for generations to come.
A Rite of Spring: The 100th Running of the Blue Grass Stakes
This virtual gallery is an online companion to A Rite of Spring: The 100th Running of the Blue Grass Stakes, an exhibit curated and hosted by Keeneland Library from April 1 through August 16, 2024.
A Rite of Spring: The 100th Running of the Blue Grass Stakes features photographs that capture race highlights over the decades displayed alongside memorabilia from notable jockeys Bill Shoemaker, Mike Manganello, and Chris Antley, and celebrated runners such as Whirlaway, Riva Ridge, Spectacular Bid, and Strike the Gold. The exhibit’s photographs, curated from Keeneland Library collections and public submissions from professional and amateur photographers, spotlight some of the greatest moments of the time-honored spring stakes.
Named after Kentucky’s picturesque Bluegrass region to showcase its legacy as the breeding ground for exceptional racehorses, the Blue Grass Stakes was inaugurated at the Kentucky Association racetrack in 1911. The track, which stood in what is now Lexington’s East End and operated from 1828 to 1933, hosted the race from 1911 to 1914 and from 1919 to 1926. The Blue Grass was revived at Keeneland during its inaugural 11-day Spring Meet in April 1937.
From the unexpected win by the Earl Sande-trained colt Fencing in 1937 through favored Tapit Trice’s victory in 2023 that secured trainer Todd Pletcher’s fourth win in Keeneland’s spring centerpiece, the Blue Grass Stakes maintains a history of close finishes, upsets, fan favorites, and some of racing’s all-time greats. Among the equine stars who took the stage in the venerable race are one runner who would claim the Triple Crown (Whirlaway), 10 winners who would secure their place in the Racing Hall of Fame, 11 winners who would triumph in the Kentucky Derby, and 55 runners who won Triple Crown races.
From the Vault: Jockeys
These virtual gallery pages mirror the physical exhibit, From the Vault: Jockeys, hosted by the Keeneland Library from March 2019 through September 2019.
The exhibit's late 19th to mid-20th century photographs from a variety of the library's photograph collections are accessible in the gallery menu on the left or by selecting the next page option (with arrow) in each gallery.
For more information and an expanded view of each photograph, click on the image in the gallery pages.
From the Vault: Historic Tracks
These virtual gallery pages mirror the physical exhibit, From the Vault: Historic Tracks, hosted by the Keeneland Library from October 2018 through March 2019.
The exhibit's late 19th to mid-20th century photographs from a variety of the library's photograph collections are accessible in the gallery menu on the left or by selecting the next page option (with arrow) in each gallery.
For more information and an expanded view of each photograph, click on the image in the gallery pages.
A Day in the Life: Volume I
These virtual gallery pages mirror the physical exhibit, A Day in the Life: Volume I, hosted by the Keeneland Library from October 2019 through summer 2020.
Each of the exhibit's turn-of-the 20th century photographs, all from the library's John C. Hemment Collection, are accessible in the gallery menu on the left or by selecting the next page option (with arrow) in each gallery.
For more information and an expanded view of each photograph, click on the image in the gallery pages.
Man o' War: In Others' Words
On the morning of March 29, 1917, a brief entry in the daybook at Nursery Stud near Lexington, Kentucky, documented the birth of a colt: “Mahubah foaled chestnut colt by Fair Play. Star, narrow stripe from right of star down center of nose. Height 42, girth 33.”1 A telegram notifying the colt’s breeder, August Belmont II, of his birth was characteristically succinct: “Mahubah foaled fine chestnut colt.”2 Nothing about the routine foaling or unassuming long-legged colt could predict the fame to which he would rise.
In celebration of the 100th anniversary of Man o’ War’s birth, this compilation of photographs is paired with commentary from industry players, both past and present, that has immortalized the legend that is Man o’ War.
Man o’ War: In Others’ Words is a commemoration of Man o’ War revealed through select photographs, monographs, and serials from the Keeneland Library collections. From Turf writers to racing officials and biographers, and from his owners and trainer to his riders and grooms, Man o’ War is here remembered through the work of photographers and the words of many.
1. C. W. Anderson (1943). Big Red. New York: Macmillan Company, p. 4
2. Dorothy Ours (2006). Man o’ War: A Legend Like Lightning. New York: St. Martin’s Press, p. 15
Photo Treasures from the Keeneland Library
Photo Treasures from the Keeneland Library showcases a representative sample of the newly organized and expanding digitized collections of photographs and images from the Keeneland Library Collections. Featured photographers include Charles Christian Cook, Bernard Stanley Morgan, Joel Clyne “Skeets” Meadors, and Robert Lee McClure. Images from the New York Sportsman, the Thoroughbred Times, and Keeneland Library photographic albums are also exhibited.
The highlighted collection items cover a broad variety of image subjects. From historic racehorses to jockeys, and from Thoroughbred owners to rare glimpses of early 20th century race tracks, we are pleased to share our growing digitized photographic treasures. Check back to engage with new additions, as we will continue to add items as they become available.
The Artistry of Peb
The Artistry of Peb showcases a representative sample of the artwork of Pierre Bellocq, who signs his work as "Peb." Peb worked for The Morning Telegraph and the Daily Racing Form for over 50 years illustrating jockeys, horses, trainers, and owners, as well as specific races, events, and generalized comic cartoons.
Peb placed his collection of approximately 2,500 original works of art including sketches, drawings, comic strips, cartoons, and caricatures of the equine industry at the Keeneland Library in 2009. The collection includes work in pen and ink, watercolor, chalk, acrylic, and pencil on paper or board stock. Select digitized pieces are highlighted in this virtual exhibit.