Keeneland Magazine Summer 2022 Issue by Keeneland

WARRENDALE SALES’ SUCCESS

CLASSIC CONNECTIONS

DV8 KITCHEN’S MISSION

K EENELAND SUMMER 2022

celebrating bluegrass traditions

U.S. $5.00 (CAN. $7.50)

KEENELAND.COM

Top 5% in the country for clinical excellence. Saint Joseph Hospital is the only hospital in Kentucky named to Healthgrades’ list of America’s 250 Best Hospitals for four consecutive years. This achievement places us in the top 5% of all hospitals in the nation for our superior clinical performance and excellence. CHISaintJosephHealth.org

The equal of INTO MISCHIEF and GUN RUNNER, and bettered only by CURLIN (5)*

CAFÉ PHAROAH won the February Stakes [G1] for the second year in succession earning him a berth in the Breeders’ Cup Classic [G1]. He equaled the Tokyo track record for a mile

AS TIME GOES BY won the Beholder Mile [G1], her ﬁfth Graded Stakes success

FORBIDDEN KINGDOM won the San Vicente Stakes [G2] and the San Felipe Stakes [G2]

MERNEITH won the Santa Monica Stakes [G2] earning a Beyer Speed Figure of 108 – the fastest of any female up to a mile in 2022

Fee: $80,000

Yearlings in 2021 sold for up to $1,400,000, while his 2YOs include the $1,000,000 top-priced flly at OBS March *Correct to 25 April 2022 Aisling Duignan, Dermot Ryan, Charlie O’Connor, Adrian Wallace, Robyn Murray or Blaise Benjamin. Tel: 859-873-7088. Fax: 859-879 5756.

J U S T I C E R E A L E S TAT E

A PORTION OF DIAMOND A FARM —Highly developed

MAIN DIVISION OF DIAMOND A FARM —Consisting

GRANDEUR & HORSE SENSE —This manor house is a reproduction of Williamsburg’s Carter’s Grove and has 6,000+ SF of gracious living area, 4 BR, 3 full/3 half BA home. Recently-constructed horse improvements on these 45 acres: 6-stall Broadview barn with apartment, 125’ x 250’ Wordley-Martin built outdoor ring, open equipment building, treadmill, & 2 run-in sheds. Wonderful location and across the road from the newlydeveloped Jackpot Farm!

FORT BLACKBURN —Purchased by Will Farish as 264 acres of raw land in 1999, Mr. Farish has developed this land into an exceptional horse farm. Adjoining a division of Stone- street Farm, Fort Blackburn boasts an unparalleled location on Old Frankfort Pike. Horse improvements include 12+ miles of plank fencing, 3 world-class 20-stall horse barns, a covered walker, equipment/shop building & metal hay barn. Renovated historic 2,650 SF home.

523 acre horse farm with immediate neighbors as Coolmore/Ashford and Gainsborough. The centerpiece of the farm is its office/stallion barn complex comprised of an 8 stall stallion barn, a state-of-the-art breeding barn, and an auxiliary 5 stall stallion barn with an adjoining 1,500 SF office situated in courtyard with brick sidewalks. This complex is very adaptable to a yearling complex. The farm is further improved with 5 horse barns with 86 stalls. metal hay barn, a metal equipment building, and a shop/maintenance building. You'll also find a very nice manager/owner home with finished basement plus employee house. The farm has contiguous frontage (with the exception of a half acre lot) on three roads. Quality construction was utilized throughout the farm and it's impeccably maintained.

of 478+ acres, Diamond A has contiguous frontage along Versailles, Steele, and New Cut Roads and is located across from Coolmore/Ashford and Gainesborough Farm. Historic stone walls lead you to the private, tree-lined entrance to the centerpiece of the farm— its Classic Kentucky-style main residence situated in a park-like setting. With over 6,550 SF, this 2.5 stor y home has 5 bedrooms and 4.5 baths. Additional housing includes a manager house, employee house, triplex, and pilot’s cabin. Horse improvements include a magnificent 32-stall training barn with full jog around with a covered round pen and covered B olerrbo walker, a total of 6 horse barns with 107 stalls, miles of plank fencing, and paved roads.

518 East Main Street, Lexington, KY 40508 u ( 859 ) 255-3657 u www.kyhorsefarms.com

EXCEPTIONAL BLUEGRASS FARMS T W O D I V I S I O N S O F S H A D W E L L FA R M

ERHAAB STUD —5 2 5 ± a c re s on G e or g e t ow n R o a d

SHADAYID STUD—839± acres on both sides of Leestown Road

◆ 9 concrete block horse barns with 105 stalls.

◆ 6 identical 14 stall concrete block horse barns.

◆ 6 run-in sheds—each measuring 20’ x 100’.

◆ 2—18-stall concrete block horse barns.

◆ Shop/paint building and equipment shed.

◆ Rehab barn with 8 stalls and offices.

◆ A c.1870s 5,900 SF home (currently used as an office). ◆ 4 employee houses.

◆ Show barn, calving barn, 3 hay barns, turn-out barn, shop and equipment building.

◆ 41 paddocks.

◆ Manager house, 4 employee houses, and office.

◆ Bordered by the South Elkhorn Creek.

◆ South Elkhorn Creek on rear boundar y.

◆ 2 2 ± m i l e s of fe n c i n g a n d n e a r l y 4 m i l e s of p av e d ro a d s .

◆ 35 miles of fencing and over five miles of paved roads.

ANNESTES FARM —Located in highly-desirable Woodford

— JUSTICE REAL ESTATE — The Actual Leader in Farm Sales

County, this exceptional 384 acre horse farm is well-designed and constructed and is as aesthetically pleasing as it is functional. Two stone entrances greet you and lead you through over 3.5 miles of roads to its centerpiece 20+ acre lake. Along the way, you'll discover two world-class 28 stall barns. Te stallion barn has 5 stalls and a breeding area, ofce, observation area, and bath. Additional improvements include an 1,800 SF Tudor ofce building and two 2,200 SF houses. A 44' x 60' shop/equipment building and 25 miles of plank fencing complete this special farm.

2022 is looking promising for farm real estate sales. We have had 8 farm closings to date, and 4 farms over $2,800,000 are under contract. — Inventor y is low! We have and know about farms that are not on the active market. Now’s a good time to contact us if you’re thinking of buying or selling as we anticipate the rest of the year to be very active!!

Bill G. Bell (859-621-0607) u Mary Sue Walker (859-619-4770) u Marilyn Richardson (859-621-4850) Muffy Lyster (859-229-1804) u Allen Kershaw (859-333-2901) u Bill Justice (859-255-3657)

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Contents Contents SUMMER 2022

SEASON 2022

F EAT U R ES

40 PROVEN SUCCESS by Lenny Shulman Warrendale Sales maintains high standards as a top consignor while embracing change.

52 CLASSIC CONNECTIONS Many Breeders’ Cup Classic winners have retired to prestigious Central Kentucky farms, where they perpetuate the breed and welcome fans.

64 THOROUGHBRED BOULEVARD

by Edward L. Bowen Part 2 of the series traces the indelible link between Old Frankfort Pike and the development of the Kentucky Thoroughbred industry.

78 MASTERS OF CRAFT Keeneland Mercantile introduces the 2022 ﬁnalists.

82 SOMETHING OLD,

SOMETHING NEW by Liane Crossley Historic Saxony Farm still raises Thoroughbreds but has diversiﬁ ed to offer a venue for weddings and other events.

94 CHANCE WELL TAKEN by Jacalyn Carfagno DV8 Kitchen succeeds with its model of workplace recovery.

ON OUR COVER Trouville à Marée Basse Oil on canvas, 28.5 x 23.5 by Claude Grosperrin (French, 1939-1977)

SUMMER 2022

K KEENELAND.COM

French Impressionist Claude Grosperrin is known for his marine scenes, and paintings of buildings, horses, and riders. Starting off in oils, Grosperrin later would develop a love for lithography, his works popular in local galleries. After several one-man exhibits in New York and London, he garnered international acclaim with his work.

Kentucky Home.

“Rubicon set out more than a decade ago to use software and technology to reimagine the waste and recycling industry and, at long last, bring real solutions to global environmental challenges. It is a mission that we approach with the same grit and determination that marks our home state of Kentucky.” Nate Morris Chairman and CEO, Rubicon

Learn more at Rubicon.com

Contents

SUMMER 2022

106

D E PA R T M E N T S PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE 16 • CONTRIBUTORS 18 • NEWS 20 • CONNECTIONS 24

26 SPOTLIGHT ON Jerry and Hope Daniels have turned a lifelong love of history into a tour company called Stone Fences Tours that takes visitors inside the farm gates and more. by Vickie Mitchell

106 MAKING

A DIFFERENCE Blue Grass Farms Charities helps Central Kentucky farm workers and their families with food, housing, health care, and more. by Robin Roenker

114 BREEDERS’ CUP LEGEND

Cigar thrilled fans with his 16-race win streak.

SUMMER 2022

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114

A UNIQUE EXPERIENCE AWAITS.

CASTLETON LYONS

offers a unique opportunity for serious breeders to board their thoroughbreds. Here you’ll find a highly skilled staff in a state-of-the-art facility with old world charm. Over one thousand acres of lightly grazed lush pasture supported by the best quality soil, so famous for producing great race horses, await your thoroughbred investments. Individual, detail-oriented attention for horse and client in a top class environment can be found within minutes of Bluegrass Airport, Keeneland, Fasig-Tipton, and the world’s best equine hospitals.

Inquiries to Pat Hayes: 2469 Iron Works Pike, Lexington, KY 40511 (859) 455-9222 Fax (859) 455-8892 www.castletonlyons.com

10 K EENELAND celebrating bluegrass traditions

YEARS

13,700 +

THOROUGHBREDS

The off cial magazine of Keeneland Association, Inc. published by Blood-Horse LLC 821 Corporate Dr., Lexington, KY 40503 (859) 278-2361/FAX (859) 276-4450 KeenelandMagazine.com BloodHorse.com

Editor: Jacqueline Duke Artists: Catherine Nichols (Art Director), Claudia Summers Copy Editors: Tom Hall (chief), Rena Baer

CHARITIES

Visuals Director: Anne M. Eberhardt Creative Services: Jennifer Singleton (Director), Forrest Begley Account Executive: Amanda Ramey Masters Sales Support: Catherine Johnston CORPORATE OPERATIONS

Circulation Accounting Manager: Lauren Glover General Manager: Scott Carling

ACCREDITATION PUBLISHED BY Blood-Horse LLC BOARD OF DIRECTORS James L. Gagliano, Carl Hamilton, Ian D. Highet, Stuart S. Janney III, Dan Metzger, Brant Laue, Rosendo Parra

Funding Aftercare Across North America

www.thoroughbredaftercare.org | (859) 224-2756 Photo by Dan McCanna

SUMMER 2022

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To order Keeneland magazine and additional copies, call 1-800-582-5604 TO SUBSCRIBE OR TO SEND A GIFT SUBSCRIPTION to Keeneland magazine, visit BloodHorse.com/KeenelandOffer

CRESTWOOD FARM

BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS ELATIONSHIP FOR OVER

FIFTY YEARS

859.252.3770 www.crestwoodfarm.com

2022 STALLIONS

CARACARO Uncle Mo – Peace Time

JACK AC CK M MILTON ILTON War Front – Preserver

FIRING LINE

ister G irl B Line o Line off D David avid – S Sister Girl Blues lues

TEXAS RED

Afeet Alex – Ramatuelle (CHI)

HEART TO HEART hC English glish Channel hannel – Ask Ask tthe he Q Question uesti

YORKTON

Speightstown – Sunday Affair

President’s Message SUMMER 2022

Success and Tragedy What an incredible April at Keeneland. Our racing team, led by Gatewood Bell; our equine safety team, led by Dr. Stuart Brown; and our sales team, led by Tony Lacy, knocked it out of the proverbial park. With $219 million wagered from all sources on Keeneland, the spring meet marked the third consecutive meet with record handle. We had 127 trainers race horses on opening weekend, illustrating the diversity of our trainer bench. Average feld size grew from 7.2 horses per race to 9.1 horses per race, showing the strength of the Kentucky racing circuit. And our equine safety team closely monitored entries in coordination with Kentucky Horse Racing Commission veterinarians and consistently worked with trainers to evaluate the ftness of their equine athletes to race and train. Beyond the numbers and analytics, there was a palpable excitement from our fans. When rain fell on Central Bank Ashland Stakes Day, opening day of the season, fans came anyway. When graupel (whoever heard of “graupel”?) fell the next day, Toyota Blue Grass Stakes Day, fans came anyway. Our team looked at each other and concurred, “Tis is an outdoor sport,” and we happily went about the business of conducting our race day. Meanwhile, the sales team had the courage to try something new: a sale on the fnal day of the meet. Trying new things takes confdence, the support of our patrons, and a culture that encourages innovation. We are pleased to report the April horses of racing age sale was a success, providing a solid foundation on which we will build to meet the growing demand for racehorses. Conducting the April sale required cooperation and coordination throughout the company, and fexibility. For example, on the fnal day of the spring meet, Director of Sales Operations Cormac Breathnach joked with trainer Rodolphe Brisset that we could enter his winner of the fourth race, a 3-year-old named Summer Anthem, in the April sale, set to begin just hours later. Brisset agreed, and Summer Anthem lef the winner’s circle for the sales ring, where he sold for $150,000 that evening.

SUMMER 2022

KEENELAND.COM

Te April sale opened with a sales pavilion full of bidders and partygoers. While some might not have been invested in the horse business prior to the sale, a number of them became racehorse owners by the end of the sale. Tat is, afer all, the reason for our passion: the sport of racing, the majesty of the Toroughbred, and the thrill of watching your racehorse compete.

REMEMBERING CALLIE

SHANNON ARVIN

President and CEO Aside from the joy and excitement of the spring, we experienced tragedy on April 29 when exercise rider Callie Witt died in an accident while horseback on the training track. Tat was a dark day for our close-knit community, and her accident gives me nightmares as a racetrack executive and as the mom of a young equestrian. I didn’t know Callie, but by all accounts from her many friends and her parents, she was a vibrant, courageous, tenacious, unstoppable young lady, committed to being successful on the track and in anything she undertook in life, be it dance, barrel racing, wrestling, or exercise riding. In spending time with Callie’s parents, I was struck by their love for their daughter — which surely she felt every day — along with their comfort in knowing that Callie was doing something she loved. Each of you likely will recall someone you lost too soon, as Callie’s parents, brother, sister, and friends lost her way too soon. We all experience loss, though the loss of a child brings the term to a more profound level. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, an expert on grief, wrote, “Te reality is that you will grieve forever. You will not ‘get over’ the loss of a loved one; you will learn to live with it. You will heal, and you will rebuild yourself around the loss you sufered. You will be whole again, but you will never be the same. Nor should you be the same. Nor should you want to.” Our experiences inevitably change us, challenge us, and enrich us. Trough our loss, our relationships and memories sustain us. We will not forget Callie, and she and her family stay in our prayers every day. Neither the equine business nor this life is for the faint of heart; there is certainly tragedy around us, but there is also joy. Aristotle said, “It is in our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light.” April 29 was one of those dark moments, but we will focus to see the light around us and ahead of us. I have a feeling that is what Callie would want us to do. Cheers to blue skies ahead. KM

COMMITTED TO YOUR

SUCCESS

For more than 40 years, Lane’s End has pursued one mission: helping our partners achieve their goals in sales, breeding and racing. That dedication to your success has guided us as we’ve celebrated your achievements--and will continue to guide us as we look toward our shared future. This is what we stand for.

Contributors SUMMER 2022

EDWARD L. BOWEN

LIANE CROSSLEY

AMY OWENS

(Thoroughbred Boulevard) is the former president of the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation. He is a former editor-in-chief of BloodHorse and has authored 21 books about Thoroughbred racing and breeding. His latest book is The Lucky Thirteen, about the Triple Crown winners.

(Something Old, Something New) has spent her career inThoroughbred racing-related jobs in barns, press boxes, and offces. A seasonal member of Keeneland’s media team, she has had her work appear in BloodHorse, Daily Racing Form,Thoroughbred Daily News, Breeders’ Cup website, Horse Illustrated, European Bloodstock News, and Young Rider.

(Keeneland News/Connections) is Keeneland Communications Associate.

VICKIE MITCHELL

LENNY SHULMAN

(Sharing Central Kentucky’s Rich Heritage) writes for regional and national publications as well as for small businesses and nonproft organizations. She lives and works in Lexington.

(Proven Success) is a senior correspondent for BloodHorse magazine and the author of Head to Head: Conversations with a Generation of Horse Racing Legends; Justify: 111 Days to Triple Crown Glory; and Ride of Their Lives: The Trials and Turmoil of Today’s Top Jockeys.

JACALYN CARFAGNO (Chance Well Taken) is a professional writer and an editor based in Lexington. She has covered the equine industry and written restaurant reviews and commentary for the Lexington Herald Leader in addition to work for a wide range of clients.

SUMMER 2022

KEENELAND.COM

ROBIN ROENKER (Lending a Helping Hand) is a freelance writer and frequent Keeneland magazine contributor who writes for many Kentucky-based and national publications.

Wildcat

THE GROUP Kentucky's BEST!

(859) 948-3553 | www.Wildcat-Group.com

Keeneland News

SUMMER 2022

Formful racing and pleasant spring weather contributed to a record meet.

SPRING MEET POSTS RECORD WAGERING

ll-sources handle for Keeneland’s 15-day spring meet from April 8-29 topped $219 million to establish an all-time wagering record for the track and mark the third consecutive season of record handle. “Tis spring meet was unmatched in many measures,” Keeneland President and CEO Shannon Arvin said. “Keeneland is a special place because of the support we receive from the Central Kentucky community, our horsemen, handicappers, sponsors, fans, and employees. Tis spring season sets the stage for a huge racing year that continues with the fall meet in October and the return of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships on Nov. 4-5.” Fans at Keeneland and elsewhere enjoyed exceptional racing with record average daily purses of $1.1 million and full felds that averaged 9.1 starters per race. Total on-track wagering of nearly $16.2 million was up 75 percent from last spring,

SUMMER 2022

when COVID-19 limited attendance for the meet. Average daily on-track wagering this spring was $1,079,389. Keeneland awarded a record $7.7 million for 19 spring meet stakes. Te schedule featured increased purses for all stakes and signifcant changes to the season’s two historic classic preps: Te Toyota Blue Grass (G1), a key Triple Crown prep, has been elevated to Grade 1 status and the purse restored to $1 million. Te Central Bank Ashland (G1) for 3-year-old fllies was worth a record $600,000 and moved to opening day to showcase this major race. Said Keeneland Vice President of Racing Gatewood Bell: “All credit and thanks should start with the owners and trainers who sent us such a talented and deep group of horses to fll our race cards. Tose connections and horses in turn attracted the deepest jockey colony in the country, who together put on an amazing show all meet long for our dedicated fans and horseplayers.”

K KEENELAND.COM

Other memorable moments include Zandon winning the Toyota Blue Grass; Nest’s victory in the Central Bank Ashland; Shirl’s Speight charging late to take the Maker’s Mark Mile (G1T) by a nose; two-time Breeders’ Cup winner Golden Pal dominating the Shakertown (G2T); Tawny Port capturing the Stonestreet Lexington (G3); and champion Malathaat winning the Baird Doubledogdare (G3). Trainer Wesley Ward won 13 races to secure his sixth spring meet title and eighth title overall. Jockey Tyler Gafalione won 19 races to earn his frst spring meet title and ffh title overall. Barbara Banke’s Stonestreet Stables was the meet’s leading owner with fve wins. Keeneland teamed with sponsors and Toroughbred industry partners on special events that appealed to fans of all ages and fulflled the track’s mission of giving back to the Central Kentucky community. Tey include the following: • College Scholarship Day Presented by Lane’s End and Military Day at the Races; • Autograph signing with current Keeneland riders and retired jockeys that raised $5,955 for the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund. Maker’s Mark also contributed $10,000 to the PDJF; • Toyota and Keeneland’s donation of $10,000 to Jobs for America’s Graduates Kentucky, which aims to support middle and high school students in becoming successful, contributing citizens post-graduation; • Kentucky Utilities and Keeneland contributed $5,000 to the YMCA of Central Kentucky Black Achievers program; and • Keeneland presented a check for $5,000 to the Veterans Club as part of Military Day festivities. In addition, proceeds from sales of the 2022 commemorative Maker’s Mark Bourbon® bottle in partnership with Keeneland supported Horse Mania, a LexArts initiative.

KEENELAND/COADY PHOTOGRAPHY

KEENELAND PHOTO

COMPILED BY AMY OWENS

Zandon won the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes.

ARMY MULE

KANTHAROS

MACLEAN’S MUSIC

CHARLATAN

KITTEN’S JOY

MIDNIGHT LUTE

CURLIN

LOST TREASURE (IRE)

MUCHO MACHO MAN

GHOSTZAPPER

VIOLENCE

GOOD MAGIC

WORLD OF TROUBLE

www.hillndalefarms.com LGB, LLC 2022 Photo: Bobby Shifet

Library Lecture Series Returns

Will and Sarah Farish paid $600,000 for Acting Out, winner of the April 2 Carousel Stakes at Oaklawn Park in her most recent start, to record the highest price of Keeneland’s April horses of racing age sale, held the evening of April 29 afer the conclusion of the spring meet. Keeneland sold 60 oferings for $5,496,000, for an average of $91,600 and a median of $50,000. Last year, 41 horses brought $2,598,000, for an average of $63,366 and a median of $45,000. (Figures include published post-sale private transactions.) “From start to fnish of the sale, the energy was strong and the enthusiasm at every level was really encouraging,” Keeneland Vice President of Sales Tony Lacy said. “Joining the race meet and sale and having them on one day really, really worked. Te atmosphere was incredible with a real buzz. Tat’s something we want to replicate and build on, not just for the April sale but all sales moving forward.” Acting Out, a 5-year-old daughter of Blame, was consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent. Mike Freeny paid $450,000 for a share in Upstart, sire of leading classic prospects Zandon and Kathleen O. in his second crop. Other high sellers included Blackadder, who qualifed to the 2022 Preakness (sold for $250,000), and spring meet winner Shannon ($240,000). Both were supplemented to the auction.

Te Keeneland Library has resumed its popular Library Lecture Series, evening events that feature authors discussing their recently released books. Guests will have an opportunity to purchase featured books at the event. On May 26, Virginia Slachman of St. Louis will talk about her two mysteries set in Kentucky and Keeneland: Betrayed in the Bluegrass and Blood in the Bluegrass. Te event begins at 6:30 p.m., and tickets are $5. Tey may be purchased at tickets.keeneland.com. On Aug. 25, Mary Perdue of Orlando will discuss her new book, Landaluce: Te Story of Seattle Slew’s First Champion. For more information, visit Keeneland. com/library.

PHOTOS BYZ/KEENELAND

ACTING OUT TOPS APRIL SALE

Bradley and Groupie Doll

KEENELAND SALES ADDS “BUFF” BRADLEY

KEENELAND PHOTO/Z

Acting Out sold for $600,000.

SUMMER 2022

ifelong horseman and former trainer William “Buf” Bradley has joined Keeneland as associate of sales development and will concentrate on sales of breeding stock and horses of racing age. “We are excited to have Buf join the Keeneland sales team to further strengthen our outreach to horsemen and their participation in our sales,” Keeneland Vice President of Sales Tony Lacy said. “Buf has tremendous experience as a breeder, owner, and trainer and has gained the respect of a broad range of people in the industry, both professionally and personally.” Bradley conditioned the earners of more than $19.2 million from 1993-2021. His most accomplished runners are two fan favorites: two-time champion and Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint (G1) winner Groupie Doll, who earned $2.6 million, and grade 1 winner Brass Hat, who earned $2.1 million. Following her win in the 2013 Breeders’ Cup, Groupie Doll sold to Whisper Hill Farm for $3.1 million at Keeneland’s November breeding stock sale. Brass Hat, 21, resides at Bradley’s Indian Ridge Farm in Frankfort. “I am grateful for the opportunity to join Keeneland and be part of a place that always has been special to my family and me,” Bradley said. “I was 9 in 1972 when I came to the races for the frst time with my parents and saw my dad’s flly You’re Worth win. In the mid-1990s at Keeneland’s September yearling sale, my dad bought two fllies who became the dams of Brass Hat and Groupie Doll. As a trainer, I was so proud each time I won a stakes here with our family’s horses.”

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Keeneland Prepares for Breeders’ Cup Return Plans for the 39th Breeders’ Cup World Championships, to be held Nov. 4-5 at Keeneland, continued to take shape while tickets went on sale to the general public May 9. To deliver a curated and intimate fan experience — and to ensure maximum safety and comfort — attendance will be capped at 45,000 fans each day. Breeders’ Cup and Keeneland are investing more than $10.5 million to add 165,000 square feet of luxury chalets that will provide 7,500 premium dining seats and 1,800 temporary box seats. Areas are the Trackside Luxury Chalets, triple-decker and double-decker chalets with views of the stretch run; Silks Lawn Chalet, a 50,000-squarefoot chalet along the fnal turn; Saddling Paddock Chalet, which ofers premium views of horses in the Paddock; and Loge Box Seats, which span the apron from the sixteenth pole to the fnish line. Parking at Keeneland will be available only to attendees with ofcial pre-paid credentials. Breeders’ Cup will ofer public shuttle service to and from the track at one dedicated of-site Park-and-Ride location.

THE LEADING SIRE OF 3YOS 2022 Active Sires of 3YOs

859.873.7053 www.threechimneys.com @ three_chimneys *Stats accurate as of press time 05/09/2022

LGB, LLC 2022 / Photo: Equisport Photos

BREED TRUE

Connections SUMMER 2022 1 | SEASON SURPRISE The April 9 second day of the spring meet featured a morning snow shower.

COADY PHOTOGRAPHY

On April 13 Keeneland recognized Freedom House, a New Jersey organization that takes in people struggling with addiction, homelessness, or other issues. Since the 2015 Breeders’ Cup World Championships the group has traveled to Lexington to volunteer during race meets. Approximately 25 volunteers work in a variety of departments within Keeneland Hospitality.

COADY PHOTOGRAPHY

2 | SPECIAL GROUP

KEENELAND PHOTO

Charles E. Fipke’s homebred Shirl’s Speight charged late to nip Masen (GB) at the fnish and win the 34th running of the $600,000 Maker’s Mark Mile (G1T) on April 15. The victory gave Hall of Fame trainer Roger Attfeld his third triumph in the prestigious turf race.

KEENELAND PHOTO/PHOTOS BY Z

3 | NOSE KNOWS

4 | STYLISH RETURN Shadwell Stable’s Malathaat, the champion 3-year-old flly of 2021, won the April 22 Baird Doubledogdare (G3) in her 2022 debut. Sold for $1.05 million at Keeneland’s 2019 September yearling sale, Malathaat has won seven races and earned $1.9 million. Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings bred the flly by Curlin.

Keeneland employees who are veterans gathered the morning of Military Day on April 24 while the Henry Clay Junior ROTC rehearsed the unfurling of the American fag on the main track.

SUMMER 2022

K KEENELAND.COM

COADY PHOTOGRAPHY

5 | VETERANS DAY

ARTFUL & INNOVATIVE DOWNTOWN DINING

Creative, chef-driven menus, the freshest local ingredients, and exceptional hospitality come together for an unmatched Lexington dining experience. 735 East Main St, Lexington, KY

RESERVATIONS

859.266.9000 • www.coles735main.com

Spotlight On STONE FENCES TOURS

Central Kentucky’s signature stone fences inspired the name of Jerry and Hope Daniels’ tour company. This stone fence fronts a lake at Stonewall Farm near Versailles.

SUMMER 2022

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Hope and Jerry Daniels

SHARING

CENTRAL KENTUCKY’S

RICH HERITAGE THE OWNERS OF STONE FENCES TOURS WANT TO IMPART A BIT OF THE BLUEGRASS ON VISITORS By B y Vickie Mitchell | Photos by Kirk Schlea

KEENELAND.COM

K SUMMER 2022

Spotlight On STONE FENCES TOURS

Jerry Daniels arrives with a group at Sun Valley Farm, a popular stop on several of the tours.

erry and Hope Daniels share a passion for history. Te couple lives in Versailles, where Hope teaches history at Woodford County High, and Jerry, when not working in retail, does historical research for fun. Vacations with their kids are 3,000-mile driving tours designed to take in as many historic sites as possible. As the family traveled around Central Kentucky one summer, though, they noticed that despite Kentucky’s abundance of historic sites, the Bluegrass lacked heritage tours such as those they had taken in Charleston, Savannah, and other cities. What if, the couple thought, we spent our retirement years doing history tours? It would, they reasoned, be a chance to share their love of history, meet people, learn

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Daniels gets plenty of opportunities to discuss the origins of the region’s stone fences.

The World’s Yearling Sale Begins Monday, Sept. 12

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Spotlight On STONE FENCES TOURS

Sun Valley Farm’s Brett Butzer gives a tour of the mare and foal barn.

Colorado visitors Caessa, left, and Beatrix Nap pet a mare and foal.

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new things, help local tourist attractions and businesses, and generate extra income. So, with retirement more than a half-dozen years away, they started doing research. Tey dug through records and newspapers, and they found stories they could share with future customers. Hope looked at how Kentucky’s past ft into the nation as a whole; Jerry focused more on local impact. A few years later they visited Mary Quinn Ramer, president of VisitLEX, to get her take on their future business. Ramer loved the idea, but with a caveat that accelerated their business plan. “Mary Quinn said, ‘I think you all need to do it now,’ ” said Hope. Like others in tourism, Ramer realized bourbon tourism, already booming, was only going to grow. More tour operators were needed sooner than later. Within a year, in 2018, Stone Fences Tours opened with a lightly used 12-passenger van, a phone number, a website, and Jerry and Hope as tour guides and drivers. But, it didn’t take long for the Danielses to realize most people aren’t quite as passionate about the past as they are. Te Eastern Kentucky natives pride themselves on being able to read people. And when they saw their clients’ eyes rolling, they knew their tours needed tweaking. “I know that look from my classes,” said Hope, the teacher. Today, Stone Fences ofers an almost mind-boggling menu of options, more than 30 possibilities — from bourbon tours that simply take passengers from one distillery to another on the Bourbon Trail to a half-dozen history tours that include their favorite, Notorious L.E.X., which delves into the life of Belle Brezing, Lexington’s best-known madam. Tere are tours focused on the so-called Bourbon Barons, families such as the Peppers and the Ripys, who made fortunes in bourbon long, long before the current craze. On Ramer’s advice, they created half-day tours for visitors short on time that blend the region’s major draws: bourbon and Toroughbreds. Tours to other popular sites, such as wineries and breweries, are also ofered. Locally owned restaurants, especially those that use Kentucky Proud products, are weaved into tours, with lunch stops at Te Stave, Wallace Station, and others.

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Spotlight On STONE FENCES TOURS

The Bourbon Passport Tour shows visitors how bourbon is made at Wilderness Trace Distillery in Danville and how it tastes.

Stone Fences has worked with area tourism ofces to develop tour itineraries such as the Royal Experience, which combines lunch and a tour of the Kentucky Castle with a trip to Castle & Key Distillery or the McCracken Mile, a tour of three distilleries and a horse farm, all along McCracken Pike in Woodford County. Beyond their listed tours, the Danielses also do customized tours, with Jerry acting as a concierge of sorts, planning detailed itineraries for groups such as 22 Vander-

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bilt University sorority sisters in town for a weekend reunion or a visiting sports team with a free afernoon to fll. And even though their business model diverged from its original history focus, they haven’t given up completely on that mission, always managing to slip in some history on drives past the miles of stone fences along the secondary roads their tours tend to follow. “You think you are on a bourbon tour and then you fnd out you are on a history

tour, and you’re learning Kentucky history,” said Jackson Osborne, preservation outreach coordinator for the Blue Grass Trust for Historic Preservation, who was aboard when Stone Fences did an early test run for a bourbon tour. “And they’re not telling you history just to tell you history but to learn something from it.” “We still get in some tidbits of Kentucky history,” Jerry acknowledges. “We always want people to realize, when we take them some place, how it got there, who put it

Spotlight On STONE FENCES TOURS

The Danielses review their calendar of upcoming tours in their home offce.

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there. And that way, when they leave, we feel they’re taking a part of Kentucky back home with them.” Of course, what no one, including the Danielses, saw coming was a worldwide pandemic, which put a stop to travel for a time. Trough the past two years, as surges passed and shutdowns lifed, the couple continued to do some tours as they did their day jobs. Tey bought a second, smaller van, realizing that during a pandemic, most people didn’t want to be in tight, enclosed quarters with others. With outdoors proving safer than indoors, they and Emily Downey, president/CEO and tourism director for the Woodford County Chamber of Commerce, collaborated on an evening walking tour in downtown Versailles. Te Danielses told stories of duels and murders they’d found in old newspaper accounts as Hope’s son Ryan Brown, who likes to act,

ABOUT STONE FENCES TOURS In addition to some 30 different tours, Stone Fences also plans customized tours. The cost per person ranges from $50 to $150. For more information: Stone Fences Tours 606 548-2181 www.stonefencestours.com

First-time visitors are always impressed by the majestic horse farms.

portrayed characters. A drink from Te Amsden cofee shop or Amsden Bourbon Bar was included in the tour ticket. Even under challenging circumstances the pandemic has presented, Jerry has managed to ferret out new tour stops and network with tourist attractions, historic sites, and other businesses. “He’s just a professional tourist,” said Osborne. On his days of, Jerry might drive from county to county to fnd out what’s new in Central Kentucky, or talk to tourism professionals such as Ramer and Downey about ways Stone Fences can work with them. Te Danielses have taken classes to broaden their knowledge, including the Kentucky Bourbon Steward certifcation, which trains people to talk about bourbon accurately and knowledgeably.

Early on, they joined the Blue Grass Trust, attending most of BGT’s popular deTours, which take people into all sorts of historic properties and places around Central Kentucky. “At every deTour, Jerry would suggest a new place for us to go on a deTour,” said Osborne. “I fnally said, ‘Why don’t you join our deTours committee?’ ” Jerry did, and today he and Lucy Jones co-chair the committee. Two of the DeTours Jerry helped plan before the pandemic — the Ripy Mansion/Ballard House in Lawrenceburg and Lynwood Mansion in Richmond — have been among the best attended. For Jerry’s eforts, BGT awarded him its Lucy Shropshire Crump Volunteer Award in 2020, given for exemplary service to BGT. Jerry’s networking eforts result in richer tour experiences for his customers. He built a relationship with Wilderness Trail Distill-

ery in Danville during the pandemic, when it was difcult and ofen impossible to get tours at other distilleries, and he continues to take many tours there. Sun Valley Farm in Woodford County, a family-run Toroughbred nursery that operates its own tours, became a favorite stop because of the personalized tours given by Jan Butzer and her son Brett to see the farm’s mares and foals, a diferent twist on the typical stud farm tour. Among the stops for the Vanderbilt sorority sisters was the Ripy Mansion in Lawrenceburg, where Jerry arranged for the women to meet fellow Vandy alums George Geoghegan and Tom Ripy, cousins and co-owners of the 11,000-square-foot mansion their ancestor T.B. Ripy built. Clients ofen describe Stone Fences Tours as “relaxed.” One of his goals, Jerry says, is to make sure no one feels rushed, while

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COURTESY OF BLUE GRASS TRUST FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION

STONE FENCES TOURS

Jerry Daniels also has started a bourbon event business.

BRANCHING OUT The historic T.B. Ripy Mansion in Lawrenceburg has become a frequent, favorite stop on Stone Fences’ bourbon tours. To help raise money for the ongoing restoration of the mansion, built by a prominent bourbon family, Stone Fences is co-hosting Bourbon Sessions at the mansion, featuring bourbon industry experts. In April, for example, Brett Connor, master blender and brand ambassador for Castle & Key Distillery, led a tasting and gave a talk as guests enjoyed a light meal. For information about upcoming sessions, visit tbripyhome.com/events. And, in addition to his tour company, Jerry Daniels has expanded into event planning. He and two partners, Norma Smith and Christi Atkinson, co-host of the Distillers Talk and Angels Share bourbon podcasts, recently started a bourbon event business called High Proof Curious Experiences.

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Visitors enjoy the chance to get close to horses on stops at local Thoroughbred farms.

also keeping a tour on schedule. It’s not an easy balance to achieve. “I space it out so we usually don’t have to rush,” he said. “I’d rather have people there 30 minutes before a tour, even if they have to walk around and shop, or get a cocktail. Because if you are late, you may not get in the door.” In June last year, Andy and Cristin Luksco, who live near Cleveland, booked the daylong Bluegrass Bucket List tour for themselves and three friends. Te group stayed at the Beaumont Inn in Harrodsburg. “Jerry picked us up right on time, all smiles with a cooler of waters,” said Andy. Of they went in Stone Fences’ small Sprinter van for an eight-hour day of touring. Stops included Wilderness Trail Distillery and Gypsy Run Brewery in Danville, lunch at Wallace Station —“delicious, a really cool, rustic inn,” said Andy — in Midway, and Sun Valley Farm — “one of our favorite parts,” he said — and Equus Run Winery in Woodford County. “Jerry hung out with us — he was not drinking though — and he was very, very professional, very patient. Some other guides might have tried to rush us along, but he wanted us to immerse ourselves in the whole experience, in everything

Kentucky,” said Andy. “I’m a history nerd so I like to ask a lot of questions.” Jerry obliged with answers, talking about Civil War sites and cemeteries along the way. And throughout the day, his engaging manner didn’t fag. “I was worried because we took up all his day,” said Cristin. “But he didn’t skip a beat. He was very accommodating and we really enjoyed conversations with him. He’s a very nice guy.” Downey, the Woodford County Chamber of Commerce president, agrees. When she has groups in town and needs someone to be their guide, Stone Fences gets her call. “Jerry and Hope are great with their patrons and with the community,” Downey said. “Tey drive and host people of all personalities, and handle all the things that involves. Tey seem to take it in stride.” No doubt being people with patient personalities is a help, but the Danielses’ ease with others might also be rooted in their love for sharing what they know about the region’s rich and colorful past. “I think they see the passion that we have for it,” said Hope, “and it rubs of just a little bit on them because we do love it so much.” KM

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Hunter Simms and Kitty Day combine their talents in running Warrendale Sales.

Proven Success Warrendale Sales maintains high standards while embracing change By Lenny Shulman Photos by Amy Lanigan

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Simms and Day inspect potential sale horses during an early spring round of Central Kentucky farm visits. At this stop they are joined by Josie Carroll, left, and Colleen Dalos, second from left.

op-shelf organizations can merge innovation with concepts tried-and-true, creating modern entities that serve clients efciently while providing a comfort level forged by proven success. Warrendale Sales, with 20 years of consigning Toroughbreds under its belt, enjoyed its best season yet in 2021 as it evolved to meet the ever-changing needs of volatile times.

Embracing change is not always easy, yet Kitty Day seems to welcome whatever tides roll her way. And that includes her very name. Known for most of her professional life as Kitty Taylor, she has decided to revert to her maiden moniker, leaving behind a remnant of a defunct marriage while “making my 92-year-old father very happy.” She had also tired of the confusion caused by people thinking she was associated with the omnipresent Taylor Made organization. So, no big deal. Afer all, some vaguely famous writer once wondered what’s in a name, anyway. Tirteen years ago Day had the foresight to bring Hunter Simms into Warrendale as a partner, and the former yearling manager for Arthur Hancock III’s Stone Farm has instilled the operation with a dose of youth and familiarity with a new generation of prospective clients.

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Let Your Heart Lead You Here

keenelandhospitality.com Created With Grace Photography

Proven Success

Above, grooms ready a mare and foal for Day and Simms. Right, Day and Briarbrooke Farm owner Nick Lotz assess a young horse.

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Classic Empire

SV PHOTOGRAPHY

WARRENDALE SUCCESS STORIES

COADY PHOTOGRAPHY

One thing hasn’t changed: Te equine graduates of Warrendale’s consignments continue to assert themselves on the racetrack. Te latest star is Bleecker Street, a 4-year-old flly who on March 12 rallied impressively to win the Hillsborough Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs, making it fve consecutive victories to start her career. Also the winner of the Endeavour Stakes this year, Bleecker Street was a $400,000 purchase by Peter Brant’s White Birch Farm out of a Warrendale yearling consignment. She follows in the footsteps of Shedaresthedevil, a Warrendale yearling ofering who has banked more than $2.3 million to date on the strength of victories in the 2020 Kentucky Oaks and the 2021 La Troienne Stakes and Clement L Hirsch

Bleecker Street

NYRA

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Shedaresthedevil

Channel Maker

Midnight Bourbon

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Proven Success Stakes (all grade 1s). Midnight Bourbon, a $525,000 Keeneland sales yearling consigned by Warrendale, earned nearly $3.2 million for Winchell Toroughbreds.

LEARNING FROM THE BEST Perhaps Day learned to think on the fy as a youngster growing up in a military family frequently on the move. A typical horsecrazy young girl, Day took riding lessons when her father was stationed at Fort Knox in Kentucky. Tat was good news/bad news, however. Because of the nomadic nature of her father’s assignments, Kitty could never keep a horse and thus never rose to the level of becoming a competitive eventer. However, the love of the horse was instilled in her. During high school in Virginia, she rode show horses for noted horseman Delmar Twyman, and then afer college, she accepted a job with Twyman’s son Noel, who was breaking horses for

Day credits partner Simms with instilling new energy into Warrendale.

Midlantic trainers such as Bud Delp and King Leatherbury. Te only problem was she’d never galloped a horse and didn’t fgure that was information she wanted to share with her employer. “Te frst day, I rode nine horses on pure adrenaline, acting like I knew what I was doing,” she said. “I couldn’t walk the day afer.” Te connection with Twyman proved key because he worked the sales in Kentucky for legendary consignor Lee Eaton, whose human graduates are liberally sprinkled around the Toroughbred

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Proven Success industry today. Because women couldn’t show horses at the time, Day worked as a groom, preparing the horses and bringing them to the showmen. Te excitement of the sales made an indelible impression on her. As did Eaton, whose style around his barns reminded Day of her father’s vocation. “It was run like the military, which I adapted to well because of my family background,” Day said. “I liked the organization — it ran like clockwork where everything was done just so. Tey had the routine down. Started at the same time every day. Dr. [John K.] Griggs would look at every horse. Tey took temperatures every day, made sure each horse gets electrolytes, gets salt. Lee conferred with his team afer inspecting the horse. He made sure there was a protocol in place and that every step was followed. I watched everything they did, like a smalltime actor watching a Broadway show from backstage. And I’ve tried to proceed with this in the same fashion.” Seeing the routine for prepping horses to sell was just part of Day’s education. Sales are a people business, and knowing how to deal with clients and buyers is essential. A subsequent stint with Vinery allowed Day to visit horses and clients at farms before sales, and she then burnished her credentials as a partner of Meg Levy’s at Bluewater Sales before going out on her own. When Ben Walden lef Vinery, clients Hargus and Sandra Sexton, longtime prominent breeders in the Bluegrass, gave their two-dozen yearlings to Day to sell, providing her with an instant base of quality stock that allowed her to establish herself. Today, Warrendale (named for a street Day used to live on in Georgetown) still sells for Sandra Sexton, as well as for partners of Sexton’s — Brandi and Steven Nicholson of Silver Fern Farm, who bred champion and current stallion Classic Empire. “Afer selling with Warrendale for more than 20 years, we can say without a doubt that they pay the utmost attention to detail,” noted Brandi Nicholson. “Kitty and Hunter always provide personal attention to their clients and their horses. Te Warrendale staf is experienced, thorough, and organized. We love using the sales app and appreciate their daily detailed reports.” Warrendale is also entrusted with top stock by entities such as Barbara Banke’s Stonestreet, whose yearling consignments are annually among the fnest on the continent; Charlotte Weber’s Live Oak Plantation; and industry stalwarts Spendthrif and WinStar Farm. Relative newcomers are also attracted to the Warrendale barns, including Dr. Hart Malluche’s Silesia Farm, the Rock Ridge Toroughbreds of Codee Gufey and Kerry Smith, and brothers Todd and Chad Frederick. “Hunter and Kitty are very informative throughout the whole

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Top, Day with a Nyquist colt out of the mare Quality Heat, shown with Simms

sales process,” noted Gufey whose operation produces an annual foal crop of 10 from its Versailles farm. “Tey’re great communicating with you, and one or both are always at the barn when I go to check up on our horses. Tat’s a big positive for me. It’s very professional; they have polite showmen and potential buyers are never kept waiting. It’s a well-oiled machine.” Te Fredericks are the third generation of their family that have sold with Warrendale. “Kitty and Hunter are very honest in every aspect, and they’re nice people,” said Todd Frederick. “Tey do all the legwork, and represent our bloodstock as well as anyone can do. We trust them to do an excellent job at the sales, and in coming to the farm to give us their advice on our horses.” Recruiting new clients is one of the items in Simms’ portfolio. Day is quick to credit her partner for instilling a new energy throughout Warrendale. “Te division of labor, at this point, is 80/20 Hunter,” she said. “It’s time for the younger people to come up. I have my core clients that I continue to deal with, and they’re comfortable with me. But Hunter has his clients, and he runs the ofce day in and day out …” Simms jumps into the conversation, defecting some of the praise. “It’s been a good transition,” he allowed. “I do the day-to-day stuf, the fnancial aspect, and try to develop whatever new clients may be out there. Tis is a relationship business, and it takes time to get

Proven Success

makes a huge diference when they can see the horse on their computer from wherever they are.” Added Simms, “Some people were doing walk videos prior to the pandemic, but new business going. What makes this work everybody began doing them. Today, peois that Kitty and I have been together for ple hit the pause button if they can’t see a 13 years. We’re very good friends, and we horse walk on video. Agents like to show come together as one. Tere’s no real divitheir clients videos of the horses. If they’re sion. We do farm visits together, do lunch going to pay six fgures, they want to lay together. We do the work as one unit, and eyes on that horse. Some people still aren’t I think clients beneft from that, because coming to see the horses in person at the they’re getting two sets of eyes and two difsales, so the videos are critical.” ferent perspectives on horses.” In addition to being a valuable aid to Simms added that his time at Stone prospective buyers, the video scopes help Farm taught him the importance of a solid the horses as well. While some shopwork ethic — courtesy of the example set Mandy Crider handles Warrendale’s accounting. pers still insist on having their own vets by Arthur Hancock. perform scopes on horses, the yearlings “We went to work at 6:30 every mornare subjected to the procedure far fewer ing. Whatever it was — putting up yeartimes, making for a more humane sales lings, throwing hay — he’d be right out experience. there with us in 95-degree heat doing it Day and Simms agreed that attracting all. And those horses were raised the right new participants to the sport is essential way. I not only learned pedigrees and conto keeping a healthy market. Fewer young formation from him, but he had clients people are exposed to horses today than like George Strawbridge, Virginia Payson, in times past, making it more difcult to and Joe Sutton coming out to look at their develop an afnity for them. But Day does horses. Being around people like that, well, see some slivers of hope. I wouldn’t be where I am today without “Partnerships have helped,” she noted. those lessons.” “I bought a share in MyRacehorse.com because I wanted to see what they are preTECHNOLOGY CHANGING senting to their clients, and it’s impressive. THE BUSINESS Exposure to the animal is critical. I think Spurred by necessity in the wake of the Keeneland is doing a great job with young worldwide pandemic that began in 2020, people coming out to Te Hill and getting Alexis Stanalonis recently joined Warrendale the sales industry has embraced techno- as sales coordinator. a taste of the atmosphere. In 20 or 30 years, logical innovation to bring clients, horses, those young people will have the expendand prospective buyers together. In addition to the sales app menable income to hopefully come back and buy into a partnership or tioned by Nicholson, walking videos and video scopes have bebecome owners because they’ve had that exposure to horse racing.” come essential tools for consignors looking to initiate commerce. Warrendale has found its niche as a mid-major consignor, preferWarrendale has been quick to adapt. ring to ofer between 120-130 head at the Keeneland September year“Technology has to be the biggest change in this industry,” Day ling auction, 80-100 at the November breeding stock sale, and 50-60 at stated. “Because of COVID-19, many principals did not come in the January mixed auction. Having manageable numbers allows it to for the sale two years ago, and we encouraged our clients to shoot handle each horse better and keep its stafng consistent. walking videos of every horse as well as have video scopes [endo“We’re not Walmart, and we don’t want to be,” said Simms. “We scopes performed to assess air passageways in the throats of horsdon’t want to sell 60 horses every day in September. We think that es] available. Tat situation escalated how quickly things changed 20-30 in each book is a good number that allows every horse to get in the way people look at horses. Prominent bloodstock agents exposure and allows us to know what’s going on with each one.” have told us the walking videos really push their clients forward; it And having graduates such as Bleecker Street, Shedaresthedevil,

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Midnight Bourbon, and earlier successes such as Canadian Horse of the Year Catch a Glimpse, 2019 champion 2-year-old flly British Idiom, 2016 champion 2-year-old male Classic Empire, 2020 champion turf male Channel Maker (winner of Keeneland’s April 23 Elkhorn Stakes), and classic winner Exaggerator, among others, helps bolster business, both with new buyers and returning satisfed customers. “It’s nice to have a track record of horses like that,” said Simms. “Agents like to come back to where they’ve had success, and they like to buy from breeders with whom they’ve had success. We’ve got good breeders behind us that sell quality stock with us, and we’re very fortunate in that. Out of 130 yearlings, we’ll have maybe three or fve pinhooks. So buyers know they’re getting a horse that hasn’t been hothoused or been through a sale where they’ve been prepped to the nines. Tey’re getting an organic product.” Te sales season for Warrendale begins six months before the September sale, when Day and Simms start to visit farms in March to look at yearlings, a process that continues monthly as they confer with clients as to where they think the horses will ft. In addition to the two principals, Warrendale also benefts from

Mandy Crider, an equestrian who handles in-house accounting and bookkeeping, and works tirelessly at the sales. Day and Simms credit the Warrendale staf with the operation’s success. “We’ve been lucky. Lynne Root and Jane Duddy have run our barns forever and give great care to the horses,” Simms said. “We’ve kept a core group of showmen and grooms because our numbers have been steady and we’ve been able to plan out the stafng. It’s a challenging environment to fnd help who know how to present a horse. When they set a horse up for the frst time, that’s the buyer’s initial impression right there, and if it’s not a good show, that can hurt the sale of that horse.” Warrendale Sales continues to impress, and evolve. A case in point: requesting to Keeneland management that its consignment occupy half of two barns facing one another so that horses can be shown in a common courtyard. Attention to detail. Forward-looking. Personal interaction. Latest technology. Ahead-of-the-trend curve. Generational awareness. An eye for good horses. Tere’s plenty that goes into the Warrendale name. KM

Day and Simms are already off to the next farm as this young prospect returns to the barn with its dam.

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RICKELLE NELSON

ANNE M. EBERHARDT

KNICKS GO

Knicks Go won the 2021 Breeders’ Cup Classic after taking the Breeders’ Cup Mile the year before. The Horse of the Year retired to stud at Taylor Made Stallions.

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Classic Connections

Many Breeders’ Cup Classic winners have retired to prestigious Central Kentucky farms, where they perpetuate the breed and welcome fans

ew accomplishments in racing equal winning the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Te late-season contest brings together the world’s best middle-distance dirt runners, many of whom already have won a Kentucky Derby, Breeders’ Cup, or other prestigious grade 1 race. Some of the sport’s most indelible moments have played out during the mile-and-a-quarter Classic. Tiznow,

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for example, not only defeated a stubborn European rival in Giant’s Causeway in 2000 but he did it again in 2001 when he turned back Sahkee. Now retired as a stallion, Tiznow is the only horse to win two runnings of the Classic. Te great mare Zenyatta nearly won the race twice, but an unyielding Blame denied her the repeat in 2010. In 2015, Triple Crown winner American Pharoah thrilled fans at Keeneland when he toured the stretch in isolated glory. And in 2021, Knicks Go ran away with the Classic, having won the Breeders’ Cup Mile the year before.

SKIP DICKSTEIN

Authentic won the 2020 Classic after winning the Kentucky Derby earlier in the year. He stands at his owner’s Spendthrift Farm.

AUTRY GRAHAM/SPENDTHRIFT

AUTHENTIC

Te exploits of Classic winners live on in memory, but a number of these Breeders’ Cup champions continue to make their presence felt on farms in Central Kentucky. Retirement has brought second careers as stallions to an impressive list of winners. From Curlin to the recently retired Knicks Go, these talented Toroughbreds perpetuate the breed while boosting tourism by drawing fans to area farms. Following is an impressive lineup of contemporary Breeders’ Cup Classic winners now adding further cachet to the Bluegrass. KM

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ANNE M. EBERHARDT PHOTOS

VINO ROSSO

PHOTO ALBUM

ECLIPSE SPORTSWIRE

GUN RUNNER

Vino Rosso won the 2019 Breeders’ Cup Classic. His other victories include the Gold Cup at Santa Anita and the Wood Memorial.

Gun Runner’s command performance in the 2017 Breeders’ Cup Classic marked his fourth grade 1 victory of the season. He retired to Three Chimneys Farm after his fnal race, the 2018 Pegasus World Cup.

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ACCELERATE

Vino Rosso’s pedigree and race record earned him a berth in the stallion barn at Spendthrift Farm.

Accelerate’s sensational 2018 season included the Breeders’ Cup Classic and four other grade 1 races. He retired to Lane’s End Farm.

Caption

MATT WOOLEY/EQUISPORT PHOTOS

ANNE M. EBERHARDT

Gun Runner sired the 2021 2-year-old flly champion Echo Zulu in his frst crop.

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ANNE M. EBERHARDT

AMERICAN PHAROAH

ANNE M. EBERHARDT

BREEDERS’ CUP/MATT HERP

PHOTO ALBUM

MATHEA KELLEY

American Pharoah ended a 37-year drought of Triple Crown winners when he won the series in 2015. He capped his season with his emphatic Breeders’ Cup Classic victory at Keeneland. He retired afterward to Coolmore’s Ashford Stud, where he remains a fan favorite.

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MUCHO MACHO MAN

COURTESY OF ADENA SPRINGS/ LOUISE REINAGEL

PHOTO ALBUM

CLAIBORNE FARM

SKIP DICKSTEIN

Florida-bred Mucho Macho Man won the 2013 Breeders’ Cup Classic after successfully prepping in the Awesome Again Stakes, his frst grade 1 victory. He stands at Hill ‘n’ Dale Farms.

ANNE M. EBERHARDT

BLAME

Blame ended Zenyatta’s unbroken win streak in the 2010 Breeders’ Cup Classic. In all, Blame won nine of 13 races and never fnished worse than third. Blame has had a successful stallion career at Claiborne Farm, which bred the champion in partnership with Adele Dilschneider.

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ZENYATTA Zenyatta became the frst and only female winner of the Breeders’ Cup Classic when she won the 2009 edition at Santa Anita Park.

Curlin’s impressive resume as a racehorse includes victories in the 2007 Preakness Stakes, that year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic, and the 2008 Dubai World Cup. At one time he was the world’s leading earner. A highly successful stallion, Curlin stands at Hill ‘n’ Dale Farms.

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PHOTOS BY Z

SKIP DICKSTEIN

CURLIN

ANNE M. EBERHARDT PHOTOS

PHOTO ALBUM

SANTA ANITA PARK

Zenyatta today is a broodmare at Lane’s End Farm. A bronze statue at Santa Anita pays tribute to the popular champion.

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THOROUGHBRED BOULEVARD

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The second in a three-part series traces the link between Old Frankfort Pike and the development of the Thoroughbred industry along this historic corridor By Edward L. Bowen

COURTESY OF ALEX SLITZ/LEXINGTON HERALD-LEADER

n October 2021, a segment of Old Frankfort Pike was designated a National Scenic Byway by the U. S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration. The administration cites that such designations “recognize roads … that exhibit one or more of six core intrinsic qualities — scenic, natural, historic, recreational, archaeological, or cultural — contributing toward a unique travel experience.”

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DAVID COYLE

THOROUGHBRED BOULEVARD

Thousands of acres along Old Frankfort Pike have a connection today to the early 20th century’s infuential Idle Hour Stock Farm.

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An acknowledged gambler, Col. E.R. Bradley played a winning hand when it came to Thoroughbred racehorses.

BERT MORGAN

Edward Riley Bradley was a character whose life made a great myth — and vice versa. He was born in Pittsburgh of Irish heritage in 1859 and went to work in steel mills. Restless, he ventured westward from his home state. Gambling appealed and would carry a burgeoning career in the turbulent Southwest to posh casinos from

KEENELAND LIBRARY/MEADORS COLLECTION

or most of the frst half of the 20th century, the leading Toroughbred horse farm on Old Frankfort Pike was Col. E.R. Bradley’s Idle Hour Stock Farm. Bradley bought the core of the farm in 1906 and over 40 years raised four Kentucky Derby winners. Afer his death in 1946, the farm property and close surroundings continued as sources of Derby winners and other star runners.

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PHOTO ARCH OF KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY

UNIVERSITY

OF KENTUC

KY PHOTO

ARCHIVES

SHOWPLACE Idle Hour Stock Farm was as beautiful as it was productive.

MATRIARCH Bradley’s foundation mare, La Troienne, exerted immense infuence on the breed. BLOODHORSE LIBRARY

Texas to Chicago to Palm Beach. Bradley once testifed in a Senate hearing as follows: Having identifed himself as “a gambler,” he was asked what he would gamble upon. Answer: “almost anything.” One thing he toned down on gambling with was his health. He was in middle age when advised by a physician that the world of smoky gambling halls could shorten his life. Whereupon, Bradley might have mused: “Hmmmm. How can a man be outdoors more and still fnd some action? Aha! Horse racing!” Bradley purchased his frst racehorse late in the 19th century. His initial purchase of 300 acres of Kentucky land would grow to more than 1,200. His wife, Agnes, named the property Idle Hour. Olin Gentry, himself an iconic horseman, managed the Idle Hour property for Bradley and then for other owners under diferent farm names. Gentry recalled that Bradley knew he could not aford the better race fllies from England, so he set out to acquire close-up relatives to Oaks winners and the like. Bradley zeroed in on the Kentucky Derby as a special target, and when the fashionable flly Regret won the event in 1915, the Derby soared in national prestige. His frst Derby winner was bred through a pattern that bypassed any theories or genetic knowledge that might have been explained to him by sage horsemen. Te mare that foaled 1921 winner Behave Yourself had come onto the market some years before because her owner was killed by the showgirl who was his paramour. Naturally, the owner was a crony of Bradley’s. He was a California bookmaker with the central casting name of Frank T. “Caesar” Young. Te “Colonel” (a contrived appellation) won the Kentucky Derby again in 1926 with Bubbling Over, then added back-to-back wins in the next decade with Burgoo King (1932) and Brokers

IVES

THOROUGHBRED BOULEVARD

Tip (1933). Te four Derby wins was a record for an owner at that time and garnered fame for Bradley’s trainer as “Derby Dick” Tompson. With stallion Black Toney leading the way (despite the cringeworthy name as seen from today’s standards), the list of 15 champions bred by Bradley commenced in 1919. Black Toney, who had been bred by James R. Keene and purchased by Bradley, sired Miss Jemima,

regarded as co-champion juvenile flly. Other champions sired by Black Toney are Balladier, Black Helen, and Bimelech. All were of lasting signifcance, and all illustrated the pattern of naming horses starting with the letter B. Bimelech was a son of La Troienne, who was the greatest of the Bradley pluckings of good European bloodlines existing within an indiferent runner. La Troienne was bred in France by Marcel

E.D. WEDDLE

BROKERS TIP Won the infamous ÒFighting Finish DerbyÓ of 1933

TURF PIX

BIMELECH Won the 1940 Preakness and Belmont and became an infuential sire

TURF PIX

BUBBLING OVER Won the 1926 Kentucky Derby

Boussac and born in 1926. She was purchased at a Newmarket sale for $6,250 and imported to Idle Hour. La Troienne foaled Bimelech, Black Helen, and three other stakes winners. Nine of her daughters became important broodmares, and the fow of hundreds of stakes winners from La Troienne’s female family continues as the completion of a century since her birth approaches. Bradley maintained a broodmare band

of about 30 through most of his career as a breeder. When Bradley passed away in 1946, he had bred 128 stakes winners.

A Legacy Lasting and Shared

radley was a widower with no children, and his brother, John, his executor, had made it

known he was not interested in carrying on the Idle Hour breeding operation. By the Nov. 16, 1946, issue, BloodHorse was able to report the details of the distribution of Bradley’s property and horses. Te key fgures were three major breeders: King Ranch (under the leadership of Robert J. Kleberg Jr.), Ogden Phipps, and John Hay Whitney. Tat trio went in together to purchase as a syndicate the breeding stock and farm property. BloodHorse reported that tax stamps indicated the 1,292-acre property was valued at $901,000. Maj. Louie Beard, an associate of Whitney who represented the syndicate, stated that published reports placing the horses’ total value at $2,681,545 were “approximately correct.” Te partners negotiated among themselves for mares, yearlings, and weanlings, and each received major bloodstock for his own already highclass operation. King Ranch received 11 mares, Phipps received fve, and nine went to Greentree Stud, which Whitney had inherited along with his sister Joan Whitney Payson. Te syndicate partners resold a major draf of 14 mares to Edward S. Moore, along with 10 yearlings and 10 weanlings. Seven horses were sold to Charles S. Howard, renowned since the 1930s as owner of Seabiscuit, and Elizabeth Arden Graham’s Maine Chance Farm bought a special weanling for a special price. A full brother to 1945 Horse of the Year Busher, the young son of War Admiral—Baby League, by Bubbling Over, was priced at $50,000, a record for a weanling at the time. Of the syndicate members, only Kleberg was interested in retaining acreage for a Kentucky farm, and he established a Kentucky division of King Ranch. Other parcels were sold, but they continued as the birthplace of distinguished Toroughbreds.

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THOROUGHBRED BOULEVARD

KEENELAND LIBRARY/MEADORS COLLECTION

Bluegrass Heights and Good Neighbor Bradley

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TONY LEONARD PHOTO

ADORS COLLECTION

ANNE M. EBERHARDT

CLASSIC SUCCESS Horace N. Davis Jr. bred Amberoid, winner of the 1966 Belmont. Horace N. “Colonel” Davis was the third generation of the family to operate the farm.

KEENELAND LIBRARY/ME

radley had ways of supporting the present and future during his lifetime as well as aferward. Four years afer his purchase of a frst Idle Hour parcel in 1906, he had a new neighbor. In 1910 Horace N. Davis Sr. bought land on the southern side of Old Frankfort Pike, across the road from what became the main portion of Idle Hour. Davis was knowledgeable about horses but did not intend his open agricultural land to become a horse farm. His new neighbor, though, prevailed on him to board some mares, as Bradley’s bloodstock holdings increased more rapidly than his land acquisitions. In time, Davis developed his own broodmare band and, doing business as Bluegrass Heights Farm, began marketing yearlings annually at Saratoga in New York. Bradley once ofered the mare Minawand to Davis free, to get her of the Idle Hour roster. As recalled by author Peter Chew in Te Kentucky Derby, the First 100 Years (Houghton Mifin Co., 1974), Davis responded by “looking his gif horse in the mouth.” He would take the mare only if she came with a season to Bradley stallion Bubbling Over, the 1926 Derby winner. Further, Davis stipulated that he and Bradley would go shares in the resulting foal. Minawand produced a foal Bradley liked more than anything else she had produced, so he bought full interest. Tree years later, in 1932, Bradley had his third Derby winner, Burgoo King, who was listed as bred in partnership with Davis. Te same year Burgoo King won the Kentucky Derby, a BloodHorse article noted Gladys Mills Phipps had visited Bluegrass Heights. She was checking on her young stallion prospect Hard Tack, whom she had placed at stud on the farm. Hard Tack had just four foals in his frst crop the following

EARLY PARTNERS Bluegrass Heights founder Horace N. Davis was an early partner of Bradley. Son Horace Jr. (pictured center) was a veterinarian who continued the farm’s winning ways.

ROOM WITH A VIEW Dr. Horace N. Davis Jr. in his offce on the farm

ANNE M. EBERHARDT

SKEETS MEADORS

spring, but one of them was Seabiscuit, a future Hall of Famer bred by Mrs. Phipps and foaled at Claiborne Farm near Paris, Kentucky. Seventy years later, the major motion picture “Seabiscuit” was produced, and by that time movies connected to Bluegrass Heights were old hat. In the 1940s there had been an earlier movie, “Te Story of Seabiscuit,” as well as the movie “Black Gold.” Te 1924 Derby winner Black Gold had been foaled and raised at Bluegrass Heights. His breeder and owner, Rosa Hoots (whose mother was an Osage Native American), had beseeched Bradley to accept her mare Useeit for Black Toney. Hoots did so to honor her late husband, who had been ruled of racing when he refused to relinquish Useeit afer a claiming race. Black Gold was the result of the mating with Black Toney. (In his Kentucky Derby book, author

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Chew recalled that the ever-crafy Bradley had spotted Useeit as a runner and told Mr. Hoots to be in touch when he was ready to breed her.) One wonders if the committees that assess “cultural” aspects of scenic highways routinely run across such episodes of American life!

Darby Dan to the Fore

n 1944, Toroughbred breeder John W. Galbreath purchased 100 acres adjacent to Idle Hour from W.P. Veal. A soul dedicated to his beloved Ohio, Galbreath had established Darby Dan Farm in that state. He needed a headquarters for mares to send to Kentucky stallions in his goal of upgrading his stock. Bradley had been an early adviser to Galbreath and had sold him some horses.

ORS SKEETS MEAD

BLOODHORSE

CLASSIC YIELD From left to right: Another parcel of the former Idle Hour Farm became Mr. and Mrs. Dan Rice’s Danada, which bred and raced 1965 Derby winner Lucky Debonair.

UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY PHOTO ARCHIVES

KEENELAND LIBRARY/MEADORS COLLECTION

ANNE M. EBERHARDT

POWERHOUSE Clockwise from top left: John W. Galbreath leads in 1963 Derby winner Chateaugay; a view of Darby Dan Farm; infuential sire Ribot; Proud Clarion’s 1967 Derby trophy

Two decades afer Bradley’s death, Galbreath won Kentucky Derbys with Chateaugay (1963) and Proud Clarion (1967). Sandwiched between those classics was the 1965 Derby of Lucky Debonair, bred and owned by Mr. and Mrs. Dan Rice’s Danada Farm, the name of another parcel of Bradley’s former farm. Moreover, the 1966 Belmont Stakes was won by Amberoid, whose home was the neighboring Bluegrass Heights. Galbreath had achieved a unique climb from fnancial obscurity to enormous corporate standing. He had led a great many citizens with him on upward paths of their own dimensions. Te pattern began when, as a young man, he had discerned investment opportunity during — of all times — the Depression. He contrived a plan in Columbus, Ohio, whereby homeowners could make

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COURTESY OF KING RANCH

THOROUGHBRED BOULEVARD

TEXAS-KENTUCKY CONNECTION Texas-bred Assault won the 1946 Triple Crown for Robert J. Kleberg Jr.’s King Ranch. The Kentucky division of King Ranch once was part of Idle Hour Stock Farm.

additional investments that they not only profted from but also helped others get on their fnancial feet, as well. Galbreath’s subsequent success ranged from building skyscrapers to helping New York racing enter a modern phase by rebuilding Aqueduct and renovating Belmont Park. Galbreath named Darby Dan Farm in Ohio for Big Darby Creek, on his farm property, in conjunction with the name of his son Dan. He used the farm name in Kentucky, too, and by the middle to late 1950s the name was taking on considerable international prestige. Chateaugay, the 1963 Derby-Belmont winner and 3-year-old champion, was sired by Darby Dan stallion Swaps and was out of Banquet Bell. During the next decade, a homebred stakes winner, Bramalea, emerged as a major mare when her son Roberto won the famed Epsom Derby in England. Roberto was named for Roberto Clemente, a star on the Pittsburgh Pirates, a team Galbreath owned and that won the World Series. Galbreath was the frst to own winners of both

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snapshot of Old Frankfort Pike during those mid-1960s when Chateaugay, et al., were winning classic races: Farms fronting the byway included Big Sink Farm, Blue Grass Heights, Bonnie Braes Farm, Circle M., Darby Dan Farm, Deepwood Farm, Elkchester Farm, Highcroft, King Ranch, Matron Farm, Shadowlawn, Wolf Run Farm, etc.

the Kentucky Derby and Epsom Derby. For Darby Dan’s stallion roster, Galbreath leased Ribot, the great European champion whose unbeaten career included back-toback runnings in the 1950s of France’s Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. Galbreath reached out to Europe again when Sea-Bird II came along in the 1960s to earn comparisons to Ribot in the minds of some horsemen. Ribot and SeaBird II both stood at Darby Dan with signifcant results for Galbreath and for many other breeders.

Galbreath’s 1974 Preakness and Belmont Stakes winner, Little Current, was a son of Sea-Bird II, while his major stallions Graustark and His Majesty were sons of Ribot. Galbreath died at 90 in 1988. His last major triumphs had included Proud Truth’s victory in the Breeders’ Cup Classic in 1985. Tus, a career that emphasized tradition also embraced the signifcant new series of races that had been inaugurated only a year earlier. Galbreath was the breeder of 77 stakes winners,

KEENELAND LIBRARY/MEADORS COLLECTION

BLOOD-HORSE LIBRARY

KEENELAND LIBRARY/MEADORS COLLECTION

FERTILE ACREAGE King Ranch produced numerous stakes winners in Kentucky. 1936 Derby winner Bold Venture stood for a time at the Kentucky division of King Ranch before going to Texas.

including 10 bred in partnership with Mrs. Galbreath (who bred 25 separately). Darby Dan continued under Dan Galbreath, but he passed away seven years later. Te family developed a plan for carrying into the 21st century. Darby Dan is now run by John W. Phillips, whose mother was John W. Galbreath’s daughter. Under Phillips, Darby Dan indeed crossed into a new century and, as will be covered in the fnal segment of this series, is an ongoing chapter in the broad sweep of history embracing more than a century.

King Ranch Kentucky

hile the mid-1970s saw such moments for Darby Dan as Little Current’s classic wins, that era was identifed with somber conclusions for neighboring King Ranch and Bluegrass Heights. Te year 1972 saw the death of Dr. Horace Davis Jr., who had succeeded his father as head of Bluegrass

Heights. Kleberg of King Ranch passed away in 1974. A practicing veterinarian as well as operator of the farm, Davis was the breeder of Amberoid, winner of the Wood Memorial and Belmont Stakes. Following Davis Jr.’s death, Bluegrass Heights passed to a third generation of Horace N. Davises, Horace III, known as “Colonel.” Kleberg had bred improvement into the Quarter Horse breed for its use on a cattle ranch. Also, in the 1930s, he was so impressed by the Toroughbred stallion Chicaro that he not only bought the stallion but also traveled to Kentucky to learn more. He acquired breeding stock and bred to race in the King Ranch silks. By the time the Idle Hour stock became available, Kleberg’s mark in the Toroughbred world include his Texas homebred Assault, winner of the 1946 Triple Crown. Kleberg bred a total of 86 Toroughbred stakes winners. Te last champion Kleberg bred was Gallant Bloom, a Gal-

lant Man flly who reigned as champion of her age at 2 and 3 in 1968-69. Since Kleberg’s death, his daughter, Helen K. Groves, continued prominently in racing until her passing in May 2022, and all of her fve daughters have made a mark in the sport. One of her daughters, Helen Alexander, had been designated by Kleberg for management of the King Ranch Toroughbred sector. Converting what had been primarily a private breeding operation, Alexander shifed King Ranch to a boarding farm, also providing yearling breaking and sales preparation. She took it to the heights as a consignor, topping the prestigious Keeneland July yearling sale four times in the 1990s. Alexander also established her own Middlebrook Farm on Old Frankfort Pike and has continued as a major breeder, individually, and in partnerships with her mother and sisters. In 1989, the King Ranch Kentucky breeding stock was sold to Sheikh Mohammed Al Maktoum of Dubai, whose

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COURTESY OF ALEX SLITZ/LEXINGTON HERALD-LEADER

THOROUGHBRED BOULEVARD

Ownership of some of the farms along Old Frankfort Pike has changed over the years but the land remains a consistent source of top horses.

family had established an expansive network of international farms and racetracks. In 1998 the farm itself was sold to Tree Chimneys Farm, which had emerged to be one of the leading farms on Old Frankfort Pike under Robert Clay. Ten years later, the relationship of old Bradley property to Bluegrass Heights took an additional turn. Horace Davis III sold Bluegrass Heights in 2008 to Satish and

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Anne Sanan, who had established Padua as the name of their breeding operation. Te 275-acre farm was designated to be managed as an operational division of the adjoining Tree Chimneys Farm. KM (Author’s note: Te fnal segment of this series, in addition to providing updates on farms mentioned herein, will include newer farms and developments. Also the

expansion of nearby Calumet Farm now gives Old Frankfort Pike additional connection to another of the celebrated names in Toroughbred history. Te fnal chapter will also circle back to the property known in the 19th century as Woodburn. Former Kentucky Gov. Brereton C. Jones and his family have added a continuing modern chapter of that epochal farm which was owned by Mrs. Jones’ ancestors.)

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And so, he built. When the pandemic hit, he realized how precious that project was. “I count the hours pushing my daughter on that swing as one of the highlights of my life,” West recalls. That’s when the idea came to craft something that would bring joy to families. Every swing is different. Every piece of wood has character. Every rope is braided by hand. Even the wood stain is a custom mix that was used on the foors of the West family’s home in Cashiers. “My whole family helps with the swings,” West says. West partnered with a non-proft in Jacksonville that helps refugees get on their feet and an organization in Tanzania that plants a tree for every swing sold. “We love having an opportunity to support the people and stay connected to Tanzania for our daughter.” West has since seen photos that capture smiling faces on Southern Pine Swings. “It inspires people to be together, side by side, fying through the air,” he says. “The fact that my swings are bringing joy to families is what it’s all about.”

FOOD & DRINK WINNER

PIPER AND LEAF

V BRIAR PATCH BREW | Lacey’s Springs, Alabama | $12 | Piperandleaf.com In the South, tea is usually served syrupy sweet, over ice, and ideally sipped on a sweltering day while perched on a porch. Not for Piper and Leaf. The Alabama-based tea company focuses on healthy, highquality teas made with real ingredients one can enjoy year-round. “It was almost an accident!” says Amanda Towry. The team planned to sell compost and compost tea at a farmers market; no one wanted the compost, but the tea was a hit.

Every Piper and Leaf blend is made with locally-sourced ingredients. The Briar Patch Brew is a gourmet tisane straight from the forests of Lacey’s Springs. The mixture is packed with real fruit (blueberries, blackberries, elderberries, currants) and is complemented by hibiscus, sage, and lemongrass. These foragers brave the deep berry brambles of Northern Alabama for front- porch-worthy sips, so you don’t have to.

“Te unique favors made this stand out for me and appeal to a wider audience.” —Ashley Smith, Black Soil

WEARS WINNER

J U N E BA BY C L O T H E S

V UP-CYCLED RUFFLE ROMPER | Grand Rapids, Michigan By day Rachel Visser is an ER nurse and mother to four young children by night one would imagine she’s catching up on her sleep. Instead, she sews. Five years ago, the frontline worker picked up the skill when her neighbor offered to make leggings for the Visser kids. “I brought over a bottle of wine and had her teach me,” Visser shares. Visser bought a Singer machine the next day and by the powers of merlot and YouTube, she mastered the craft. June

“She is taking things that might end up in landflls and repurposing them to pass on to another family.” —Mike Barker, Made Market

| $50 | Sold on Etsy

Baby started exclusively with soft bamboo fabrics that were environmentally friendly. In 2019, her father-in-law joked that if she really wanted to be eco-friendly she could use clothing that was already in landflls. “I chewed on that for a while,” Visser says. Today, her baby clothing is exclusively designed from treasured, donated, or discarded textiles. Each one-of-a-kind item has a story to tell. Maybe Grandpa’s favorite button-down lives on as his grandson’s new romper, or maybe a unique piece from Goodwill has a history we’ll never know. Nevertheless, Visser says “at least the story no longer ends in a landfll.”

HOME GOODS WINNER

T E R RA N E G L A S S C O.

V NO. 12 ROCKS GLASS

Spruce Pine, North Carolina | $44 | Terraneglass.com

A glass should feel as good in your hand as it looks on the shelf, according to Colin O’Reilly, owner and lead gaffer of Terrane Glass, a small production studio specializing in hand-blown barware. Each glass is gathered, shaped, blown, molded, cut, and polished to exacting specifcations. At the right angle, faint signs of the blowing process and slight tool marks can be seen characterizing the textured pattern of the No. 12 Rocks Glass.

The artisans behind Terrane aim to create items that one would instinctively reach for, and each handcrafted piece is intended to elevate the experience of imbibing while not distracting from it. O’Reilly knows most of their customers aren’t looking to fll their entire kitchen with the products, and that isn’t the point. He and his team simply want to bring another element of enjoyment into taking that moment to savor your favorite drink. Cheers to that.

“They elevate the experience of a great drink and show to your guests that you did more than just make them a cocktail; you care about the way which it’s served.” —Chris Thomas, Made South

PATRONS’ PICK AWARD Now is your turn to pick who you think deserves to be awarded as a master of their craft. Now through June 1, you vote on one of the 12 fnalists on KeenelandMercantile.com. The craftsman who receives the highest number of votes will receive $1,000 and be awarded the Patrons’ Pick Award.

HANDMADE

S.R. Blackinton VHAMMERED MINT JULEP

CUP Smithfeld, RI | $875 | Srblackinton.com

“I remember saying to a high school jewelry teacher that someday I’d make the Kentucky Derby trophy,” ffth-generation silversmith Susanne Juaire recounts. The Rhode Islandbased business became the sole provider of the Kentucky Derby Gold Cup in 1975, a position still held today. The Hammered Mint Julep Cup, however, originated by accident after a traditional vessel had been damaged. “Instead of scrapping it, we took a jeweler’s hammer to it to create this cool texture,” Juaire says. “It brings a fresh look to an old-world tradition that can be admired by new generations.”

Clayton & Crume VTHE ORIGINAL GLASS FLASK Louisville, KY | $125 | Claytonandcrume.com

Clayton & Crume was founded on the simple idea that all leather goods should last a lifetime. And to make sure that happens, they stitch every thread, dye every edge, and produce every product by hand in their Louisville workshop. The Original Glass Flask design was inspired by iconic bourbon distilleries. “Cheap metal fasks ruin perfectly crafted Kentucky Bourbon, so we decided to fx it,” Tyler Jury says. Glass was the solution. Full-grain, English saddle leather is wrapped around breakresistant glass, secured with steadfast stitching, and topped with a solid brass cap; the detailed knurling completes the look and makes an easy grip.

Darren K. Moore Jewelry VOLD FRIENDS PENDANT WEARS

Babaloo Jewelry VVENUS DANGLE Lexington, KY | $89 Babaloojewelry.com

As a member of the Nez Percé tribe, Almeta Dellagnolo created Babaloo Jewelry out of a longing to reconnect with her heritage and combine a love of jewelry design with traditional materials. Her Venus Dangle earrings are the manifestation of that desire, expressed through artist-shaped clay and a spray of hand-selected feathers. Babaloo is a one-woman show that Dellagnolo calls both an enormous challenge and a fantastic privilege. “As a woman I want everyone to feel welcome,” the artist says. “As a mother, I want to improve on sustainable practices, and as an indigenous woman, I want to bring visibility to native arts.”

Anthem, AZ | $3,475 Darrenkmoorejewelry.com

Kentucky-born Darren K. Moore showed an interest in art from an early age. Because he grew up in an area immersed in horse culture, it was inevitable that an equine-related element would emerge in whatever he was making. In 1976 Moore’s father bought a jewelry business, and as a result, Moore’s medium of choice started shifting from oils and watercolors to precious stones and metals. In 1993, he began creating a series of designs focused on Thoroughbred racing to provide wearables for race fans. The Old Friends pendant F eembodies all that is precious to the Bluegrass State: B ttradition, passion, and naturally, a hhorses.

FOOD & DRINK

InBooze oze VALCOHOL INFUSION KITS Grandville, MI | $18 | Inbooze.com

After hearing about many home bartending mishaps and struggles with complex recipes, it fnally clicked for food blogger Ashleigh Evans. “Make fun infusions for people at home!” From her own kitchen, she began dehydrating everything in sight. Each ingredient is sourced, sliced, and dried in-house to create tea-bag-style infusions kits Her business blew up in 2020 when drinking at home became a common pastime. “I have the pandemic to thank for that and a little blessing from Oprah’s stocking stuffer list.” What started with three favors blew up to 30 varieties.

Modica VCUCUMBER ALOE

MARGARITA MIX Louisville, KY | $16 | Drinkmodica.com

The typical American consumes 25 pounds of sugar a year from cocktails alone. To JD Mitchel and Eric Wentworth, that sounded like a literal headache so they set out to create better-tasting, better-for-you cocktail options. In 2020, they introduced Modica as the world’s frst superfood cocktail mix. These mixers are fortifed with nutrient-packed ingredients that take the guilt out of indulging. Modica comes from modicum: a small amount of a great thing. “We think you can enjoy everything in moderation,” Mitchel says, “including cocktails.”

Aura at Home VHAND-CARVED SELENITE HOME GOODS

Smithey ith VIRONWAREE COOKWARE Charleston, SC $80-$325 Smithey.com

After World War II many iconic American cast iron makers were replaced by companies creating cheaper stamped aluminum and Tefon coatings. “We were inspired by the superiority of vintage cast-iron design,” Smithey founder Isaac Morton says. “We thought the world deserved cookware that lived up to the best.” Smithey Ironware creates heirloomquality carbon steel and cast-iron pieces for culinary enthusiasts who appreciate craftsmanship. Each piece is polished to a mirror-like fnish before being triple-seasoned at their shop in North Charleston’s old naval base— the end results are naturally nonstick, easy to clean, and visually stunning.

LAMPS Versailles, KY | $1,450+ Auraathome.com

Using his grandfather’s chisel, Brad Bacon spends days carefully transforming layers of brittle stone. He was used to working with wood, but not until he discovered selenite did he fnd his true gifts. It was his wife Barbara’s idea to start crafting one-of-a-kind lamps as a team; she handles the fnishing touches: selecting the shade, fnial, and turn knob— which is always a gemstone in honor of her mother. The duo believes “craftsmanship” applies not only to products but to life. Barbara says each piece is “a testimony to thriving in the face of adversity, following your heart and fnding joy in simple things.”

SOMETHING

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NEW The mystique of the Thoroughbred lifestyle has enabled Broussard and Rosie Hundley to reposition Saxony Farm.

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H I S TO R I C SAXONY FA R M H A S E VO LV E D into a V E N U E for WEDDINGS and OT H E R EVENTS By Liane Crossley Photos by Kirk Schlea

PHOTO CREDIT

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‘A

farm for all reasons” is more than a catchy slogan to promote Saxony Farm as a cozy and luxurious place for elaborate celebrations, simple gatherings, and overnight lodging in the heart of the Bluegrass. Te working Toroughbred facility, known as the starting point for a long list of top-shelf racehorses, blends its past with the present trend of opening the region’s gates to the public for a taste of Kentucky life.

Such diversifcation requires imagination, dedication, and strategic balancing that might seem overwhelming. But Saxony’s owners, Broussard and Rosie Hundley, along with some longtime staf, make it happen while raising three young daughters.

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“Tere is never a dull moment,” Rosie Hundley said. “One minute [we’re] foaling mares; the next, folding sheets. We have a wonderful team and couldn’t do any of this without them. We are both very proud of the farm and all that it can ofer to provide for our girls by making this land an asset in diferent ways.”

SAXONY SCENE

Saxony Farm has a distinguished history as a source of champion racehorses.

Despite its 10-mile proximity to downtown Lexington, Saxony Farm is serene. One can walk the roads linking the barns and buildings in near silence. Te 165-acre property is nestled on a rural byway between U.S. 421 — a main thoroughfare connecting Lexington to the state capital of Frankfort — and the renowned beauty of Old Frankfort Pike’s rolling hills. While the location of the original Saxony remains the same, the operation has transitioned through the decades from a highly regarded Toroughbred farm in the mid- and late 20th century to a diverse enterprise in the new millennium that is owned and operated by the son and daughter-in-law of founders Bruce and Susan Hundley. Te foray from commercial farm to wedding destination was a circuitous journey grounded in optimism and spanning life’s cycles that include the loss of its founders, economic changes, devotion to family, and the vision to carry Saxony to the next generation. What began with the frst wedding in 2011 has transformed to a cap of 22 weddings each year with the centerpiece being the Large Polo Barn, which previously housed Saxony’s string of 38 polo ponies. Renovated in 2016 to open half of the barn for events, the structure recently underwent a second makeover. Te now 6,000-squarefoot building boasts a 60-foot vaulted interior with 12 iron chandeliers and a custom concrete foor. Popular for wedding receptions and other festive occasions, the barn can accommodate 400 seated guests and has plenty of extra room for standing. Tis roominess provides a dramatic setting for other functions such as live auctions and movie nights. Preparation and cleanup are a collective efort by the family and their team. Te crew

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Once home to 38 polo ponies, the Large Polo Barn now serves as a venue for weddings and other events. The 6,000-square-foot building boasts a 60-foot vaulted interior with 12 iron chandeliers and a custom concrete foor.

includes a father-and-son duo who has worked for the Hundleys for more than 20 years and resident event planner Angela Sallee and her team at Bit by Bit Events. Broussard’s sister, Kristen, and the Hundleys’ daughters, Isabel (10), Helen (9), and Lucy (4), are instrumental in every way. “Our daughters are becoming incredibly helpful with setting tables and stacking chairs,” Rosie said. “Isabel will ofen join me in showing prospective clients around the farm.” For smaller get-togethers, guests can opt for another former polo barn that originally housed pigs and hogs. A century-old stove in a contemporary kitchen and bar area symbolizes the Hundleys’ respect for the property’s oldest building, which is remembered as a gathering spot for the Toroughbred industry’s leaders of yesteryear. As was the custom during that era, the Hundleys good-naturedly assure that “what happens at Saxony, stays at Saxony.” Tey are mindful that attendees are much more than customers. “Weddings especially are a long-term relationship with the client; we get to know them and work with them, which makes it that more special,” Rosie Hundley said. Saxony welcomes those desiring an extended visit with on-site lodging at Te Dew Drop In or Te Cottage. Each is in a private setting with porches ofering spectacular views, fully equipped kitchens, current and antique décor, and freshly baked cookies. Guests are encouraged to stroll the property and stables to see the horses up close.

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An event venue known as the Small Polo Barn features a century-old stove, leather boots from circa 1764, and a statue of polo players that speaks to the Hundley family’s love of the sport.

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Te latest incarnation of Saxony Farm might not have happened had Bruce Hundley and Susan Saxon not met through mutual friends one afernoon at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Tey eventually married and moved in 1968 to the Lexington area so Bruce could expand his hands-on racetrack experience to the breeding and selling side of the Toroughbred world. A year later they purchased the frst 80 of what grew to 500 acres and christened the land for Susan’s maiden name. Trough the decades, the Hundley and Saxony names became synonymous with high-end Toroughbreds at all stages of their careers. An impressive ratio of foals evolved into champions, mares became prolifc producers, and a steady stream of successful performers learned their early lessons in the classic-style training barn with a wraparound shedrow perfect for conditioning.

The art of equine care

Few things are as eye catching as a horse in full stride. The combination of power and grace are on full display. There is beauty in the early morning workouts, the late nights of foaling out, and the long days in between. At Hagyard, we think the healthcare that gets them across the fnish line should be equally masterful – an extraordinary combination of science and artistry. Care personalized to each horse and carefully designed until they are the picture of health. Call us, so we can create a masterpiece together.

Hag y ard .c o m • 85 9.2 5 5.8 74 1

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BRED, RAISED, AND/OR TRAINED AT SAXONY

Saxony offers accommodations in The Cottage, above, and The Dew Drop In, below.

• TEPIN – 2015 and 2016 North American champion grass female; earnings of nearly $4.5 million • ARAZI – 1991 champion 2-year-old male in North America and France; earned $1.2 million; Keeneland sale graduate • FLY SO FREE – 1990 champion 2-year-old in North America; earned $2.3 million; Keeneland sale graduate • WASTED TEARS – Multiple grade 2 winner; dam of 2021 champion 2-year-old male Corniche • STARRER – Multiple grade 1 winner; earned $1 million; Keeneland sale graduate • HOLLYWOOD STORY – Multiple grade 1 winner; earned $1.1 million • AZARENKA – 2013 Horse of the Year in Peru; Keeneland sale graduate • AJDAL – 1987 champion sprinter in England; Keeneland sale graduate • ZILZAL – 1989 Horse of the Year in England; Keeneland sale graduate • MACANAL – 1995 German champion; Keeneland sale graduate • MAKEUP ARTIST – Grade 3 winner; Keeneland sale graduate • SPECTATOR – Grade 2 winner; multiple grade 1-placed • KARAMA – Grade 2-placed and stakes winner • JAREER – $7.1 million Keeneland July yearling

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SAXONY AT A GLANCE What: event venue for every occasion and overnight lodging options on working Thoroughbred farm Who: owned and operated by Rosie and Broussard Hundley

Website: www.saxonyfarm.net Special features: stunning views of rural countryside and Thoroughbreds, tranquil setting but close to downtown and area attractions

Where: Lexington, Kentucky

Graduates include back-to-back Eclipse Award champion 2-year-old males Arazi and Fly So Free, who both sold at Keeneland in 1989. Te former brought $350,000 as a weanling at the November breeding stock sale and the latter was an $80,000 September yearling. Other notable alumni are Tepin, Wasted Tears, and Zilzal. Two-time champion grass mare Tepin received her early lessons under saddle at Saxony and went on to win the 2015 Breeders’ Cup Mile and two other Grade 1 stakes at Keeneland. Grade 2 winner and near millionaire Wasted Tears was born at Saxony and became the dam of 2021 champion juvenile male Corniche. Zilzal, England’s Horse of the Year in 1989, was foaled at Saxony and sold for $750,000 at the 1987 Keeneland July sale. Te elder Hundley passed away fve years afer his wife’s death in 2004, and the

SAXONY SERVICES farm was methodically downsized. A section with Old Frankfort Pike frontage is now Stonehaven Steadings, where the aforementioned Wasted Tears resides, and Dundrum Farm. Te Toroughbred reduction continued until a handful of broodmares and their foals remained for the Hundleys and longtime clients.

FINDING BALANCE With a select few Toroughbreds on the property, the Hundleys have been able to grow the hospitality branch of Saxony while expanding family time. Predictably, some pastimes are connected to horses. Rosie rides when weather permits, and a retired show pony was recently welcomed for the daughters to improve their equine skills. Broussard — an avid polo player in years past — relishes seeing the girls’ interest in horses and occasionally gets in the saddle. He is more than content with Saxony’s new balance of horses and events. “When our barns were full, it got to the point where I was working really hard but was not part of the family,”

• Large Polo Barn — elegance with a barn-like feel for large gatherings featuring vaulted 60foot ceiling and iron chandeliers • Small Polo Barn — exquisite décor incudes century-old stove in modernized kitchen and bar area • Outdoor Ceremony Area — stunning views of horses, rolling hills, and Saxony training barn with ample shade from bordering trees • The Cottage — designed as a private place for brides and their wedding parties to dress and for overnight lodging; features include showers, two sinks, and kitchenette

• The Man Cave — renovated hay loft above Small Polo Barn was created for grooms and groomsmen; amenities include television, shower, mini fridge, and two balconies • The Dew Drop In — overnight lodging in private setting with highlights such as porches with spectacular views and freshly baked cookies • Fawn and Farrow — boutique shop sells Saxony-branded apparel and housewares and locally raised beef via Internet and in person

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Thoroughbreds remain an important part of Hundley’s life, but a diversifed Saxony allows more time for the second-generation horseman to spend with family.

Broussard said. “I did not want to miss out on watching my children in their activities. And we were running down the farm with too many horses and just two guys, Rosie, and me. We needed to make a change.” Te combination of horses and hosting pooled the couple’s talents to take Saxony in a new direction that incorporated Rosie’s organizational skills and previous experience. Prior to coming to the U.S. to work for a Lexington-based Toroughbred operation, she was employed as an exercise rider and groom by noted trainers and consignors in Ireland and her native England. She eventually became the sales coordinator for a leading Kentucky consignor before switching to Saxony. Teir vision repurposed their farm to continue Broussard’s mother’s reputation for gracious entertaining. Not shy of hard work and always game for a project, the Hundleys came to understand over the course of the past decade that less really is more. Tey are mindful that Saxony is centered on their relationship with each other, so they maintain a weekly ritual of an evening together. “Date night is really important, even if it means we just go to dinner for an hour,” she said. “We chat about this, that, and everything — sometimes the children, sometimes work, sometimes where we would like to go on holiday. It is vital as we push forward together nurturing the farm that we remain on the same page. It is easy for both to get on diferent tracks. We are a solid team, and we have learned to communicate better over time.” Tey have been working together since they frst met while helping friends move to a new residence. Tey then happened by each other at Keeneland’s fall auctions and race meet, but both were focused on their careers instead of romance. When the November breeding stock sale ended, Broussard called to ask her to see a James Bond movie. Teir relationship proceeded

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smoothly, and they were married two years later in 2010. “We’ve learned so many things from each other,” Rosie said. “Broussard has taught me patience and not to run headfrst into situations. He thinks through things to choose the best decision. Becoming parents has certainly taught us a lot, too. We balance each other.” Teir balancing act merges downtime with work time in appropriate measures. In addition to the couple’s standing date night, the Hundleys recharge with other getaways. Each summer for about two weeks and every other Christmas, they journey to see Rosie’s clan in England. “It is important to give us and the grounds a rest,” Broussard said. “It means we are not running a wedding mill every weekend. We don’t want to overuse the property or our team and ourselves.” While relishing the slower winter months, the Hundleys gear up for their busy seasons with a variety of improvement projects. Spring means tending to foals and getting mares pregnant while also readying for a steady stream of summer and autumn guests. In many ways their years are parallel to Bruce and Susan Hundley’s routine of mixing the business of Toroughbreds with stylish festivities in a diferent era. “Te farm and horses have been Broussard’s whole life, and that will never change,” Rosie said. “Being a second-generation horseman, there is a degree of expectation in this business. Being able to pivot to something new takes courage and grit.” KM

The grounds at Saxony, freshened from a winter break, are abloom as the Hundleys await this year’s guests.

CHANCE

By Jacalyn Carfagno Photos by Mark Mahan

TAKEN

DV8 KITCHEN SUCCEEDS WITH ITS MODEL OF WORKPLACE RECOVERY

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Owner Rob Perez greets customers at DV8 Kitchen’s East End eatery.

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Michael Harper, a DV8 East End manager, says operating as a cohesive unit helps employees succeed.

To talk with Rob Perez today you’d never believe he had to be convinced to take a chance on the idea that became DV8 Kitchen. But he did. When his wife and business partner, Diane, brought up the idea of using their business to help people in recovery, “I struggled with this idea … because it doesn’t make any sense,” he said recently, “at least when I look through the prism of a business guy.” Perez was, and is, a business guy. Afer more than 30 years as a manager and an owner, he has no illusions about the economics or realities of restaurants. Te couple, who met in a restaurant in their native California while still in their teens, had lived many places as Rob’s career in the restaurant industry grew and Diane

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worked as a fight attendant. Tey spent two happy days one Christmas in Lexington where Diane had a layover, and when he was ofered a job here several years later they decided to settle here. Eventually they created the Saul Good restaurant concept and by the time Diane broached her idea their three locations were thriving. Te idea was a restaurant where everyone — the people making croissants in the bakery, running the grill, greeting and serving and checking out the guests — is in recovery from addiction. Now, fve years and a pandemic later, the concept is a reality, with two DV8s, a bakery that serves them both, and a foundation to help other businesses learn how to employ people in recovery.

CHANCE

TAKEN Sitting at one of the colorful tables in DV8 East End with light streaming in on well-fed customers served by a busy, sober staf, Perez is more than just a believer. “I now realize it makes all the sense in the world, and I don’t know why every business doesn’t try to do it in a small way.” Lest one fear that running a good restaurant takes second place to the mission, it’s important to note that DV8 is the only restaurant in Kentucky last year to make Yelp’s list of the top 100 brunch spots in the United States. It has a fve-star ranking from the Yelp online community and reviews consistently include words such as “amazing” and “delicious” to describe the food and “kind” and “attentive” for the service. “We have three goals: high standards, high efort, build better relationships,” Perez said. Te frst two keep customers coming back while helping the people who work there achieve the third. “Tis is all about recovery, but it’s also a business that provides a service,” said Michael Harper, who started working at DV8 last summer and is now a manager at the East End location. “People expect to come in here, order food, and get timely, delicious food. So we’ve got to learn to be one unit, one cohesive machine in that kitchen.” Harper, an alcoholic, could not function as part of that humming machine while in active addiction. “Alcohol battered and bruised me for years,” he said, leading him down a path of isolation, procrastination, and misery.

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Michael Harper: “This is all about recovery, but it’s also a business that provides a service.” Below, the original DV8 Kitchen does a busy lunch service.

Te Lexington Cancer Foundation, Inc. would like to thank our generous sponsors.

Appalachian Regional Healthcare

Your support impacts our mission to improve the lives of cancer patients and their families. www.lexingtoncancerfoundation.org

CHANCE

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An employee at DV8 Kitchen on South Broadway checks on a lunch order.

Tat, Perez said, is why the model of workplace recovery makes per- at DV8 and take your mask of.” fect sense: You have to be around people, and there’s constant real-time, Tat transparency sustains not just the employees but also many real-world feedback. “In a job you see everything and it’s real … you diners who, like most other people, have seen the devastation of adtake normal work events, opportunities to give feedback, and you try dictions up close. “When I train new team members, I tell them you to turn it into a way of life.” are a poster child for people in recovery in the workplace,” Harper said. It’s a life that ofers rewards for people more familiar “People share intimate stories about a cousin, a son, with failures and punishments. “It’s nice to have these a brother, a daughter,” he said. “And then they thank tasks that you can complete; small, focused tasks,” us for what we’re doing … Tey’re reassured there are Harper said. “You can count those up as a win.” people out there who work hard at changing their lives Te frst DV8 — the name suggests that people every day.” will “deviate” from their former lifestyles — opened in WE HAVE THREE Te trouble, Perez says, is that, despite their hard 2017 in a former restaurant on South Broadway. work and success, many of his employees still fnd it GOALS: HIGH Te Perezes developed partnerships with several hard to move on to better paying, higher-skilled jobs. STANDARDS, residential recovery programs and reach out to them Among his workforce, 95 percent have been in prison, when they need to hire. One of them, Shepherd’s 75 percent for felony convictions, and those histories HIGH EFFORT, House, has been part of the program, “since the day he ofen rule them out, even from an interview. BUILD BETTER opened,” said director Jerod Tomas. About half of the Tis, he thinks, is a waste, both for individuals and people in his residential programs will work at DV8, for the economy although he understands the hesitaRELATIONhe said, ofen for as long as two years. Te combinations and concerns businesses have. “Our people who SHIPS.” tion of working at DV8 and participating in a residenare so gifed and smart and wonderful, they wouldn’t tial recovery program means “we’ve got you covered even have a chance, and, literally, fve years ago I didn’t —Rob Perez up with support,” Tomas said. At Shepherd’s House want to give them a chance.” Tis is particularly true, “we spend our time on daily living skills,” and at DV8 he said, for the 45 percent of his employees who come “what Rob’s teaching them is how to keep a job.” from generational poverty, many the children of addicts themselves. It also means that people in recovery don’t have the stress of People, he said, who “don’t have an uncle that can give them a reference hiding their struggles or their pasts. “It’s easier for everybody not and didn’t make it to the school that the hiring manager went to.” to have to wear a mask,” Tomas said. “You get to walk into work So, about a year afer the frst DV8 opened, the Perezes created a

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Save the date for Evening in the Gardens & the Keeneland Bluegrass Intl. Cup beneftting Fayette Alliance and the UK Markey Cancer Foundation.

September 8 & 9 Thanks to our 2021 sponsors! Secure your sponsorhip spot today by emailing info@fayettealliance.com.

CHANCE

TAKEN Cinnamon rolls are a DV8 Kitchen signature item.

Curry veggie tacos

Bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich

foundation they called Soulfull Enterprise (a play on the term social enterprise) to take some of the fear out of hiring people with addictions by teaching businesses how to mitigate the risks involved. To fund the foundation, the Perezes carved out the commercial baking operations into a separate business, now located at the East End location. It provides all the breakfast rolls and breads for the restaurants but also has other customers. All of the income — net of the expenses, including pay for the employees — goes into the foundation. Te foundation helps employers sort through questions such as, “where do you get into the second-chance opportunity, what are you willing to do, what are you not willing to do,” Perez said, and connects them to resources. Pre-pandemic, Perez said, they’d worked with about 90 businesses, in Kentucky and nationally.

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The DV Ocho

Ray Daniels, President, Ed Brown Society Greg Harbut, Chair, Ed Brown Society

BGCF PUTS YOU IN THE WINNER’S CIRCLE The Ed Brown Society celebrates the rich history of African-Americans in the equine industry and creates opportunities for young people of color to gain exposure, training and experience in all aspects of the Thoroughbred industry. Establishing a fiscal sponsorship fund with Blue Grass Community Foundation allows the Ed Brown Society to accept tax-deductible contributions and focus on its charitable goals while the Community Foundation handles key administrative and financial functions. Call 859.225.3343 to support all your philanthropic needs, including your time-limited project, emerging nonprofit or supporting organization.

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499 East High Street • Suite 112 • Lexington, KY 40507 / 859.225.3343

CHANCE

TAKEN One of them is Taylor Made Farm in Jessamine County, a leading Toroughbred breeding and sales operation. With the help of Perez and the foundation, Frank Taylor, a vice president at the family-run operation, developed the Taylor Made School of Horsemanship to train people with addiction histories in the basics of horsemanship. “Naturally, you have some concerns” hiring people with addiction histories and criminal records, he said, but Perez “coached me along and gave me a lot of direction and good

Perez shows an employee details of the job.

advice.” Te 90-day program teaches people the basics and then, if hired on, they are paired with a more experienced employee at Taylor Made to develop their skills. Of the 17 who have gone through the program so far, 10 work at Taylor Made while some have gone to other farms or other jobs. “Tey’re just really good, honest, grateful, loyal, hardworking

people,” Taylor said. “It’s been very benefcial for our business, very benefcial for our culture, and it’s just good for society.” For DV8, as for every other restaurant business, the past two years have been challenging. In early 2020 the Perezes agreed to a lease to open the East End location and decided to fund it by selling their Saul Good build-

GRAFFITI AND PAINTED TABLES BRIGHTEN DV8 EAST END

n a bright spring day people lunching at DV8’s East End location sit bathed in light and surrounded by color. Graffti paintings on the walls glowed with messages of hope and rebirth while brightly painted tables tell diners about nonprofts helping people in recovery. At frst glance the look might seem out of step with the trauma that’s brought many employees to DV8: struggles with addiction, incarceration, and, often, poverty. But Diane Perez sees it differently. “Working and not doing drugs is happy and joyful,” she said. Garrett Rea, the graffti artist responsible for the interior and exterior wall paintings, agreed. “Recovery is not death; it’s about life and living and growing.” Five years ago when Perez and her husband, Rob, were developing the frst

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Artist Garrett Rea created the interior and exterior wall paintings. DV8 on Broadway, Father Norman Fischer introduced them to Rea, then a high school junior. Rea had evolved from an “awful” frst attempt at graffti in his family’s unfnished

basement to completing commissions for family and friends, and painting scenery for local theaters. But DV8 on Broadway was his “frst real big gig.” Graffti can be a dark, grungy form, but the Perezes “wanted something legible with just enough edge that it didn’t get too super soft,” Rea said. He began sketching. Soon an arrow pointing up became part of the theme as well as halos that appear frequently in the artwork; bright colors such as yellow, red, and green outweighed darker hues. He even created an image of DV8’s signature cinnamon roll with angel wings and its own halo. When people came to the restaurant to work or eat, “they were blown away that it’s as pretty as it is,” Diane Perez said. In 2020 when the Perezes began planning

DV8 East End now produces all of the company’s baked goods. Right, Diane Perez says DV8 Kitchen has changed Rob’s life.

ing in Hamburg. Tat transaction closed on the last day of February and three weeks later the world shut down. “Tere were some white-knuckle moments,” Diane Perez said, as they maneuvered through the pandemic. Tey built out the interior of DV8 East End — and waited. Without the sale of the Hamburg building, banking the $900,000, “there’s no way we would have made it, at all, not even possible.”

Finally, in September 2021 the second DV8 opened. Te motto of DV8 Kitchen is “life changing food,” and one of the people whose life has been changed is Rob Perez himself, says his wife. An alcoholic, Rob went through treatment years ago and has never relapsed, she said. “He was great, and he didn’t drink,” but “he was kind of done with it; he didn’t embrace recovery like we want our people to.”

their second location they reached out to Rea again. He sketched and painted, coming back time and again. As the interior was built out, Rea would get a call saying, “OK, we have a new wall,” and another bright image would take shape. The painted tables also morphed from the frst location, where Fischer, the pastor of St. Peter Claver Church downtown, and other community members were invited to paint the large, communal tables. For East End the Perezes reached out to 14 nonprofits working with people in recovery and paired them with a local artist to paint a table expressing their mission. Some $1,500 from DV8 grew into $7,000 for expenses and prize money. Small vignettes of the tables and artists went up on DV8’s Facebook page, with winners selected by the number

of “likes” they got. There was also a live online event where experts weighed in on the tables. As DV8 East End got closer to opening, Rea and the Perezes worked on a concept for the outdoor mural that faces Midland Avenue. They wanted to incorporate downtown and specifcally the East End neighborhood. When members of the community were invited in to look at a sketch, they loved the colors and the dandelion growing out of a brick wall but thought something was missing: shotgun homes. After many drafts (“it’s 80 percent working it out, 20 percent execution,” Rea said) he was ready to go. So, in May 2021 he worked “sunup to sundown” painting the mural. “I’m proud of it all, but I’m really proud of that,” he said. Rea uses “Mercy” as

When she proposed something like DV8, “he didn’t want to do it, not at all,” and even when he agreed, he thought it would be “my project on the side.” But as DV8 took shape, Rob became more and more involved, in both the business and the mission. “He’s more into his recovery now than he ever has been in 30 years of sobriety,” Diane Perez said. “It totally changed his life.” KM

Customers such as Madison Schoenbachler are encouraged to write on a wall at DV8 East End. his signature but the mural is the only piece of all his work at DV8 East End he signed. For the rest, he fgured, the message was more important than taking credit. “We’re all working for something bigger than us.”

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Making a Difference BLUE GRASS FARMS CHARITIES

LENDING a HELPING HAND

Blue Grass Farms Charities extends support to Thoroughbred industry employees By Robin Roenker | Photos by Bill Straus

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BGFC’s Julie Kwasniewski distributes food at a mobile market event.

Making a Difference BLUE GRASS FARMS CHARITIES

“The workers on the farms and tracks are the lifeblood of the industry,” added Riddle, a member of the BGFC board of directors. “We really owe a lot to them and want to support them in any way we can.”

Targeted outreach

Blue Grass Farms Charities distributes roughly 2,000 pounds of food across multiple mobile food markets in a typical week.

hen a Fallbrook Farm employee fell temporarily ill and landed in the hospital a few years ago, his family struggled to pay the bills. Jared Hughes of Hughes Bloodstock knew about the situation and called Blue Grass Farms Charities for assistance.

“They couldn’t have been any more helpful,” Hughes said. “They got names of the landlord and utilities companies and had everything paid within two days. It was a huge relief for this family.” Blue Grass Farms Charities (BGFC) — a nonprofit corporation launched nearly two decades ago by Tom Thornbury, a longtime member of the Keeneland sales team now retired; Dr. Thomas Riddle of Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital; and others — exists to provide support in exactly these types of situations. “We saw the need to offer health and human services to people working behind the scenes in the Central Kentucky Thoroughbred industry,” explained Thornbury, who serves as BGFC’s board treasurer. “We envisioned it as a local mission to support farm and backstretch workers and their families.”

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In the years since its founding, Blue Grass Farms Charities has grown to become a go-to area resource, one that is adept at meeting all types of Thoroughbred employee needs — from weekly food assistance and financial support for dental and vision care to supplying donated back-to-school backpacks for kids each year. Funding for BGFC comes mainly through individual and farm donations as well as from private foundation grants and charity fundraisers, including a fall virtual auction. Recently, the charity has used these funds to ramp up its support services dramatically in response to employees’ increased needs during the pandemic. In recent months, BGFC has worked to provide mobile dental health clinics at area horse farms, as well as basic health care screenings and on-site flu and COVID-19 vaccine clinics, for example. Additionally, each week, the BGFC’s “mobile market” delivers thousands of pounds of donated food from God’s Pantry and local groceries to farm families via scheduled drop-offs at Keeneland, The Thoroughbred Center, or directly at area horse farms. “The need is great,” said Bob Baney, owner of RaceRise, a professional race timing and management company, who serves as BGFC’s volunteer food distribution manager. “We’ll distribute 1,400 pounds of food in 14 minutes at a typical weekly drop-off.” Farm workers and their families who receive the food go out of their way to express their gratitude for the help.

Many recipients depend on the bread, vegetables, and other essentials that the mobile market provides.

“Recently one lady told me, as I was helping her load the groceries into her car, that the donation meant she would be able to buy gas for her car that week,” Baney says. “Our work meant she would have food and that she could afford to buy other things she needed.”

COURTESY OF BLUE GRASS FARMS CHARITIES

Trusted partner

BGFC also provides food for babies and young children.

Thanks to Thornbury’s founding work with the agency, Keeneland has been a supporter of Blue Grass Farms Charities’ mission and outreach work from the charity’s beginnings. In addition to holding regular food drop-offs for Keeneland backstretch employees, Keeneland teams with Country Boy Brewing in Lexington to produce a spring and fall lager, the sales of which benefit BGFC and its school backpack program. During the pandemic, Keeneland, along with Nourish Lexington and BGFC, created Nourish the Backstretch to provide weekly meals and groceries to stable workers at Keeneland and The Thoroughbred Center. BGFC also works in close partnership with Keeneland’s chaplaincy team to provide other needed support, particularly when families face unexpected bills or other financial hardships. “Blue Grass Farms Charities is an excellent partner that we can call on to step in and help when someone gets behind on a utility bill or needs help paying for eyeglasses, for example,” said Keeneland Chaplain Dean Carpenter. “The team at BGFC has stepped up to bat a number of times to help get our workers back on their feet.” “BGFC is a great resource for our Keeneland chaplaincy program,” agreed Kari West, Keeneland’s chief of staff and current BGFC board member. “We do a lot to help our

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Making a Difference

COURTESY BLUE GRASS FARMS CHARITIES

BLUE GRASS FARMS CHARITIES

COURTESY OF BLUE GRASS FARMS CHARITIES

Left, BGFC provides back-to-school backpacks every year and organizes basic health care screenings, above.

backstretch workers here at Keeneland, but at times there may be a specific need that we share with Blue Grass Farms Charities because we have such a great partnership together.” In addition to its collaboration with Keeneland, Blue Grass Farms Charities also has partnered with the University of Kentucky’s Equine Science and Management Program to establish student volunteer opportunities at area farms. UK students in the program have also organized food, toy, and toiletry collections to benefit farm workers and their families at various times.

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“Having opportunities like this to visit area farms is a great way for our students to not only have networking opportunities but also for them to see the diversity of opportunities and scope of career options within the industry,” said Kristen Wilson, academic coordinator for UK’s Equine Science and Management Program.

MISSION-FOCUSED

At Dixiana Farm, as at Fallbrook Farm and dozens of other farms, employees have received assistance paying for rent and other bills when illness or other personal challenges prevented them from working. BGFC was able to help workers pay their bills and help them stay on track, said Glenna Laureano, Dixiana’s office manager. In addition to providing food, health services, and expense assistance, Blue Grass Farms Charities also sponsors a popular summer soccer tournament for horse farm employees and an annual Christmas party for farm and backstretch workers and their families. The charity served more than 1,000 people at its 2021 Christmas event, where attending workers and families

‘‘

THE WORKERS ON THE FARMS AND COURTESY OF BLUE GRASS FARMS CHARITIES

ON TRACKS ARE THE LIFEBLOOD OF THE INDUSTRY.” — BGFC BOARD MEMBER DR. THOMAS RIDDLE

Blue Grass Farms Charities hosts a popular annual Christmas party for Central Kentucky farm and backstretch workers and their families.

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Making a Difference BLUE GRASS FARMS CHARITIES

COURTESY OF BLUE GRASS FARMS CHARITIES

To learn more about Blue Grass Farms Charities and its work — as well as how you can help — go to bgfcky.org.

Keeneland Chaplain Dean Carpenter and his team work closely with BGFC to provide essential services.

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received Walmart gift cards, take-and-make ingredients for a full turkey dinner, Southern Lights passes, gift certificates for new boots or coats, and winter hats and gloves. The charity also provides roughly 1,000 new backpacks each July for elementary and middle school children of workers at area farms and Keeneland. Over the years BGFC has also paid the fees to send farm workers’ children to various area summer camps. Above all, BGFC strives to be a source of unfailing support for horse industry workers who might not be sure where else to turn in moments of greatest need. At its heart, the agency serves as a safety net equipped to step in with help when food, medical services, rent, or other assistance is needed. “I truly love this charity,” said Julie Kwasniewski, who has served as Blue Grass Farms Charities’ executive director since spring 2019. “We want to keep it going and keep it strong, so we can continue to help the more than 5,000 horse farm and track workers in Central Kentucky who are at the heart of our mission.” KM

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Breeders’ Cup Legend CIGAR

igar’s skein of 16 consecutive victories electrifed the racing world during the mid-1990s. The charismatic bay won back-to-back Horse of the Year

titles and earned nearly $10 million over four seasons, a record at the time. Bred by Allen Paulson, the son of Palace Music— Solar Slew was foaled at Country Life Farm in Maryland. An aviation entrepreneur, Paulson named the colt after a navigational intersection for airlines. Paulson’s wife, Madeleine, originally campaigned Cigar but, according to lore, traded the colt to her husband for the flly Eliza. Cigar began his racing career at 3 under trainer Alex Hassinger Jr. but did little to distinguish himself, winning just two modest races out of nine. It seemed Cigar was destined to be a middling turf horse. But in the colt’s 4-year-old season, Paulson sent Cigar to East Coast trainer Bill Mott and the transformation began. Cigar placed in two of his frst four turf starts for Mott, then won a dirt

SKIP DICKSTEIN

allowance race by eight lengths on Oct. 28, 1994 — the frst

Cigar’s Breeders’ Cup Classic victory was immortalized by Tom Durkin’s race call.

win of his 16-race streak — before dominating the grade 1 NYRA Mile (now the Cigar Mile Handicap). Cigar’s late-season exploits presaged his exceptional 5-year-old campaign in which he faced racing’s best around the country. His victories included the Donn Handicap, Gulfstream Park Handicap, Oaklawn Handicap, Pimlico Special, and the Hollywood Gold Cup. Returning to his Belmont Park base, Cigar won the Woodward Stakes and Jockey Club Gold Cup before setting a stakes record in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. As he powered toward the fnish line, race caller Tom Durkin uttered these unforgettable words: “And here he is, the unconquerable, invincible, unbeatable Cigar!” Cigar completed 1995 with a record of 10-for-10.

TREVOR JONES

At 6, Cigar added the inaugural Dubai World Cup, the

Victory in the inaugural Dubai World Cup helped boost Cigar’s earnings to a then-record level.

world’s richest race. He kept his winning streak intact through the Arlington Citation Challenge, a race created especially for him and in which he carried a hefty 130 pounds to defeat Dramatic Gold and Unbridled’s Song. Cigar’s 16-race streak came to an end in the Pacifc Classic in which he fnished third. A rebound in the 1996 Woodward Stakes marked his last victory. Cigar conclud-

ANNE M. EBERHARDT PHOTOS

ed his career with a third in the Breeders’ Cup Classic at

Cigar spent his retirement years at the Kentucky Horse Park, where he welcomed adoring fans.

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Woodbine. Cigar’s stellar career on the track did not carry over to the breeding shed. He proved infertile and spent the bulk of his retirement at the Kentucky Horse Park’s Hall of Champions. Cigar remained as popular as ever until his death Oct. 7, 2014. KM

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Keeneland Magazine Summer 2022 Issue

Articles inside

CHANCE WELL TAKEN

MAKING A DIFFERENCE

THOROUGHBRED BOULEVARD

CLASSIC CONNECTIONS

BREEDERS’ CUP LEGEND