Lexington

Geraldine Brooks, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Horse: A Novel, Nov. 9 was awarded first prize in Castleton Lyons's 17th annual Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award, the sponsor of the prize said in a release Friday. The work of fiction tells the story of 19th century racehorse and sire Lexington by moving back and forth through time and space from the antebellum South to modern day New York and Washington D. C. At a reception held at Castleton Lyons outside of Lexington, Brooks received a check for $10,000 and a Tipperary...

Officials at Keeneland have announced plans for major capital investments at the historic Lexington oval, including the constuction of a permanent Paddock Building and a reimagined saddling experience. The project, which is expected to cost $93 million, is the largest undertaking of its variety since Keeneland opened 90 years ago and marks the first major construction at the track since the construction of the Keeneland Library in 2002. Construction is scheduled to begin following the 2024 Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale and is expected to be completed by...

The first hearing in the lawsuit filed by the Fayette Alliance against the Lexington, Kentucky Urban County Council over the Urban Service Boundary's produced no decisions at the October 5 meeting; instead, both parties were asked to file additional briefs over the next two weeks. The news is according to a press release distributed by the Fayette Alliance. The Fayette Alliance is alleging that the Council's decision to expand Lexington's Urban Service Boundary--a circular boundary around the downtown designed to protect Kentucky farmland--was not legal. The Alliance clams that the...

Horses are at the heart of what makes Lexington, Kentucky unique. It is the unparalleled quality of our soils that makes Lexington the world's center of the equine industry. The equine industry has been an important part of Lexington for over 200 years, with some of the first known racetracks in the region dating back to the late 1700s. Over the past two centuries, Lexington has proudly become the Horse Capital of the World, serving as home to some of the industry's biggest icons. Numerous thoroughbred champions, like Man o'...

A colt by Practical Joke led the way Wednesday, kicking off Book 5 of the Keeneland September Yearling Sale in Lexington. Consigned by Bluewater Sales, Hip 2980 is out of Jetbird (Wildcat Heir), a half-sister to Group 1 winner X Y Jet (Kantharos). "We were prepared [for the $250,000 price] because of the entire package," said CJ Thoroughbred's Corey Johnson. "We felt between $200,000-$250,000 was what it was going to take to purchase him. We were expecting somewhere around that number." On Day 9, Ashford's Practical Joke was the second...

Keeneland Library has scheduled a number of events for the remainder of 2023 to expand the reach of its exhibit, The Heart of the Turf: Racing's Black Pioneers, the repository said in a release Friday. Due to demand, the Library's free exhibit and its on-site youth and adult programs have been extended through Dec. 8. Other events include: Now: Companion book available The companion book to The Heart of the Turf: Racing's Black Pioneers is available at the Library and The Keeneland Shop (in store and online) for $10. All...

Trading in horsepower is second nature to Nathan McCauley. For many years his father Ron owned a big Toyota franchise in Lexington, and McCauley showed a precocious flair for the same game when opening his own dealerships in Tennessee. And since quitting automobiles for Thoroughbreds, McCauley has discovered a couple of niches largely unexplored by those horsemen whose own transitions, from one generation to the next, tend merely to consolidate familiar commercial conventions. In fact, since opening River Oak Farm for business in 2019, he reckons to have bought and...

Amid the speed-filled tempo of the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Yearling Sale this week, it's all about equine and human partnerships for Gandharvi Racing as they add Case Clay as a Business Consultant to their team. Mind you, this isn't about making a splash or just putting together some haphazard deal. No, the intent behind this organization's latest move tunnels much deeper into the recesses of history. As the saying goes, Rome wasn't built in a day. Neither was a racing stable. Like city-planning in the ancient world or otherwise, success just...

Horse Country, who connects guests to tours that provide a behind-the-scenes look into Kentucky's equine industry, is forming a new partnership with leading national equine adoption program Second Stride, the organization said in a release late Friday afternoon. Tours of Second Stride will be offered six days a week, starting July 10, with both public and private options available. Guests will learn about the retraining and re-homing process and meet current trainees, as well as interact with the Thoroughbred ambassadors that reside at the farm. "We're thrilled to have Second...

A beloved father, grandfather, friend and horseman, Glenn Byron 'Gus' Bell passed away peacefully July 4 in the care of the Veteran's Administration Hospice in Lexington, Kentucky. With a sobriquet like the 'Working Agent' inscribed below his name on his business cards, Bell defined his craft and his outlook on life. He spent nearly a half century in the equine industry as a bloodstock agent based in the Bluegrass region. As a Lexington native, Bell was a graduate of Lafayette High School before heading out of state to Marshall University,...

Fasig-Tipton has catalogued an additional 39 entries to its July Selected Horses of Racing Age sale, the organization said in a release Friday. The auction will begin at 2 p.m. ET on Monday, July 10 in Lexington, Kentucky. The latest entries are catalogued as hips 598-636, which may now be viewed online. They include: Showgirl Lynne B (Constitution) (hip 598), Reflexivity (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) (hip 616), Nakatomi (Firing Line) (hip 617), Astonesthrowaway (Bustin Stones) (hip 618) and Devil's Bit (Daredevil) (hip 627). These entries will also be available...

Prominent owner/breeder Susan Moulton has made a $2-million donation to Town Branch Park in Lexington which will be used to fund the construction of a water play area named in honor of Moulton's son Will Naylor Smith, who passed away 16 years ago at the age of eight. Moulton, who for the last five years has been splitting her time between San Antonio, Texas, and her Versailles farm, has expressed an interest in becoming more involved in the community--especially with children. Town Branch Park is helping to transform acres of...