Browse Exhibits (2 total)
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.