Keeneland Magazine - Summer 2025 Edition

EVERETT DOBSON

KEENELAND’S FOUNDING

KENWICK TABLE

GOD’S PANTRY

K EENELAND SUMMER 2025

celebrating bluegrass traditions

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

KEENELAND.COM

Saint Joseph Hospital named one of America’s 100 Best Hospitals in the nation.

Three years in a row.

Eclipse Award-winning Champion 2YO & $1.5m Sale Topper

Eclipse Award-winning Champion 3YO

Dual Breeders’ Cup-winning Sprinter

Winner of Champagne S. [G1], Woody Stephens S. [G1], H. Allen Jerkens Memorial S. [G1]

ALL WITH FIRST YEARLINGS SELLING THIS YEAR

THE MARYLOU WHITNEY FARM $6,125,000

A ONCE IN A GENERATION OPPORTUNITY

The Marylou Whitney Farm is a place of extraordinary history and prestige, with a legacy that blends horse racing excellence, luxury, and philanthropy. The farm is not just a place for elite thoroughbred breeding and racing, but also a stunning estate that combines both practicality and elegance. From the 8,400-square-foot main residence to the historic 2-story guest house and staff accommodations, every building on the property has been thoughtfully designed and well-maintained. Hosting many Derby events, its pool house contains an Olympic size pool, his and her baths, a full kitchen, and living room with French doors that leads to a magnificent rose garden.

The location itself is significant, bordered by the historic Gainesway Farm and situated on 72 acres with Elkhorn Creek flowing through it. The property seems to offer both seclusion and accessibility, with its beautiful formal gardens and practical equestrian facilities, which include two horse barns and 2 equipment sheds. The addition of features like the log cabin chapel and art studio further contribute to the farm's unique charm and character.

It’s easy to see why the farm has attracted prominent figures from Hollywood, world leaders, and the racing elite for decades—combining the finest in horse racing with a rich history of entrepreneurship and generosity. It’s truly a remarkable estate.

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I R I S L AW PHOTOGRAPHED IN NEW YORK CITY

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THIS IS YOUR MOMENT.

The World’s Yearling Sale KEENELAND SEPTEMBER Begins Monday, Sept. 8.

September.Keeneland.com

CON TEN T S SUMMER 2025

F EAT U R ES

46 WEARING

MANY HATS

by Lenny Shulman Everett Dobson keeps busy as the incoming chair of The Jockey Club, a trustee of Keeneland, and owner of Candy Meadows Farm and Cheyenne Stables.

60 TRUE TO ITS IDEALS

by Liane Crossley Keeneland remains committed to the founders’ vision of a model racetrack.

76 LEXINGTON’S ALLURE

by Rich Copley The city and region continue to make the lists of best places to live and visit, adding to their visibility and prosperity.

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90 BABY STEPS In Central Kentucky’s rolling pastures, Thoroughbred racing’s future stars take their fi rst steps toward the starting gate.

104 GOOD NEIGHBOR

by Jacalyn Carfagno Kenwick Table has become a local gathering spot where friends can catch up over a cup of coffee, listen to music, or practice French.

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ON OUR COVER “Flat Racing” Oil on canvas, 31 x 43, by Serhiy Hai Born in Lviv, Ukraine in 1959, Hai studied at the Lviv State Institute of Applied and Decorative Art. He did a solo exhibition at the National Art Club in New York in 2009 and the Ukrainian Institute of America in 2016. His work has appeared in the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington, D.C., and is in the collection of the Lviv National Museum. His work is also in several modern art museums across Ukraine.

CRESTWOOD FARM HANDS-ON FAMILY MANAGED FOR OVER

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The McLean family has owned and operated their full service, 1,000 acre Crestwood Farm since 1970. Since then, Crestwood has bred and/or raised multiple Hall-of-Fame inductees, Champions and 300+ stakes horses.

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CON TEN T S

SUMMER 2025

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116

D E PA R T M E N T S PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE 20 • CONTRIBUTORS 22 • NEWS 24 • CONNECTIONS 28

34 SPOTLIGHT ON Renowned landscape designer Jon Carloftis continues to beautify the world around him.

by Robin Roenker

116 MAKING

A DIFFERENCE God’s Pantry Food Bank is an indispensable resource for thousands of Kentuckians.

by William Bowden

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K EENELAND celebrating bluegrass traditions

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), Philip Truman Copy Editor: Judy Marchman 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 PUBLISHED BY Blood-Horse LLC BOARD OF DIRECTORS James L. Gagliano, Carl Hamilton, Ian D. Highet, Stuart S. Janney III, Brant Laue, Dan Metzger, David O’Farrell

KEENELAND ASSOCIATION, INC. 4201 Versailles Road P.O. Box 1690 Lexington, Kentucky, U.S.A. 40588-1690 Tel: (859) 254-3412 (800) 456-3412 Keeneland.com © 2025 Keeneland Association, Inc.

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

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P R E SI DENT’S M ESSAG E SUMMER 2025

Plan B “Resilience is accepting your new reality, even if it’s less good than the one you had before.

You can fght it, you can do nothing but scream about what you’ve lost, or you can accept that and try to put together something that’s good.”

—Elizabeth Edwards Poring over weather forecasts predicting that 10 inches of rain were on the way for opening weekend of the spring race meet — along with possible tornadoes and thunderstorms — the team at Keeneland took a step back to assess our chances of success against Mother Nature.

In a pre-pandemic world, we likely would have grabbed our rain boots and prepared to slosh through the weekend because horse racing is an outdoor sport. But we have become conditioned to “the pivot.”

Tat isn’t to say that moving the frst two dates of opening weekend was an easy decision. Tere were many hours of back and forth, of looking at the weather with our local meteorologists, of talking with our horsemen, and trying to fgure out a way to proceed with the weather looking like it did. But we recognized that Mother

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Nature is an unbeatable foe, and we made the decision to race Monday and Tuesday instead of Friday and Saturday as we have done for nearly 100 years.

Horses can certainly race safely in the rain, but the possibility of lightning or a tornado passing through on a Friday or Saturday afernoon with horses in the paddock and SHANNON ARVIN 25,000 guests in the grandstand was President and CEO too great of a risk to take — and one we just didn’t have to take. Afer this historic rescheduling, it was truly amazing to watch the entire Keeneland team come together to make the adjustment happen, which they did with strength, grace, and a sense of humor.

I am so thankful for everyone on the Keeneland team, for the horsemen, the racing community, and all of the fans for joining with us as we worked through Plan B. Tough it was not the race-day experience any of us anticipated for the opening weekend of the 2025 spring season, the racing was phenomenal and we undoubtedly moved to a safer experience for the athletes competing and the community as a whole.

Cheers to blue skies ahead. KM

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CON T R I B U TOR S WILLIAM BOWDEN (Making Hunger Visible) most recently worked as publications editor at Transylvania University.

He was formerly a writer and editor at the Somerset (Kentucky) Commonwealth Journal, the Lexington Herald Leader, and the National Tour Association.

JACALYN CARFAGNO (Good Neighbor) 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 working for a wide range of clients.

RICH COPLEY (Lexington’s Allure) spent 20 years as an arts and entertainment journalist for the Lexington Herald Leader. He is now a multimedia producer for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and a freelance writer and photographer based in Lexington.

LIANE CROSSLEY (True to Its Ideals) has spent her career in Thoroughbred

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SUMMER 2025 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, Thoroughbred Times, and other publications.

AMY OWENS (Keeneland News/ Connections) is Keeneland Communications Associate.

ROBIN ROENKER (A Natural Talent) is a Lexington-based freelance writer who reports on health care, higher education,

travel, and all things uniquely Kentucky. In addition to Keeneland, her writing has appeared in AARP, Southern Living, USA TODAY, Atlanta magazine, and more.

LENNY SHULMAN (Wearing Many Hats) is a senior correspondent for BloodHorse 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 Triumphs and Turmoil of Today’s Top Jockeys.”

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K E E N E LA N D N E W S COMPILED BY AMY OWENS

SUMMER 2025

KEENELAND HAS MEMORABLE SPRING MEET

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Keeneland Vice President of Racing Gatewood Bell said. “Owners, trainers, and jockeys always bring their ‘A’ game to Keeneland. Tey love to test their skills and their horses against the best of the best, which creates a tremendous product for our fans and handicappers.”

During the season, Keeneland partnered with corporate and Toroughbred industry entities to host special events with philanthropic goals that beneft

HEATHER JACKSON

$250,000 boost to the $1.25 million Toyota Blue Grass, won by Burnham Square, and the $150,000 increase to the $750,000 Central Bank Ashland, won by La Cara. Average daily purses were a Keeneland record $1,327,434.

Te races for Keeneland’s leading jockey, trainer, and owner were as competitive as the racing itself. Flavien Prat won fve races during the fnal two days of the meet to push his total to 20 and secure his frst Keeneland leading rider title.

JOHN S. HOCKENSMITH

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eeneland’s 15-day spring meet, which concluded Friday, April 25, was one for the history books.

Te season was slated to begin Friday, April 4, but severe storms and fooding in the Bluegrass region forced Keeneland ofcials to take the unprecedented step of rescheduling the opening two days, resulting in the Central Bank Ashland (G1) and the Toyota Blue Grass (G1) moving to Monday, April 7 and Tuesday, April 8, respectively. As a result, racing was held on eight consecutive days to begin the meet.

“Te success of this spring meet is a salute to the power of teamwork, and we are grateful to all who helped as we navigated the weather-related challenges of opening weekend,” Keeneland President and CEO Shannon Arvin said. “Moving our two biggest race days — opening Friday and Saturday — to Monday and Tuesday, when we typically don’t race, wasn’t easy, but it was the right decision to keep our horses and community safe. I am proud of the resiliency of our Keeneland team, and we ofer a huge thanks for the support of our horsemen, sponsors, and fans.”

All-sources wagering (not including whole-card simulcasting at Keeneland) was almost $193 million, down nearly 12% from last spring. Handle was signifcantly impacted by the rescheduled opening because the Central Bank Ashland and the Toyota Blue Grass race days are among the track’s biggest.

Meanwhile, the spring meet boasted several high points. Keeneland ofered a seasonrecord $9.4 million for 19 stakes with purse increases for 16 of those stakes, led by the

Te race for leading trainer went down to the wire, with Brad Cox and Brendan Walsh each notching a win on closing day to share the title with 10 wins apiece.

Walsh celebrated his frst Keeneland training title.

Brad Kelley’s Calumet Farm won fve races to be the spring meet’s leading owner. Calumet won the Baird Doubledogdare (G3) with 38-1 longshot Gin Gin and the Ben Ali (G3) with Tennessee Lamb. Calumet bred both horses.

Another race to follow was the top spot as Keeneland’s all-time leading trainer.

Racing Hall of Famer Bill Mott and longtime Keeneland-based trainer Rusty Arnold closed the meet tied with 307 wins each, the most by a trainer at Keeneland.

“Te strong support of our horsemen is what makes Keeneland racing so special,”

Left, fans cheered the start of the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes, won

by Burnham Square, above.

Central Kentucky community organizations. Tey included: • College Scholarship Day Presented

by Lane’s End, which was attended by a record 5,100 full-time students representing 115 colleges and universities.

Students had the opportunity to win one of 10 $2,000 scholarships provided by Keeneland and the Kentucky Toroughbred Association or one of two $10,000 scholarships ofered by Lane’s End Farm.

• Advocacy by Barbara Banke’s Stonestreet, sponsor of the Stonestreet Lexington (G3).

Te farm partnered with Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear’s ofce and Keeneland to highlight Team Kentucky Storm Relief and encourage donations to assist Kentuckians impacted by severe weather.

Racing returns to Keeneland for the 17-day fall meet from Oct. 3-25.

Look for Mandaloun’s frst crop yearlings this summer.

Contact: Aaron West (501) 766-5906 | awest@juddmonte.com

www.juddmonte.com LGB LLC, 2025

KEENELAND PHOTOS

LONGTIME DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS AMY GREGORY RETIRES

Masmak topped Keeneland’s April selected horses of racing age sale.

MULTIPLE WINNER MASMAK TOPS APRIL SALE AT $375,000 Masmak, a four-time winner over the winter at Aqueduct where he was third in the Excelsior Stakes, sold for $375,000 post sale to become the highest-priced horse of Keeneland’s April selected horses of racing age sale, held the evening of April 25 on closing day of the spring meet.

Purchased by Cromwell Bloodstock, agent, Masmak is a 4-year-old son of Vino Rosso who is a half brother to grade 2 winner Tree Technique and stakes winner Stan the Man. He was consigned by ELiTE, agent.

Keeneland sold 47 horses for $4,329,000, up 7% Normandy Coast brought from last year’s gross $355,000. of $3,940,000 when 54 horses sold. Te average rose 27% from $72,963 to $92,106. Te median of $65,000 was up 69% from last year’s $38,500.

ELiTE, agent, was the auction’s leading consignor, selling all 25 horses in its consignment for gross sales of $2.3 million (representing 53% of the sale’s total gross), for an average of $92,000 and a median of $65,000.

Also selling for more than $300,000 were: • Normandy Coast, a 3-year-old colt by Omaha Beach who won Keeneland’s Palisades Stakes on April 6 and sold for $355,000 to Steven Judy. He was consigned by Kenneally Racing, agent.

• Tough Critic, a 2-year-old colt by Caravaggio who the day before the auction scored a 1¼-length victory at Keeneland in his career debut and sold to George Weaver, agent, for $350,000. He was consigned by Paramount Sales, agent.

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my Gregory will retire from her position as Keeneland’s director of communications in late May but will continue to provide communications support for the company during race meets and sales and consult on special projects.

“It’s been a privilege to serve Keeneland for nearly 20 years and to work in this wonderful sport throughout my 45-year career,” said Gregory, who was named director of communications in 2013. “Being part of this amazing Keeneland team was my dream job, and I’m proud of my contributions to Keeneland’s legacy and its leadership position in the Toroughbred industry.

Racing has always been my passion, and I’m so grateful for my many friends and colleagues, the incredible opportunities that have come my way, and the lifelong memories I have made.”

“For nearly two decades, Amy has been a trusted voice in shaping Keeneland’s communications and sharing our story with the world,” said Keeneland President and CEO Shannon Arvin. “Amy’s professionalism, tireless work ethic, and unwavering commitment to the sport and Keeneland’s mission have lef a lasting impact.”

As director of communications, Gregory played key roles in brand enhancement and messaging to a global audience via Keeneland’s press operations, digital platforms, strategic partnerships, and grassroots eforts. During her tenure, Keeneland elevated its racing program to ofer record purse money, successfully hosted three editions

of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, undertook major facility construction and racetrack renovation, and embarked on outreach initiatives to attract new fans to the sport.

Gregory also has been involved in industry eforts to advance equine safety and welfare for

Amy Gregory retires as director of communications.

racing and sales nationally, advising initially as part of the Toroughbred Safety Coalition and recently on the Safety Runs First campaign. In coordination with Keeneland’s equine safety and marketing teams, she developed fan education and awareness messaging surrounding safety protocols and initiatives undertaken at the track level.

A graduate of the University of Kentucky and the University of Louisville Louis D. Brandeis School of Law, Gregory is a member of the Kentucky Bar Association. Prior to joining Keeneland, she worked for 18 years with Churchill Downs Inc.

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PHOTOS BY Z

CON N E C T I O N S

1 | HIGH NOTE

4 | OFFICIAL ACT

On April 18, Grammy Award-winning country music icon and Kentucky native Wynonna Judd sang the national anthem with her husband and musical partner, Cactus Moser.

The couple spent the afternoon at the track.

Gov. Andy Beshear congratulated the connections of Gosger after presenting the trophy to them for the grade 3 Stonestreet Lexington.

In a popular part of Heroes Day held each race meet, Dr. Everett McCorvey leads the crowd in singing “God Bless America.”

3 | MILESTONE Owner Bob Edwards (third from right) received a gold tray from Keeneland Vice President of Racing Gatewood Bell after his e Five Racing Thoroughbreds earned its eighth graded stakes victory at the track with Carl Spackler’s win in the Maker’s Mark Mile.

5 |JOCKEY DAY Members of the Keeneland jockey colony teamed with retired riders for an autograph session that raised $6,254 for the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund (PDJF). The same day, Keeneland partnered with Hall of Fame riders, leading active jockeys, and racing personalities to raise a record $445,000 during the annual PDJF Telethon Presented by Lane’s End.

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5

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PHOTOS BY Z

2 | ALL-STAR DAY

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PHOTOS BY Z

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S POT L I G H T ON JON CARLOFTIS

A Natural Talent R E N OW N E D L AN D S CAP E DESIGNER JON CARLOFTIS C O N T I N U E S T O B E AU T I F Y T H E WO R L D AR O U N D H I M

By Robin Roenker / Photos by Mark Mahan

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ANDSCAPE DESIGN, AUTHORSHIP, hospitality — Jon Carlofis does it all.

Increasingly, though, his passions tend to be exclusively Kentucky-focused.

While always proud of his Kentucky roots, Carlofis once spent as much time working in VIP-owned New York City roofop gardens as just about anyplace else.

Not anymore. He’s got everything he needs at home.

“You can’t make me go anyplace else,” Carlofis said, only partially in hyperbole. “I just don’t love traveling as much anymore. I did it for so long. Tat has no more romance for me. Where am I going to stay in a hotel better than what I’ve got here, with my dogs?”

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For Jon Carloftis, there is no place like home, especially when home is historic Botherum near downtown Lexington.

KEENELAND.COM

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Originally part of a 30-acre farm, Botherum had fallen into disrepair when Carloftis and a former partner bought the property in 2012 and began extensive renovations. The house embodies a mix of architectural styles, including Greek-inspired elements like Corinthian-style columns, above right.

ROOTED IN PLACE

and restore three vacation properties now available as part of his Indeed, few places anywhere can match the beauty of newly launched hospitality business, Botherum Vacations.

Botherum, the 1850s-era cottage-style property in downtown Just steps away from his residence, Carlofis’ rentable Botherum Lexington that Carlofis has called home since 2012.

Carriage House — a former 1980s-era garage — is now a stunning Te restored home and its gardens now stand as a testament property in its own right. In addition to a magazine-spread-worthy to Carlofis’ talent and vision — and his refned, timeless sense saltwater pool, it also features three foors of luxuriously outftted of style is evident from every angle. Te living spaces, including a full kitchen, two property sits like a hidden, unexpected bedrooms, and a spacious, light-infused oasis, just a little over a stone’s throw living room that overlooks the pool deck. from Rupp Arena.

Each room shines with Carlofis’ signature Outside, Carlofis has fashioned a semix of refned fnishes and layered, vintage ries of formal and informal gardens that touches. blanket the grounds in greenery and On the other edge of the Botherum curated pops of color. Each garden is property, the newly restored early distinct with its own sense of style and 1800s-era JC Cock House — so named focus. Some, like the herb garden, are for its original owner — once served as more subdued, while others, like the A cornerstone refects the year of Botherum’s Botherum’s summer kitchen and now walled garden of Carlofis’ home ofce, likely construction. welcomes guests as an inviting, rusticare designed with a wow factor in mind. style retreat.

“What sets me apart from some other designers is that I don’t Carlofis worked to preserve the property’s rich history as come in with a preconceived notion [of an end look],” Carlofis much as possible, with touches like its exposed raw wood ceiling said. “A lot of people come to a property, and they want to clear beams and reclaimed wood foors adding to its charm. In of and obliterate everything. Tat’s not me. I like to preserve the Carlofis’ skilled hands, though, historic charm and modern luxfeel of each space. Before I design anything, I study the space and ury go hand in hand, as fnishes like the newly installed gourmet get to the heart of how people will move through it and use it.” kitchen and luxurious freestanding bathroom tub make clear.

Carlofis adopts this same approach in his interior design In Livingston, Carlofis has also fully refurbished his family’s work, both at his own home and in his recent work to refurbish homestead property — the former site of his Rockcastle

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An octagonal cupola topped by wrought iron crowns the one-story dwelling.

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S POT L I G H T ON JON CARLOFTIS

Carloftis takes great pride in Botherum’s gardens, each of which has its own style and focus.

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S POT L I G H T ON JON CARLOFTIS

River Trading Company store — into a luxury Airbnb, adding high-end fnishes while preserving original shop furnishings and other one-of-a-kind elements.

“If you don’t design with each space in mind, then no place looks unique.

Every place starts to look the same,” Carlofis said about the place-focused drive behind his work.

“My designs are not a rubber stamp,” he said. “Each one is unique and meant to go hand in hand with the specifc architecture of their space — whether indoors or out.”

Carlofis candidly shares that his decision to buy and refurbish the JC Cock House came on the day three years ago he learned he had prostate cancer.

“On the way home from the doctor’s appointment, I called my former UK HEALING WORK professor who owned the property, and Even this far into his career, Carlofis I said, ‘I need an extra project,’ ” Carlofis still handpicks and places every landrecalled. “I had wanted to buy the propscape plant and feature for his garden erty forever, and I asked him to come designs. “It’s my joy,” he said simply. over. And I wrote him a check that day.”

He estimates he physically selects and On the same day, Carlofis decided to places tens of thousands of plants each tackle his fourth and most recent book year, and he openly acknowledges that project, “Jon Carlofis Fine Gardens,” he happily spends hours roaming the which he self-published in late 2023. inventory at Pemberton’s Greenhouses Te book, created in collaboration with and other area garden centers. In fact, he local photographer Abby Laub, imsaid, he visits plant shops as ofen as two mortalizes the beauty of two dozen of to three times a day, especially in early Carlofis’ favorite completed garden spring. design projects.

Surviving cancer spurred Carloftis to tackle new He is just as passionate about projects, including another property renovation “I had said afer my third book that I’d and a fourth book. wandering area antique and vintage never do another,” he said. “But on the resale shops for one-of-a-kind pieces that capture his unique interior day I learned about my cancer, I knew on the spot I would do a fourth design aesthetic. book. I knew I needed ways to keep moving forward.”

In both pursuits, he is always on the hunt for new inspiration. He So, during cancer treatments at the University of Kentucky fnds energy and purpose in it.

— which included both surgery and weeks of radiation —

Carloftis renovated the Botherum Carriage House, which has a saltwater pool among other amenities. It is one of Carloftis’ three rental properties.

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S POT L I G H T ON JON CARLOFTIS

Carriage House visitors have a captivating view of Botherum’s main house and its gardens.

PICTURE PERFECT “Jon Carloftis Fine Gardens” (2023) shares the beauty of 24 of Jon Carloftis’ private and public gardens in images captured by local photographer Abby Laub.

With a foreword by Maker’s Mark Managing Director Rob Samuels and an introduction by Carloftis, the book features captivating images painstakingly curated by Laub and Carloftis to showcase each garden’s most unique features as well as key before-and-after transformations. Buy it online at joncarloftis. com or at area booksellers.

STYLISH RETREATS Jon Carloftis’ three rentable vacation properties offer guests a chance to experience Kentucky in style. Learn more at joncarloftis. com/botherum-vacations/.

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Botherum’s furniture and fxtures refect Carloftis’ unique interior design aesthetic.

Carlofis not only didn’t slow down, he dug in deeper on the work he loves. In the process, he maintained his thriving garden design business, expanded his hospitality oferings, and grew his library of authored works.

Each step was a necessary part of his healing process.

“Today, I am cancer-free,” Carlofis said, noting his appreciation for the world-class care he received at UK’s Markey Cancer Center. “I am not going anywhere yet. I have too much stuf to do.”

KENTUCKY HOSPITALITY In the midst of his busy work calendar, Carlofis wears yet another role proudly — that of unabashed Kentucky brand ambassador.

Carlofis ofen sneaks in Kentucky’s praises as a featured speaker at garden clubs, art museums, and nature conservatories throughout the country. “Te frst half of my talk, I’ll speak about gardening, and then in the second half, I’m just selling them on Kentucky,” he said jokingly.

As a result, he’s lured several large

At Botherum, Carloftis worked carefully to preserve original details, including this intricate ceiling design.

A vaulted ceiling in Botherum adds dimension to a cozy nook.

gardening groups to the Lexington area by ofering to host them for dinner at Botherum and lead them on tours of his gardens at Castle & Key Distillery, Mt. Brilliant Farm, the American Saddlebred Museum, and other local spots.

“Ten what happens is, they all have such a good time that they bring their husbands and children back later in the summer, and that word of mouth spreads,” he said.

In his own way, Carlofis has become a driver of local garden-based tourism, a role that isn’t that surprising to those who know him. Hosting visitors comes naturally to him, he said.

“My mom and dad were in the tourism business,” he explained.

“Tey ran their store, and whenever we would go on vacation to Savannah or Charleston or wherever, they were always promoting Kentucky. So, I grew up watching my momma and daddy bring people back here.”

Now, Carlofis gets to do the same, through his garden advocacy, book sales, and Botherum Vacations property rentals. All of his current work, really, is a love letter to Kentucky.

“Kentucky is such an easy sell,” he said. “Once you get people here, they’re sold.” KM

BUILDING FOR KEENELAND’S NEXT GENERATION G E N E R A L CO N T R AC T I N G

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DESIGN/BUILD

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CO N ST R U C T I O N M A N AG E M E N T

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DAM OF: 2023 KENTUCKY DERBY (GR 1) WINNER MAGE 2024 BELMONT (GR 1) WINNER DORNOCH 2025 SANTA ANITA DERBY RUNNER-UP BAEZA

BEGINS

Everett Dobson greets his prized mare Tapella at Candy Meadows Farm.

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WEARING MANY HATS EVERETT DOBSON keeps busy as the incoming chair of The Jockey Club, a trustee of Keeneland, and the owner of Candy Meadows Farm and Cheyenne Stables

By Lenny Shulman Photos by David Coyle

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PHOTO CREDIT

WEARING MANY HATS

Caption

A

s Central Kentucky dried out from the Great April Flood of 2025, Everett Dobson undertook a whirlwind spring. Headquartered at his Candy Meadows Farm just north of Lexington, Dobson planned to go racing at Keeneland to see Candy Meadows’ homebred stakes winner Apollo Ten compete. An early May trip to Churchill Downs was also in the works to root home American Promise, the frst Candy Meadows-bred to earn a berth in the Kentucky Derby.

In between those races, Dobson booked travel back to his native Oklahoma to witness the NBA’s Oklahoma City Tunder commence play in the playofs. More than an interested fan, he is one of seven co-owners of

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COADY MEDIA/RENEE TORBIT

Far left, Candy Meadows Farm encompasses nearly 250 acres in northern Fayette County.

COADY MEDIA/RENEE TORBIT

Top, Candy Meadows-bred American Promise won the Virginia Derby impressively to earn a berth in the 2025 Kentucky Derby. Dobson described the colt’s victory as “off-the-charts exciting.”

the fnancially successful franchise. While in the Sooner State, Dobson engaged in his day job heading up Dobson Fiber, which runs fber-optic cable through parts of Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Texas. And in his spare time, Dobson was preparing to take over as chair of Te Jockey Club this summer. In that role, he will be charged with helping chart a path for a horse racing industry that is in many ways reaching an infection point. Got all that?

At the center of this cyclone of activity, Dobson, 65, projects a Zen-like calmness while seated in the dining area of his stone ranch home at Candy Meadows. Te rolling acres of paddocks outside the picture windows and the melody of

Left, Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas trains American Promise.

nearby North Elkhorn Creek (now running safely within its banks) help soothe the consciousness. Plus, Dobson habitually radiates a quiet competence and thoughtfulness that have made him a go-to draf choice for virtually every important horse industry organization over the past decade.

Recently, he completed a term as chair of the American Graded Stakes Committee, which determines the classifcation of North America’s top races. He has served as vice chair of the Toroughbred Owners and Breeders Association and sits on the Breeders’ Cup board. And he is a Keeneland trustee and a past steward of Te Jockey Club.

Dobson didn’t enter the Toroughbred industry to sign up

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Stormy Regatta is another stakes-winning producer for Candy Meadows.

Tapella’s offspring include stakes winners American Promise and Hoosier Philly.

for all this service. He merely wanted to breed a good horse and enjoy the rural lifestyle. In those pursuits, he has managed to hit his fair share of bull’s-eyes. He owned or co-owned grade 1 winners Caleb’s Posse, Mastery, and Olympiad, and recent homebred stakes winners include Style Points and the aforementioned Apollo Ten. In addition to American Promise, Candy Meadows has also bred graded stakes winners Hoosier Philly, Bay Storm, Meshtri, Barkley, and Mo’ Green.

But with the industry in a constant struggle to justify its existence to a skeptical general public, and needing to present a united front, Dobson understands heavy lifing is required to fortify the game he loves. While Kentucky racing and breeding are thriving, regional markets lag, racetracks are in danger of turning into real estate plays, and leadership is desperately needed.

P U R S U I N G A PA S S I O N Enter Dobson, who grew up in Cheyenne, a speck of a town near the western border of Oklahoma. Tere, in 1868, George Armstrong Custer’s 7th U.S. Cavalry attacked the sleeping village of Cheyenne Chief Black Kettle and the Battle of Washita River ensued. Casualties were heavy on both sides.

A century later, Cheyenne remained mostly grasslands and ranches, and Dobson’s family owned the local telephone company.

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Dobson has gradually increased his Thoroughbred holdings and today Candy Meadows is home to 30 mares.

WEARING MANY HATS

Dobson acknowledges he enjoys “trying to solve that puzzle of how to breed a good racehorse.”

Dobson built out the business by investing in rural wireless and cellular networks throughout the country. He acquired his frst racehorse in 1995 and boarded a single broodmare at Lane’s End Farm and a couple at Ed Gaylord’s Gaillardia Farm, both in Woodford County.

Afer 20 years of running the communications business, Dobson chose a path that led to more time with horses.

He sold the company to AT&T in 2007 and, along with friends Don McNeill and Jim Wells, bought a small farm on Lemons Mill Road that today serves as the yearling division of Candy Meadows.

Dobson eventually bought out his partners in the farm, and subsequent land purchases in the area have expanded Candy Meadows to nearly 250 acres. Te land lies in stunning, picturesque felds of rolling green, and today is home to 30 broodmares and their foals and yearlings.

Honor Way, showing off her Mage flly, represents the kind of durable “I guess as much as anything, the breeding aspect is a runner Dobson likes to add to his breeding program. passion,” Dobson noted. “Te plan all along was to buy [yearling] fllies and eventually turn them into broodmares. Te won the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile and King’s Bishop Stakes (both thing about the Toroughbred business is that there are so many grade 1) in 2011 and earned better than $1.4 million. ways you can participate. For myself and my wife, Jeanetta, we both In 2015, Dobson purchased a colt by Candy Ride at the Keenegrew up in rural America and love the lifestyle here on the farm.” land September yearling sale for $425,000. Gatewood Bell, who Dobson enjoyed his frst big horses as an owner. In tribute to today is Keeneland’s vice president of racing, was advising Dobson his roots, Dobson named his racing entity Cheyenne Stables LLC, at the time and signed the ticket for the racy colt. Dobson named which co-owned (with McNeill) Caleb’s Posse, a talented colt who the horse Mastery, and he ripped through four races undefeated,

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Excitement runs high for the prospects of Tapella’s 2025 Gun Runner colt.

triumphing in the 2016 Los Alamitos Futurity (G1) and the 2017 San Felipe Stakes (G2). An injury cut short Mastery’s racing career, but he banked $511,200 before retiring.

Cheyenne typically has a dozen horses ages 3 and up at the races each year, with another dozen 2-year-olds entering the stable by summertime. Occasionally, Dobson will enter into partnerships that take those numbers higher. He has recently owned horses with Robert Clay’s Grandview group as well as with Gary Barber and Adam Wachtel.

“I don’t have a magic number. Sometimes I go to the Keeneland September sale thinking I’ll buy two or three and I’ll buy a dozen,” Dobson said, laughing. “Sometimes I spend double what I think I will. But that’s the luxury of making my own yearling selections.

I’m trying to crack the skill of understanding what a good racehorse looks like. Trying to understand what kind of profle — both in pedigree and conformation — that I want. When I buy a yearling, I’m hoping to buy a future broodmare, but for that to happen, the flly has to show talent at the races that suggests she’s something worth keeping.”

For the past few years, bloodstock agent Phil Hager has compiled a short list of yearlings for Dobson to inspect, whittling down 5,000 September yearlings to 15-30 prospects per day.

“I like to make the fnal decisions myself,” said Dobson, “not because I’m more qualifed, but because I just enjoy it.”

Added Hager, “Everett Dobson is an absolute gentleman and a sportsman who is easy to work for. He understands that sometimes

you get lucky and sometimes you don’t. I respect that he likes to be hands-on. He is a studious person who does both pedigrees and conformation well.”

E M B R AC I N G T H E C H A L L E N G E Constructing a breeding operation takes more time than hitting with a good racehorse, but Dobson clearly relishes that side of the Toroughbred business. Not long afer selling his company to AT&T, he journeyed to the 2007 Keeneland September sale and bought a few yearling fllies to start growing his broodmare ranks.

Since then, Dobson has immersed himself in the study of pedigrees as he attempts to improve the quality of his stock.

“I enjoy trying to solve that puzzle of how to breed a good racehorse,” he said. “To do that, you have to understand pedigrees, families, and theories. I’d still call what I’m doing on-the-job training, because I don’t think anyone truly masters it.”

Te fun for Dobson is being hands-on in this complicated exercise. He and Matt Lyons, his senior vice president and COO, make the breeding decisions for the Candy Meadows broodmares.

Tey consider a list of stallions they are interested in supporting each year and then match the mares with them.

“We change our minds quite a bit and move the pieces around a fair amount,” Dobson said with a wry smile, “and then end up with what we ultimately do.”

Dobson also buys a flly or two from Europe each year, in part because of the proliferation of U.S. turf racing (Keeneland and

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forward, Dobson brought her home and bred her to Into Mischief.

Into Mischief, who has topped the North American general sire list for the past six years, proved to be a good match for Tapella, who produced a flly from that cover who became Hoosier Philly.

Dobson sold Hoosier Philly for $510,000 at the 2021 Keeneland September sale, and she has gone on to win fve stakes to date, including the grade 2 Golden Rod Stakes. She recently became a millionaire.

In 2022, Tapella foaled a colt by Triple Crown winner Justify, who is also proving to be an extremely potent stallion. Dobson sold the colt in book 1 of the 2023 Keeneland September sale for $750,000 to trainer D. Wayne Lukas. Now named American Promise and racing for BC Stables, the colt won the Virginia Derby, setting a track record for 11⁄8 miles in the process, and earned a spot

Kentucky Downs ofer some of the richest grass races in North America). An added bonus is that turf horses on average enjoy longer racing careers and make more starts than horses that race on dirt.

“On the surface, my program isn’t very diferent from what a lot of other Toroughbred operations try to do, which is to develop families, sell the colts to pay the bills, and retain some fllies,” Dobson allowed. “But what I’m trying to develop is a broodmare band that has more of a soundness element to it. We bought Honor Way as a broodmare prospect for $115,000 at the 2022 Keeneland January mixed sale. She’s by Caleb’s Posse, so it is a family I’ve been invested in for a long time. Honor Way made 46 starts, won 13 of them, and earned $733,000. She’s not fashionably bred, but she raced six years.

“When Matt and I go to the [Keeneland] November breeding stock sale, we try to identify mares that have demonstrated talent as a racehorse over multiyear racing careers. If we have a niche, it’s trying to develop that soundness aspect.

Now, soundness can also equate to slowness. We’re not buying $5,000 claimers who started 50 times. Tere is a balance there.”

Dobson cited Bay Storm as another example. He sold her at a 2-year-old sale for $400,000, and she went on to become a grade 2 winner on turf and earn $1.3 million. “We bought her back as a broodmare prospect for $750,000. Tat’s how you make money in Toroughbreds — Blue Union Rags and her Olympiad colt enjoy a romp on a late April day. sell her for 400 and buy her back for 750.

You make up for it in volume,” he said, laughing heartily at his own in the Kentucky Derby starting gate. expense.

“When Wayne bought American Promise, he told me he was Bay Storm’s half brother Apollo Ten is also a stakes winner on going to make me famous,” Dobson recalled. “I told him, ‘I like the turf, making the family even more attractive, as Stormy Regatta has way you’re thinking, Coach.’ produced a pair of stakes winners from her frst fve foals.

“Watching him win the Virginia Derby was of-the-charts excitBut the headline broodmare in the Candy Meadows band is ing, not only for our breeding operation, but for his connections,” undoubtedly Tapella, a daughter of the outstanding sire Tapit.

Dobson added. “Getting [89-year-old] Wayne Lukas into the DerDobson purchased her as a yearling for $750,000, and she fashed by is a great storyline. He’s our frst Kentucky Derby horse, so for talent as a racehorse, winning twice in eight starts before becomeverybody here at the farm, we’re extremely thrilled and hopeful.” ing ill and missing time. Fearing she would be compromised going Because Candy Meadows is a relatively small concern that

54 SUMMER 2025 K KEENELAND.COM

The discrete reference employs nine grooms, it feels like a family-run operation. Farm manager Brenden Lewis and ofce manager Chelsie Burgess keep things running smoothly. And when a Candy Meadows-bred wins a big race, it reverberates through the entire crew.

Said Lyons, “When we have success like with American Promise, we all share in it. Every one of the staf feels like they’re part of something, so it is big for the whole team. Tey work hard, and we’re proud of the people we have.”

Adding to the excitement is the good-looking Gun Runner foal that Tapella currently has at her side and whose value is rising with the success of the family. Dobson also has a 4-year-old Mastery flly out of Tapella named Ava’s Look. Tese half-siblings to American Promise and Hoosier Philly can be either retained or entered in sales. “Tose will be gametime decisions,” said Dobson, who will weigh their potential value versus what they could potentially bring to his racing stable or broodmare band.

Meanwhile, Tapella is revisiting Into Mischief this year.

“Tanks mostly to Tapella, we’ve sold some pricey yearlings. She’s making a consistent, commercial, good-looking horse that can run,” Dobson said. “Tat’s the culmination of what we’ve been trying to do for almost 20 years. We’re attempting to breed the best racehorse we can.

And if you reach the intersection of commercial and racing quality, you’ve got something substantial.”

Candy Meadows consigns its own yearlings at Keeneland’s September sale and its mares to the November auction. About 20 yearlings born on the farm are ofered each September, and Candy Meadows also consigns

for a couple of outside clients. Dobson credits Lyons for building the consignment side of the operation.

In 2024, Candy Meadows enjoyed a banner year at the sales. It sold two colts from book 1 of the September sale for a total of $1.56 million. And at Keeneland’s November auction, it sold sale-topper Roses for Debra, a multiple graded stakes winner co-owned by Cheyenne Stables, for $2.4 million.

Dobson is used to reaping the rewards of an investment afer a protracted period. He was one of the original investors in the Oklahoma City Tunder in 2006. Tis season, the Tunder fnished the regular season with the best record in the NBA. Although the franchise has yet to win a championship, it is one of the favorites to break through in this year’s playofs.

“It’s going to be fun,” Dobson said.

“We haven’t gotten that grade 1 feeling yet, because we haven’t made it to the fnals. With the Tunder and the Toroughbreds, it’s like having two kids doing something substantial, and you’re proud of both. But one of the reasons I like being an investor in the Tunder is that they don’t let me make personnel decisions.”

Dobson laughs, although the lack of decision-making pressures in that arena no doubt elicits a sense of relief.

Tat won’t be the case at Te Jockey Club when he becomes chair in August.

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“…ALL IN THIS SPORT TOGETHER” As the breed registrar, Te Jockey Club has the power to maintain the integrity of the Toroughbred breed. Although it attempts to infuence policy in various areas of the Toroughbred industry, it is not a central governing body. However,

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K SUMMER 2025 55

WEARING MANY HATS as a fnancially strong organization, it can play a major role in charting the industry’s direction. It was efective, for example, in helping establish the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) to oversee drug testing and enforcement. It was less successful when trying to limit the number of mares that a stallion can cover per season in an attempt to diversify the genetic pool.

It is a difcult tightrope to walk, and the hope for Dobson is that he can help transform an organization perceived as historically insular into one with greater transparency. Tere is cause for optimism.

Dobson believes that HISA has been a major component behind the vastly improved injury rates for Toroughbreds over the past few years — a signifcant victory for the industry.

“Health and safety have been front and center and will continue to be a work in progress as long as I’m alive,” he said. “But the results have been very encouraging. I think we’ve shown tremendous improvement there.

Tat is key in developing a marketing program to promote the sport. We’ve at least put ourselves in a position where we can with confdence and conviction go to the general public and say, ‘We want to talk to you about horse racing.’ We are at a much better place in that regard.”

Candy Meadows also is home to the dog Chase and several Dobson has been on a barn kittens. yearlong information-gathering mission among horsemen, learning their views and thoughts on how to improve the fnancial footing of the sport. Foal crops are shrinking annually in regional markets around the U.S., leading to a chain reaction felt in the racing product and the downturn in handle (gambling). Tese are complex issues that will require cooperation among a group of stakeholders whose interests haven’t always aligned.

“Te constituents of this industry are a diverse group and I

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Two colts buddy up for some playtime.

The north fork of Elkhorn Creek borders a portion of Candy Meadows Farm.

want to hear from them,” Dobson said. “I want them to tell me their views. Track owners, horse owners, breeders, journalists.

We’re all in this sport together. For many, it is their livelihood. We want to be more inclusive and have a broader discussion on a lot of levels. We need to move on these issues. We must get feedback and use it constructively for the betterment of Te Jockey Club and the sport in general.”

Dobson’s plate is full.

“It’s a good thing I’m a young 65,” he said. KM

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Scene from After Hours Farm [for sale]

Your decisions cast a long shadow.

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CASA Farm [sold]

ANNE M. EBERHARDT

True TO ITS

Ideals Keeneland remains committed to the founders’ vision of a model racetrack

By Liane Crossley

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JOHN S. HOCKENSMITH

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PHOTO CREDIT

Keeneland’s iconic iron gates reference the old Kentucky Association track.

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True TO ITS

JOHN S. HOCKENSMITH

Ideals

The Toyota Blue Grass Stakes, centerpiece of the Keeneland spring race meet, was frst run in 1911 at the Kentucky Association track.

T

he goals of Keeneland’s foresighted founders were, to say the least, ambitious.

Tey wanted to build a venue in Lexington that would honor the region’s racing heritage while improving the sport for future generations. Words from the original 1935 prospectus presented detailed plans for what would become one of the world’s most celebrated Toroughbred racetracks and a National Historic Landmark.

Nearly a century later, Keeneland remains remarkably true to that vision “to perpetuate racing in the proper manner and to provide a course which will stand for many years as a symbol of the fne traditions of the sport.”

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Tose traditions are evident in the photographs and videos of well-dressed patrons enjoying the races, similar to today’s fashionable crowds. While the clothing styles and modes of transportation have changed through the decades, Keeneland has stayed frmly rooted in its ideals.

Te original Keeneland Association was led by Hal Price Headley and Maj. Louie A. Beard and included a recent University of Kentucky graduate, William T. “Bish” Bishop. Bishop would become general manager and hold the position for 36 years. In 2020, his granddaughter, Shannon Bishop Arvin, became Keeneland’s eighth president and CEO. “While Keeneland is at the forefront of the sport, we remain true to our founding mission to better racing, enrich the quality of life in Central Kentucky, and always do what is best for the horse,” Arvin said.

“Tese principles continue to guide everything we do, including construction of the new Paddock Building. Watching its progress, I feel the excitement my grandfather must have felt as he saw their vision become reality. We want to ensure Keeneland remains a place for fans to enjoy Toroughbred racing for generations to come.”

KEENELAND LIBRARY/MEADORS

ANNE M. EBERHARDT

Keeneland President and CEO Shannon Arvin is a granddaughter of the track’s frst general manager, William T. Bishop, right.

Keeneland was created to fulfll the need for racing in Toroughbred-rich Lexington with the demise of the Kentucky Association track that was in business for more than a century.

Racing thrived during its reign on the northeastern fringe of downtown Lexington before outlasting its usefulness through a series of ownerships, poor management, and fnancial difficulties.

Te Kentucky Association closed in 1933 and was torn down two years later. Few reminders remain of the place where the legendary Man o’ War made a public (non-racing) appearance and where Hall of Fame jockeys Jimmy Winkfeld and Isaac Murphy plied their trade. Te nearby Isaac Murphy Memorial Art Garden honors the area’s past, and self-guided walking tour maps are available via the Blue Grass Trust’s website.

Te 65-acre property at the corner of Fifh and Race streets eventually gave way to houses, apartments, and an elementary school. But before the track’s razing, Headley purchased an array

JOHN OLIVER KEENE-BROWNIE LEACH PHOTO

BEFORE KEENELAND

Top, the site plan from the original prospectus shows the track’s layout. Above, during Keeneland’s planning and construction phases, Bishop was the only full-time employee.

The Kentucky Association track in downtown Lexington opened in 1826, hosted numerous prestigious races, endured ups and downs, and fnally closed in 1933.

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KEENELAND LIBRARY PHOTOS

of items including framing and roofng for fve barns, grandstand seats, and the Kentucky Association’s decorative iron gate posts emblazoned with “KA” that now honor Keeneland Association and stand near Keeneland’s clubhouse.

A replica is at Keeneland’s original Versailles Road entrance.

Keeneland also brought over several stakes races from the Kentucky Association track, headed by the Stoll Keenon Ogden Phoenix Stakes, the country’s oldest stakes race dating back to 1831.

Te Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity — a key stepping stone to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and long-term racing success — was inaugurated downtown in 1910.

Te Central Bank Ashland Stakes, now a centerpiece of Keeneland’s spring meet, was run as the Ashland Oaks at the Kentucky Association track.

With the downtown track nearing its end, Beard and a committee of nine other men started looking for a site. From 20 potential locations close to downtown and beyond, Jack Keene’s Keeneland Stud was the logical choice. His 148-acre property was practically ready-made, and he agreed to sell for less than market value. Te land had a spring during the time before city water lines were available. Te stud had a track and viewing area, a water tower, living quarters, an indoor entertainment section, and access to Versailles Road.

With the purchase, the Keeneland Association was born with 21 directors.

In addition to horsemen, the team was rounded out by representatives from other businesses who would focus on the community. Ten and now, Keeneland operates with a not-for-proft mission; earnings are reinvested in purse money and horse industry initiatives as well as community and charitable organizations. Te board of

BROWNIE LEACH

Ideals

From top, Jack Keene’s vision helped defne today’s Keeneland; Keene’s stable became the foundation of the clubhouse and grandstand; Keene was fond of low-mortared stone walls, which are now a Keeneland signature; Keene incorporated stonework into his barns.

directors receives no compensation, a throwback to the tradition established

by Headley, Beard, and their band.

Te originators’ optimism was, of course, met by doubters who did not believe a track perceived as being far from downtown could survive, especially during the Great Depression.

Tey questioned charging admission, which the Kentucky Association had not done. Tey also believed the spring would run dry and that Keeneland needed a public address system (which did not happen until 1997).

Te doubters could not have been more wrong.

GRAND OPENING Headley and Beard were a dynamic duo in spite or perhaps because of their differences. Afer attending Princeton University, Headley returned to his native Lexington to run his family’s tobacco business and manage his Beaumont Farm. Known as a multitasker who could accomplish the work of several men, Headley ofen was considered rude for his insistence on getting much done in a short time. In contrast, Beard was a low-key, polo-playing Texan and graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point who lef the military to manage the renowned Greentree and C.V. Whitney farms in Lexington.

While Headley was demanding the most of himself and others, Beard stayed busy coaxing funds from the community for Headley to spend judiciously. Afer collecting enough to start the project, Beard raised more by selling lifetime clubhouse memberships.

During this phase, Bishop was the only full-time employee. Others were seasonal employees or from Headley’s Beaumont Farm staff.

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True TO ITS

KEENELAND LIBRARY PHOTOS

Ideals

The founding members of Keeneland attend an organizational meeting.

Above, the Keene-

KEENELAND LIBRARY PHOTOS

land prospectus.

Tey started renovations Left, Maj. Louie in September 1935 with high outfts, folks came from Beard (left) and Hal hopes to have a race meet the far and wide, and dinPrice Headley were following April, but much work ner get-togethers were a formidable duo. needed to be done. Te track planned. Tat all came was more like a feld with weeds, to a sudden stop with and the eventual grandstand the Kentucky Associarea was sunken. Te enclosed ation’s decline. With training track — earmarked racing’s rebirth in Lexfor repurpose as the saddling ington with Keeneland, paddock — was only half done. the party began anew.

Te barn that evolved into On Oct. 15, 1936, today’s cozy clubhouse lobby an estimated crowd of needed a full makeover. Moth8,000 attended opening er Nature intervened with the day. Te winners that lofy springtime opening goal afernoon included subby providing a harsh winter that Headley lent mules from his farm to break ground for the track. Above sequent Hall of Famer slowed progress. Despite 12- right, Headley purchased the Kentucky Association’s decorative iron gates Myrtlewood, who lef hour days except for Tanks- emblazed with “KA.” an indelible mark as a giving and Christmas, the foundation broodmare. challenges were overwhelming and the spring launch was scrapped. Two days later she won the Ashland Stakes before winning a match With the added months, Keeneland and the public were more race on Oct. 24, the meet’s closing day. Attendance for the nine-day than ready to welcome Toroughbred racing’s return to Lexington. meeting was 25,337, and wagering totaled $534,497. With a reportTe Kentucky Association races had been key to the town’s social ed net loss of just $3.47, Keeneland was deemed an overwhelming scene. Not unlike the modern era, women shopped for the perfect success and has since continued as a premier venue.

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True TO ITS

KEENELAND LIBRARY

Fencing wins the frst Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland in 1937.

KEENELAND LIBRARY

Ideals

Above, Keeneland’s paddock begins to take shape. Left, the paddock as it looks today has been a focal point for fans. Below, a historical marker.

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KEENE’S OTHER RACETRACK

J

ohn Oliver “Jack” Keene’s vision of an exemplaryThoroughbred racetrack

that would stand the test of time did not go exactly as planned. In 1935 he sold his Keene Stud at a reduced rate and joined the investors in the prospectus to create BLOODHORSE LIBRARY

Keeneland’s expansion through the decades April 17, 1935 — Keeneland Association fles its articles of incorporation and on Aug. 29 purchases Jack Keene’s 148-acre Keeneland Stud.

Oct. 15, 1936 — Inaugural season begins.

April 29, 1937 — Blue Grass Stakes is run at Keeneland for frst time after being held at Kentucky Association track for 12 runnings.

April 13, 1950 — New concrete, steel, and aluminum box seat area replaces wooden structure.

Spring 1953 — Construction begins on enlarging grandstand.

Oct. 5, 1963 — Fall meet opens with completion of construction project that links grandstand and clubhouse.

1974 — Keeneland undergoes parking lot expansion and renovations of grandstand and clubhouse.

May 1976 — Construction begins on concrete and steel section that replaces original wooden grandstand.

1982 — Clubhouse dining room overlooking walking ring is built.

1985 — Keeneland begins major one-year expansion and upgrade project that includes jockeys’ quarters, administration building, and dining facilities.

April 5, 1991 — Opening day features completion of corporate boxes and more dining options on fourth foor.

October 1998 — Major renovation of west end of grandstand is completed. Upgrades include enclosing frst and second foors, more public areas, and an escalator.

Summer 2000 — Outdoor frst foor of clubhouse is enclosed and upgraded.

April 2015 — Newly constructed information center and ticket offce at south entrance opens.

January 2024 — Construction begins on the new Paddock Building, reimagined saddling paddock, and operations building.

HEATHER C. JACKSON

GRAND GROWTH

a facility “dedicated solely to the perpetuation and improvement of the sport.”

Mission accomplished.

But 12 years before Keeneland’s 1936 inaugural season, Keene opened a different track with the same goal. Beautifed to appeal to the wealthy oil and gas tycoons in Eastern Kentucky near the Ohio and West Virginia borders, Raceland opened to large, enthusiastic crowds for four summer meetings. Keene had gone way over budget on the “Million Dollar Oval” that ultimately went into foreclosure and was sold.The clubhouse and a historical marker are among the few reminders of Keene’s other track. A lasting legacy was the permanent renaming of the town with

Jack Keene founded Raceland in Eastern Kentucky but fnancial problems plagued the track. about 2,500 residents from Chinnville to Raceland in 1930.

After Raceland’s failure, Keene’s vision came to fruition with the establishment of Keeneland but his satisfaction was shortlived. He died of a heart attack in 1943 after watching his horses train at a Detroit track. He was buried in a private family cemetery behind the ancestral home in which he was raised. —Liane Crossley

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LIBRARY EXHIBIT FEATURES KEENELAND HISTORY

K

eeneland Library’s latest exhibit, “OfTurf and Stone:

KeenelandThrough the Ages,” highlights the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Keeneland Association.Timed to coincide with celebrations surrounding Lexington’s 250th anniversary, the free exhibit is open during the library’s oper-

Keeneland drew throngs on its opening day in 1936.

A new phase begins in the fall of 2025 with completion of the Paddock Building, the largest renovation in Keeneland’s history. Te new three-level building extends the entire length of the saddling paddock and walking ring and will provide spectacular views of the pre-race pageantry. Te Paddock Building will accommodate more than 1,000 fans and feature a variety of ticketed options, including traditional sit-down dining, new bar concepts, a panoramic roofop experience, and more.

“Tis project, which allows us to welcome The Lexington Herald published more fans and to offer a special Keeneland edition. them a variety of worldclass experiences that showcase the beauty of Keeneland and racing, refects our commitment to the Toroughbred industry,” Arvin said. “Our founders’ vision remains vitally important to us as we approach Keeneland’s 100th anniversary.” KM

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Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The display features photographs and memorabilia tracing the evolution of Keeneland’s property, architecture, and facilities while showcasing traditions that have made Keeneland a world-renowned destination.

Keeneland replaced downtown Lexington’s Kentucky Association track that closed in 1933 after more than a century in business. A group of prominent Kentucky horsemen formulated a plan for a new facility and struck a deal for

KEENELAND LIBRARY MEADORS COLLECTION

KEENELAND LIBRARY PHOTOS

ating hours of Monday through

John Oliver “Jack” Keene’s 148acre property that already had a track and stone barn. Upgrades and additions were completed in time for Keeneland’s inaugural season in October 1936.

Approaching its century mark, Keeneland is a crown jewel of Thoroughbred racing and is the world’s largest Thoroughbred auction house welcoming local, national, and international buyers and sellers. Now 1,234 acres of prime Kentucky Bluegrass and a National Historic Landmark, Keeneland is renowned for its beauty, charm, and premier racing. While continuing to honor its traditions, Keeneland is a leader in improving the sport. “Of Turf and Stone: Keeneland Through the Ages” explores the constants and transformations from its origins to today. For access to the virtual exhibit, visit Keeneland Library’s online exhibit gallery.

—Liane Crossley

Horses pass the Keeneland Clubhouse on their way to the post.

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Erin Goins caters to the surge in visitors to Lexington and Central Kentucky with her Bites of the Bluegrass walking tours.

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COURTESY OF VISITLEX

The city continues to make lists of BEST PLACES to live and visit, adding to its VISIBILITY and PROSPERITY

By Rich Copley Photos by Arden Barnes

Lexington’s PHOTO CREDIT

ALLURE KEENELAND.COM

K SUMMER 2025 77

MARY JANE SPEER

From restaurants and shops to musical venues and historic sites, downtown Lexington has plenty to offer visitors and residents alike.

E

ERIN GOINS HAS a client from New York who wants a big 50th birthday celebration in Lexington, and she is happy to oblige.

Te owner of Bites of the Bluegrass walking tours is planning a full day for him and his guests that includes a private horse farm visit, lunch at a restaurant on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail™, a special birthday drink at

78 SUMMER 2025 K KEENELAND.COM

a downtown cocktail bar, dinner at one of Lexington’s marquee steak houses, and dancing into the night at one of the city’s new clubs. Tat’s all afer a frst day in town of racing at Keeneland.

“Where else can you go that you could go to a castle and drink bourbon, eat some traditional food that came straight from a farmer’s feld, go put on a fancy dress and hat and go watch horses race, just like you’re on the set of ‘Secretariat,’ and then come downtown to a little city where you can bar hop all evening,” Goins said, enumerating elements of other bespoke experiences she has cultivated for visitors. “I can’t think of many places where you can do that.”

People are fguring out Lexington and the Bluegrass region have a lot going on as evidenced by appearances on best places to visit and live lists in outlets such as U.S. News & World Report, Money, Travel & Leisure,

and Bloomberg that tout the Horse Capital of the World as a destination for visitors and new residents.

“Te downtown was absolutely precious, and I saw plenty of cute restaurants and shops I’d want to visit on a trip back,” Southern Living Digital Editor Mary Shannon Hodes said in an article headlined “10 Southern Destinations Our Editors Visited For Te First Time Tis Year And Loved.”

“Look out, Nashville. Lexington is gaining cred for its fourishing music scene, which is now easier to tap into,” Bloomberg Pursuits wrote, citing music venues in the Distillery District. Te area also boasts Te Manchester, Lexington’s newest boutique hotel where Paula Endara, who is featured on the current season of Bravo’s “Top Chef,” is the head chef.

Like Bloomberg, Southern Living also cited Lexington’s 250th birthday celebration this year and burgeoning outdoor attractions

VisitLEX executives Mary Quinn Ramer (president, left) and Leslie Miller (vice president of marketing) say Lexington’s appearance on “best” lists provides incalculable benefts.

in naming it one of the 25 best places to go in the South in 2025.

“Being able to be on a list like that, and the earned media value that comes from being on something like that, that is beyond a budget that we would ever be able to have to get in front of that many eyeballs and in such a high regard,” says Leslie Miller, vice president of marketing for VisitLEX. VisitLEX President Mary Quinn Ramer added, “Tere’s a process that people typically go through when they’re looking to make travel decisions, and it really starts with inspiration and awareness. What these lists do is elevate us in that awareness space.”

Being named among best places to live and best places to retire can also get people to think about more than a visit.

“With so many buyers searching online for information, it makes sense that someone who has their mind set on where to move

— whether it be for a new career, family, or just to make a change — uses these types of resources to provide insight,” said Todd Hyatt, president of the Bluegrass Realtors board of directors.

Beyond Lexington’s obvious international calling cards of horses and bourbon, those who visit — or decide to move here — say they fnd other things to love once they arrive, particularly unique experiences and hospitality.

Phil and Kevin Jun were living in Seattle when a love for bourbon drew them to Kentucky for a 2014 vacation on the Bourbon Trail. Tey were so enamored of the Bluegrass they had their wedding at Frankfort’s Bufalo Trace Distillery in 2017. Tat’s when their wedding coordinator started encouraging them to move to Lexington, which they did in 2021.

“Trough all of our wedding trips and

then becoming good friends with our wedding coordinator, it really came down to some of the great friendships and great people that we met while we were going through all of that planning,” Kevin said.

KEENELAND FACTOR Baltimore attorney Kevin O’Keefe initially visited Kentucky when he was invited to the Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Churchill Downs in 2010 and stayed in Lexington. Tat sparked an interest in horse racing that has kept him coming back, ultimately becoming a seasonal employee at Keeneland as one of the “Green Coats” that greet and help direct visitors during the spring and fall meets.

“Trough Keeneland, I made many good friends,” O’Keefe said. On days of from the track, he enjoys going to Paris, Versailles, Midway, and other neighbor-

KEENELAND.COM

K SUMMER 2025 79

Lexington’s

From left, trendy hotels such as The Manchester in the Distillery District, the enduring popularity of bourbon, and Central Kentucky’s reputation as the Horse Capital of the World all draw visitors to the region.

ing communities to visit friends. With some of them, O’Keefe has become part owner of a few horses.

“For some people, they join a country club, or they have a boat,” O’Keefe said. “For me, this is what I like to do.”

Keeneland Vice President and Chief Marketing Ofcer Christa Marrillia said, “It’s like old home week when employee orientation happens, because all these folks, they know each other, they know our patrons. Truly, part of the magic of the Keeneland experience is

our wonderful employees, and our employees actually come from 25 diferent states,” including as far away as Oregon.

Te spring and fall meets draw fans from all 50 states, and Marrillia said 65% of racing fans and 67% of people attending Keeneland’s horse sales are from outside the Lexington area.

“It’s just almost impossible for me to imagine promoting Lexington as a visitor destination without Keeneland,” Ramer of VisitLEX said. “Tose April and October meets are some of the times where we see the most visitors to Lexington. From the standpoint of our local restaurants, our local shops, our local businesses, the impacts that they feel on these visitors coming for that time of the year, it’s hugely impactful for them.

“Te sales [at Keeneland] are another incredible time where we see international folks coming to Lexington and getting to experience what Lexington has to ofer,” Ramer continued. “Tey’re pleasantly surprised to fnd as much of a city as they do. I don’t think people necessarily understand there’s this big, little micro metropolis here that has a whole host of activities for you to enjoy.”

BROAD APPEAL

Phil, left, and Kevin Jun moved from Seattle to Lexington in 2021 after a bourbon tour in 2014 piqued their interest in the region.

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Keeneland provides one of the things the VisitLEX folks say travelers are looking for these days: unique experiences that can’t be found at every exit. Distinctive diversions include other equine draws such as the Kentucky Horse Park and the wide variety of bourbon distilleries from major names such as Woodford Reserve in Versailles and Maker’s Mark down the Bluegrass Parkway in Loretto to craf distillers such as Castle & Key in Frankfort and James E. Pepper Distillery in Lexington’s Distillery District that ofer a more intimate visit.

In recent years bourbon has come to rival horses in terms of area

VISITLEX/RICHIE WIREMAN

BILL LUSTER

ALLURE

OPEN YEAR- ROUND Monday - Saturday | 9am - 5pm

Lexington’s

MATHEA KELLEY

ALLURE

Keeneland is an unrivaled asset in promoting Lexington as a destination. Above right, Baltimore attorney Kevin O’Keefe works as a Keeneland “Green Coat” during the April and October race meets.

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“

FIT FOR FOODIES

IT’S JUST ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE FOR ME TO IMAGINE PROMOTING LEXINGTON AS A VISITOR DESTINATION WITHOUT KEENELAND.” — MARY QUINN RAMER, PRESIDENT OF VISITLEX

RICK SAMUELS

attractions, and Ramer noted the distilleries give visitors a complete bourbon experience right down to letting you dip your fngers in tubs of sour mash.

Other unique oferings include Trifecta, a glassblowing studio and speakeasy that comes up numerous times in discussions of area attractions.

“I don’t know a place like that in New York, Seattle, Chicago, L.A.,” Phil Jun said. “I’ve seen places that have the glassblowing studio and the gallery, but they don’t have a bar, and that’s what makes it unique. We love this place because they cater to what people locally are used to, but they also have a lot of stuf here that’s diferent, and if you give it a try, you’ll be really surprised by it.”

Te Juns are chatting in one of their favorite destinations: Mileta, an Italianinspired restaurant opened by native Kentuckians Dallas Rose and Chef Alex Green that is gaining attention from outlets such as Garden & Gun magazine and Louisville’s Courier-Journal.

Lexington’s dining scene continues to increase its visibility — and prestige — through chefs such as James Beard Foundation award nominee Ouita Michel, who is routinely featured in national media outlets from CBS News to the Food Network’s “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.” Every time Endara appears on “Top Chef,” the words “Lexington, Kentucky” are right there under her name.

To Goins, these nationally recognized chefs and their restaurants are a growing part of Lexington’s appeal in part because they just scratch the surface of what the area’s food scene has to ofer.

“People are always blown away by how much food they’re getting and how inclusive our city is and how diverse our city is,” Goins said. “Tat is exactly what my intention was upon starting this food tour. I want people to see Lexington for who we really are and create a fond memory that will bring people back.”

Lexington’s

KIRK SCHLEA

ALLURE

KEENELAND PHOTO

These days many bourbon distilleries offer visitors experiences that go beyond just seeing the bourbon-making process.

Goins started Bites of the Bluegrass as a side job three years ago, announcing her frst tour and wondering if anyone would buy a ticket. Now, the company is running 11 to 15 tours a week with 12 tour guides. She said that last year, 4,000 people took the tours with a mix of approximately 60% residents, 40% visitors.

Her walking tours highlight Lexington’s history and the downtown’s walkability and natural appeal. Ramer recalled a visitor from Los Angeles commenting on hearing birds chirping in downtown Lexington, something ofen missing from the concrete and steel of major cities.

“I like being close to a lot of activities,” O’Keefe said of the accessibility of downtown Lexington. “But one of the things that’s special about Lexington is so close to the downtown area are these gorgeous horse farms. I mean driving into work in the morning, I go by Calumet every day. And then coming back, if you go through the back roads, you see one horse farm afer another.”

O’Keefe also appreciates, like the Juns, Lexington’s afordability.

“We’re kind of nationally seeing what we ofen refer to as the stimulation of the midsized city,” said Rusty Underwood, owner and CEO of Christie’s International Real Estate Bluegrass and past president of the Bluegrass Realtors board.

“A lot of people in more densely urban or populated cities

A Bites of the Bluegrass tour includes making a specialty cocktail.

84 SUMMER 2025 K KEENELAND.COM

Keeneland sales bring in visitors from every state and scores of countries.

Lexington’s

ALLURE

started valuing a little lower cost of living, a little greater ease of travel and commute, and especially with the onset of more remote work possibilities with diferent employers.”

Underwood and Hyatt of Bluegrass Realtors point to Lexington’s location where Interstates 75 and 64 meet as another thing that makes Lexington attractive to new residents, and VisitLEX’s Miller said that was also a big plus for the area with visitors during the COVID-19 pandemic when travelers favored road trips over fights.

“Lexington is within a day’s drive of two-thirds of the U.S. population,” Miller said.

With all the renown, Lexington continues to add to its portfolio of attractions. One of the city’s best-known venues, Rupp Arena, where a certain legendary college basketball team and some of the biggest music artists in the world play, sits within the newly renovated Central Bank Center, upping the city’s profle for conventions, meetings, and large events.

Behind the center, Gatton Park on Town Branch is under construction, adding a major outdoor attraction downtown that will include an amphitheater with seating for up to 5,000, recreational activities, and numerous other attractions across 9 acres. Ramer is also excited about Kelley’s Landing, a forthcoming 30-acre park in South Lexington that will represent Fayette County’s frst public access to the Kentucky River in recent memory.

“Te currency that we’re trading in is experiences,” Ramer said. “It’s not goods. It’s not commodities. It’s not how much can I buy on vacation. It’s much more. How much can I experience? When I go home, what am I going to tell people that I did, that I saw, that I touched, that I tasted?

“We’ve always been a place that has been pretty authentic about what we do, how we do it, who we are, how we came to be 21st-century Lexingtonians, and that’s really playing so much to our strengths.” KM

Relative newcomer Trifecta offers glassblowing as well as a speakeasy near downtown Lexington. Top, owner and resident artist Travis Adams works in Trifecta’s studio.

Realtors Rusty Underwood, left, and Todd Hyatt note that some visitors to Lexington end up wanting a more permanent experience.

86 SUMMER 2025 K KEENELAND.COM

Below, Erin Goins entertains visitors during her Haunted Lexington: Spirits, Frights, & Bites tour.

BRIAN SIMMS/ LEXINGTON HERALD-LEADER

Left, among the eats on the tour: fried chicken and hoecakes at the Thirsty Fox.

Above, Rupp Arena and UK basketball need no introduction.

Left, Ashland: The Henry Clay Estate is a popular draw for history enthusiasts.

KEENELAND.COM

K SUMMER 2025 87

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A Justify—Dawn of Hope flly peeks shyly over her dam.

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baby steps IN CENTRAL KENTUCKY PASTURES, THOROUGHBRED RACING’S FUTURE STARS TAKE THEIR FIRST STEPS TOWARD THE STARTING GATE

MATHEA KELLEY PHOTOS

jumping for joy Above, a colt by Dr. Schivel out of Grandicious can’t contain his enthusiasm.

Right, a flly by Uncle Mo out of Love Beach takes a joyful leap.

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keeping close Left, a colt by Justify out of Pista keeps stride with his dam.

AMY LANIGAN PHOTOS

Below, a colt by Nyquist out of Rainbow Olly leads the way.

tender moments

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Clockwise from below, a Justify flly and her dam, Macadamia, share a nuzzle; a flly

by Munnings out of Wishful Winking gets an earful; a Not This Time flly goes face to face with her dam, Lady Alexandra.

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AMY LANIGAN

MATHEA KELLEY

horsin’ around Above left, colts by Constitution out of Valadorna and by Curlin out of Dream Pauline engage in playful nipping.

Above right, colts by Not This Time out of Ocean Safari and by Blame out of Star of Bristol check out each other’s halters.

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AMY LANIGAN

Clockwise from above, a colt by Cody’s Wish out of One Time Around, a colt by Up to the Mark out of Big Meesh, and a flly by Proxy out of Diva Style have expressive markings.

MATHEA KELLEY PHOTOS

that face

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watch me run Clockwise from top left, a colt by Cody’s Wish out of Pure Silver, the flly by Uncle Mo—Love Beach, and a flly by Jackie’s Warrior—Onyx show why they are born to run.

100 SUMMER 2025 K KEENELAND.COM

Mark Your Calendars F OR U PC OMI NG S A LE S E VEN TS WI TH KEENELA ND

September Yearling Sale

The World’s Yearling Sale delivered a historic $428 million in gross sales in 2024. The industry’s premier yearling auction, the September Sale delivers an unmatched selection of elite Thoroughbreds that shape the future of racing and draws a global audience to attend.

Keeneland Championship Sale

November Breeding Stock & Horses of Racing Age Sales

Begins Monday, Sept. 8

Wednesday, Oct. 29

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Begins Tuesday, Nov. 4 | Entries Open July 1

Global breeding stock sale set a record median and North America’s top weanling prices in 2024. Ofering exceptional broodmares, prospects and weanlings, the Keeneland November Sale is a cornerstone of the global bloodstock market. Followed by the November Horses of Racing Age Sale, it delivers top-quality opportunities for every program.

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NEIGHBOR

GOOD

104 SUMMER 2025 K KEENELAND.COM

KENWICK TABLE has become a local gathering spot where friends can catch up over a cup of coffee, listen to music, or practice French conversation

By Jacalyn Carfagno | Photos by Kirk Schlea

Once a vacant eyesore, Kenwick Table is now a popular local destination.

KEENELAND.COM

K SUMMER 2025 105

Left, Rett McGoodwin bought the building that became Kenwick Table in 2019 and spent two years renovating it. Above, a handcrafted table offers an inviting place to work.

IF

ANYONE HAD BEEN WATCHING, which they probably weren’t, they would have seen Rett McGoodwin in the predawn hours one spring morning in 2021 working in the building at 201 Owsley Ave. in Lexington. He had been rehabbing it for over a year, but on that particular morning the idea that became the popular neighborhood cofee shop and wine bar Kenwick Table was truly born.

106 SUMMER 2025 K KEENELAND.COM

McGoodwin, who had lived next door to the building for several years and in Kenwick neighborhood for decades, had seen it morph from a grocery that was once “a thriving part of this community” into a sketchy retail outlet and then into a vacant eyesore. But in 2019, “just by a miracle,” he bought the building. He already had two businesses — Rett’s Landscaping and Te Garden Vault, which sells garden fxtures imported from around the world — and he had “no intention of running a business out of here.”

McGoodwin renovated the abandoned store into a big, bright, open space that could be adapted to many uses, but a couple of deals to lease it fell through. Ten, one night, he had an epiphany. On a ski trip to Breckenridge, Colorado, a few years earlier, he and his friends had discovered a breakfast place that featured a big table where people gathered from all over the world to drink cofee and converse. “I would love to have a place that has that level of community,” he remembered thinking.

Tat’s when McGoodwin knew what the place wanted to be — a cofee shop. “I came over here at 3 o’clock in the morning with some blue

painter’s tape and started measuring out where the bar would be,” he said. Later, he “built the biggest table that I could build” to nurture the kind of give and take he’d experienced in Colorado, and Kenwick Table opened Sept. 21, 2021.

Jacob Lobb, now head barista, was there at the opening (“I was here before the foors were,” he said) and remembers the slow, early days. But the place itself and the community table concept had already begun to work their magic.

Once, in the early months, from his perch behind the bar, Lobb noticed a couple “at our community table up front who just happened to sit across from each other and started chatting.”

As the months rolled by, they continued to come into Kenwick Table and chat until several months later, as Lobb remembered, “there was a proposal, on the back patio.” He added, “I think that’s really sweet; something you wouldn’t expect from a cofee shop.”

Kenwick Table boasts other things you might not expect, like the low staf turnover, the live music and drinks in the evening, the house cat, the pup cups for dogs, and the free doughnuts on Saturday morning for kids.

Te frst Saturday the shop was open, McGoodwin went to nearby Spalding’s Bakery and got four dozen doughnuts with the message to parents:

From top, a typical daytime crowd enjoys Kenwick Table’s airy interior; the Smith family visits every Saturday morning; UK graduate student Cora Kirby gets some schoolwork done.

KEENELAND.COM

K SUMMER 2025 107

NEIGHBOR

GOOD

“Bring your kids in and the Spalding’s doughnuts are free.” It’s part of his strategy “to get the family to be involved here” that also includes free hot chocolate for kids on school snow days. Paying customers can enjoy a range of cofees, some specially designed by the baristas with seasonal variations, along with pastries from Martine’s and chicken salad, breakfast casseroles, pimento cheese, and other treats from Selma’s Catering. Te cofees are roasted in Lexington and Louisville, and of course, beer and bourbon come from regional procurers as well. “Local, local, local” is his mantra, McGoodwin said.

It is a good mantra for a place that opened during a time when people were just beginning to emerge from the isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic, taking the frst tentative steps outside their homes. McGoodwin thinks he gave local bands that hadn’t been on the road a relaxed place where they could tune up their onstage skills before taking to the road again. Tere’s entertainment almost every evening, whether a band McGoodwin has booked, open mic or Grateful Dead night, trivia, or poetry readings.

It was “kind of an odd time to start a business,” Lobb mused, afer “a time of severe isolation, fret, and worry.”

Tey were still wearing masks when Kenwick Table opened, but it worked, for both staf and clients. It was the tonic he needed, Lobb said, “seeing the same nice people,

108 SUMMER 2025 K KEENELAND.COM

Top, musician and Kenwick Table regular Lee Carroll has found a venue for his music.

Above, patrons listen and dance to the Lee Carroll Trio with Special Guests.

making lifelong friends.” For him, working at Kenwick Table meant he came out of the COVID-19 shutdown “with this newfound, two-in-one job community.” Now, afer almost four years, he fgures he knows 60% of his customers (“I think that’s undershooting a bit”), meaning “I can either tell you their name or their drink or something about them.”

“It really is kind of a magical place,” said Lee Carroll, a regular who was the frst musician to play Kenwick Table. He still plays music there on the fourth Tursday of every month plus his special days: Halloween and

the Friday afer Tanksgiving. Carroll said Kenwick Table has provided an important venue for local bands because “there’s a dearth of places to play; there just aren’t any venues here.” Plus, he said, the pay is good and “the crowd tips well.”

He and his wife live close by and had ofen seen the vacant building while out walking.

Tey watched as McGoodwin — who got to know them when he designed their garden for their 2012 wedding — transformed it.

Carroll ofen wished someone would open an Irish bar there, by which he means a place “that is the hub of the community, a

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NEIGHBOR

GOOD

From top, Kaitlyn Lobsiger prepares an old-fashioned for a customer; a hot vanilla latte; a blackboard displays coffee and tea choices. Bottom right, McGoodwin vows that as long as he owns Kenwick Table “there will always be a $6 pour of bourbon and a $7 glass of wine.”

110 SUMMER 2025 K KEENELAND.COM

place where people can mingle and they can get “a nosh, café, or wine.” socialize.” Tat wish came true, he And she also goes there just for fun. said. “He opened a cofee shop, and “I love, love, love attending music it turned into an Irish bar. … It’s the nights.” heart of the Kenwick community.”

Like Carroll, House said, “It feels Tese days Kenwick Table is usual- like being in your living room or ly busy, whether you walk in at 11 in backyard and having some friends the morning or 6 in the over to jam out.” evening. Carroll, who For all its familiarity, ofen walks in two or Kenwick Table is always three times a day, said changing. A friend in the clientele changes the restaurant business from “kids with their told McGoodwin earlaptops” during the day ly on that his success to young mothers with would draw imitators, their kids afer school but the key to staying to neighbors stopping in ahead of them was to for a visit in the evening. keep evolving. “Nev“We’ll just sit out front er be stagnant,” he told Design elements for an hour and talk, include light fxtures McGoodwin. “Let them socialize,” he said. It’s from old ships. keep trying to catch up.” like having a second livMcGoodwin took that ing room “that we don’t have to clean.” to heart. Te early café staples were latSometimes there’s even conver- er joined by charcuterie trays available sation in French. Erica House, who to the evening crowd, and soon pizzas also lives nearby, teaches French at will appear on the menu. One of Lobb’s the Carnegie Center but also has duties is to oversee the seasonal menus private group and individual classes that change four times a year. “If you that occasionally meet at Kenwick come and something’s not quite what Table. Now, more ofen than not, she you expect,” he said, “come back in two can only have classes there when the months and it’s probably diferent.” weather’s nice so they can be outside.

One thing that McGoodwin is “It’s no longer Lexington’s best-kept determined won’t change is the secret,” House said. “It can get quite neighborhood feel, the welcoming noisy, and tables fll up quickly.” But atmosphere, the vibe Kenwick Table her students love it and enjoy being has developed over its four years. Te in a cofee shop that’s in the middle Kenwick neighborhood is changof a neighborhood, she said, where ing from a working-class enclave

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GOOD

NEIGHBOR

PET FRIENDLY

“T

he cat of many names,” Vickie Mitchell calls the big

tabby whose presence has come to defne Kenwick Table almost as much as the lattes, specialty drinks, and live music. The baristas call him Ham and regularly honor him in Facebook posts, while owner Rett McGoodwin calls him Omar, and Mitchell, who has known him the

roaming the neighborhood at night.

longest, calls him Buster.

Recently, one of those explorations

“If I’m being perfectly honest,

ended with a scratch to his eye,

I have a little cat crush on their

causing a buzz among the Friday

mascot, Omar/Ham,” admitted Erica

afternoon crowd, as people shared

House, a neighbor who frequents

photographs and worried about his

KenwickTable. She’s not alone. “He’s

condition. (He survived.)

our best marketable material,” said

to friendly dogs, McGoodwin said

will come in and say, ‘We saw the

(“which mine aren’t,” he added).

cat on Instagram, where is he, is he

There’s a dog bowl out front, and it’s

here?’ ” Lobb said.

not unusual to see someone stroll in

KenwickTable hasn’t always been

to a trendy place where prices have soared. Still, he wants Kenwick Table to be a place where all feel welcome and can aford to enjoy a drink. With two successful businesses already, he’s not looking to grow rich of the café crowd. “As long as I own Kenwick Table there will always be a $6 pour of bourbon and a $7 glass of wine,” he said.

Carroll said the fact that McGoodwin doesn’t rely on income from Kenwick Table means “he can make choices based on quality.” Tat includes everything from the light fxtures inside and out that were salvaged from British and German ships to the Chinese stone features in the front garden to the music. “I’m sure there are nights he has people playing music that he doesn’t make any money of it,” Carroll said.

As long as McGoodwin owns it, Carroll is convinced Kenwick Table will retain its magic. “Te culture of the business starts at the top,” he said, and this Irish bar/cofee shop/ neighborhood living room mirrors McGoodwin’s values.

“He’s a good guy, he hires good people, and you always feel welcome here.” KM

112 SUMMER 2025 K KEENELAND.COM

KenwickTable also opens its doors

head barista Jacob Lobb. “People

his home.

From top, food choices include a charcuterie tray, croissants and pastries, and chicken salad.

The resident cat goes by many names.

with a dog on leash. Canine customers have their choice of two drinks,

“He was a longtime stray, fed

the pup cup and the puppuccino, both

by people throughout Kenwick and

basically whipped cream in a cup.The

Mentelle,” Mitchell explained. “We

difference, McGoodwin said, is the

got him neutered, and he strayed

puppuccino “is served with attitude.”

a little less and hung around our

One fan of the doggy drinks is So-

house more, coexisting with our

phie, who comes there with House.

cats.” But this cat had bigger ambi-

“She loves her pup cups!” With a pup

tions. “He was looking for a place

cup in mind, Sophie will guide the

where he could be top cat,” she

pair to Owsley Avenue where “she

said, and eventually, “he migrated

always leads me to the front door.”

to Kenwick Table.”

Although Ham/Omar/Buster still

Good dogs like Sophie are welcome, but Kenwick Table remains

takes some days off from the café

the domain of one lordly tabby.

crowd to rest at her place, Mitchell

“I’ve always felt that cats know the

said KenwickTable is “his kingdom,”

best places, and Buster found his,”

where the staff treat “him like a king

Mitchell said. But she said he’s not

— heated cat house, plenty of food

alone. “Like a lot of other people

and water, lots of love.”

and pets, he likes the community

Despite his luxury accommodations, the cat has not given up

spirit of Kenwick Table and he rules the roost there.”

Locals Brion Barnhill and daughter Lillybelle enjoy the front patio with their dog Smokey.

LEXINGTON | LOUISVILLE bluegrasshospitality.com

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s GODOLPHIN became just the fifth owner in 151 years to sweep the KENTUCKY DERBY (G1) and the KENTUCKY OAKS (G1) in the same year.

The rare sweep capped a memorable weekend for Godolphin, which also won the 2000 GUINEAS (G1) at Newmarket with Kentucky-bred RULING COURT (USA).

SOVEREIGNTY

Owner & Breeder: Godolphin Trainer: Bill Mott

GOOD CHEER

Owner & Breeder: Godolphin Trainer: Brad Cox

Congratulations to Godolphin on earning a $100,000 KBIF BONUS for breeding a Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks winner.

M A K I N G A D I FF E R E NC E GOD’S PANTRY FOOD BANK

Making Hunger Visible G O D ’ S PA N T RY F O O D B A N K I S AN I N D I S P E N S AB L E R E S O U R C E F O R T H O U S AN D S O F K E N T U C K I AN S

By William Bowden Photos by Jetta Vaughns

Sheila Combs stocks up on groceries at a pantry operated by God’s Pantry. The caretaker of a special needs nephew, Combs said that without the pantry, “I could hardly feed him.”

116 SUMMER 2025 K KEENELAND.COM

KEENELAND.COM

K SUMMER 2025 117

MAKING A DIFFERENCE GOD’S PANTRY FOOD BANK

God’s Pantry recently opened new headquarters in north Lexington that also includes a large warehouse.

E

ARLY ON A CHILLY MONDAY MORNING in late March, Sheila Combs works her way among the vegetable bins and shelves neatly stocked with canned goods, fresh bread, and other staples. Tis is no ordinary grocery store, but a pantry operated by God’s Pantry Food Bank and flled with free food.

God’s Pantry CEO Michael Halligan notes that food insecurity exists in every community in Kentucky.

The organization strives to take away the stigma attached to people experiencing hunger, he said.

118 SUMMER 2025 K KEENELAND.COM

As a single parent, Combs struggles to put meals on the table every day for herself and her adopted special needs nephew. Te pantry is a lifesaver for her.

“If it weren’t for God’s Pantry, I could hardly feed him,” said Combs, a Lexington resident. “Te center on Winchester Road is the most wonderful store. Tey open exactly when they say they will, and there’s always someone there to help you.

Tat means a lot to someone like me, who is already stressed out.”

God’s Pantry Food Bank, a nonproft organization headquartered in Lexington, has a mission to ensure that people like Combs and her nephew never go hungry. To accomplish that, it operates a vast and complex system of gathering

The Winchester Road pantry is one of fve in Lexington.

and distributing free nutritious food throughout a 50-county region in Central and Eastern Kentucky. Tis area

Combs said she never feels judged by those who work at the food bank. “They’re sympathetic about your situation and your needs.”

includes 10 of the 25 most food-challenged counties in the United States, according to Feeding America, a national anti-hunger nonproft.

Te attitude of God’s Pantry is not to be judgmental about how and why people fnd themselves in need of food. Rather, the organization works to raise awareness and fnd solutions.

“Tere is ofen a stigma attached to someone who is experiencing hunger,” said CEO Michael Halligan. “But food insecurity exists in every community across Kentucky. Many individuals are just one unfortunate circumstance — loss of a job, a health care crisis — away from sufering hunger. We want to dispel that stigma and help people overcome those circumstances. Tat’s what we mean when we say we’re making hunger visible.”

Tat scenario dovetails perfectly with how Combs feels about her visits to the Winchester Road pantry, one of fve in Fayette County.

“Te people at the pantry don’t make you feel like you’re less than anyone else just

because you’re asking for food,” she said.

“Tey’re sympathetic about your situation and your needs.”

70 YEARS OF SERVICE Tis year God’s Pantry is observing the 70th anniversary of its founding. It began in 1955 when Mim Hunt started delivering food to her needy Lexington neighbors. (See sidebar.)

From that one-woman charity operation, the food bank has grown into an extensive system of procuring and distributing huge quantities of food throughout its service region. For fscal year 2024, it distributed approximately 46.6 million pounds of food.

Feeding America estimates that as many as 265,000 people in Central and Eastern Kentucky are uncertain about where their next meal will come from.

Te food is gathered from a variety of sources. It may be as singular as the can of green beans dropped into a God’s Pantry collection barrel at your neighborhood grocery store or as large as bulk quantities

coming from retailers and restaurants donating excess items.

Farmers are an important source for fresh vegetables and eggs. Feeding America and its state partner association Feeding Kentucky provide support, and God’s Pantry budgets for items that may be in short supply.

For distribution, the food bank empowers more than 500 food pantries and meal programs throughout its 50-county service region. Entities like churches and homeless shelters may be involved in this network of delivery to the recipients.

Te Winchester Road pantry is a good example of the “choice” pantries, where “neighbors” (the term used for recipients) can select whatever food items they want.

Most pantries in the system are run like this, though some ofer a prepared box of food.

In areas with limited pantries or meal programs, the food bank operates a Mobile Pantry Program to distribute dry goods, meat, dairy, and produce directly to individuals and families.

Danielle Bozarth, vice president of

KEENELAND.COM

K SUMMER 2025 119

MAKING A DIFFERENCE GOD’S PANTRY FOOD BANK

God’s Pantry calls those who shop at its pantries “neighbors.”

operations and philanthropy, oversees this entire operation. One side of her ofce is a glass wall overlooking a towering, squeaky clean, and beautifully organized warehouse in north Lexington, the focal point of the organization’s headquarters. Pallet upon pallet of neatly stacked boxes of nonperishables await dispatch to the far corners of 50 counties. A cooler and a freezer, both industrial-sized, store perishables.

“We have a feet of 14 trucks we send out every day to deliver the food throughout our region,” Bozarth said. “Tey stock local food pantries and meal programs such as soup kitchens.”

God’s Pantry has markedly increased its distribution numbers as a result of a newly acquired and remodeled 127,000-square-foot warehouse, which replaced a 50,000-squarefoot facility. Operational capacity has jumped from 44.5 million meals annually to 60 million. Te food bank calculates those numbers by a formula.

Keeping all this food fresh is a priority for Bozarth and her team. To care for the perishables, the food bank uses the coolers and freezers at its Lexington warehouse and at three others strategically located in its service region. Refrigerated trucks are used for pickup and delivery.

Donated food comes from a variety of sources, including supermarkets and restaurants.

120 SUMMER 2025 K KEENELAND.COM

“Keep it moving” sums up the foodhandling philosophy. “We’re always turning things over, both in the warehouses and in the coolers and freezers,” Bozarth said. “Preventing waste is a huge deal for us. If we get it in the morning, we want it to be on someone’s dinner table that night or the next day.”

TASTE OF THE BLUEGRASS As a 501(c)(3) nonproft organization, God’s Pantry relies on grants, donors, corporate sponsorships, food drives, fundraising events, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture for support.

Te organization is in the midst of a $40

MAKING A DIFFERENCE GOD’S PANTRY FOOD BANK

MIM’S PANTRY BECOMES GOD’S PANTRY

I

t all started in 1955 when Mim Hunt loaded up her station wagon with food, clothing, and bed-

ding and set out to deliver them to some needy Lexington neighbors. Friends donating food to her cause soon christened her efforts “Mim’s Pantry.”

She quickly corrected them. “I don’t fll these shelves,” she said back then. “God does.This is God’s pantry.”

Thus began what today is God’s Pantry Food Bank, a vast network of food collection and distribution that Hunt could hardly have imagined at the time.The intervening 70 years have seen her simple idea of helping a few people grow into a highly sophisticated operation that brings food to nearly 265,000 people every year in 50 counties of Central and Eastern Kentucky.

Hunt returned to her hometown of Lexington after serving as a child welfare worker in New York City in the 1940s. With her husband, Robert, she opened a combination gift shop, antique gallery, and health food store, but was restless to do something to alleviate the poverty she saw around her.That was the stimulus to begin her one-woman relief crusade.

In the beginning, Hunt had a circle of friends

Clockwise from top left, Danielle Bozarth, vice president of operations and philanthropy; fulfllment specialists Don Graves, left, and Max Barker stock shelves; potatoes and apples await distribution.

million Capacity Campaign designed to increase its capacity for feeding hungry people. Specifcally, the campaign will pay for the purchase and renovation of the food bank’s new headquarters building, buy new trucks, bolster the food rescue program, and provide grants to agency partners for their food-purchasing needs, among other goals.

One of the most popular fundraising special events staged by the food bank is the annual Taste of the Bluegrass, featuring delectable dishes from 45-plus local restaurants and beverages from area wineries, breweries, and distilleries. Tis year’s event was held at the Kentucky

Horse Park and included a silent auction.

Te food bank also fghts hunger in cooperation with the federal government by providing application assistance to families and individuals for two initiatives. Te Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program ofers food benefts to low-income families to bolster their grocery budgets. Low-income seniors (60-plus) can apply to the Commodity Supplemental Food Program for monthly boxes of staples like milk, cereal, canned fruits and vegetables, and fresh produce. Te food bank also distributes some of those boxes.

A special aspect of the organization’s

who helped her gather more food, clothing, and bedding.They eventually guided her to focus just on food.

Hunt continued to operate her creation as a mobile enterprise until the frst pantry opened in 1959. She passed away in 2005 and is today remembered and honored as the guiding spirit of God’s Pantry in its early days.

What was this remarkable person really like?

“She was a very caring person,” said Mary Jo Votruba, who became the food bank’s frst staff person as executive director in 1987 and knew Hunt in her professional life. “She was a thoughtful, considerate, forward-thinking woman.”

Votruba remembers Hunt as having a strong personality and a commanding presence. “Mim was a very striking person.You just knew she believed in what she was saying and doing. She was always thinking of things that could be done for others. She never understood why anyone in her community should be hungry.”

122 SUMMER 2025 K KEENELAND.COM

work involves disaster relief. It BackPacks. Also, the School Panpartners with the Bluegrass Chaptry Program brings food right to ter of the American Red Cross to the schools. provide food to shelters set up in Begun in 1994, the Sharing disaster areas.

Tanksgiving program provides “When we had all that fooding families in select counties with all in the springtime, the Red Cross had the ingredients for a traditional a large shelter set up at Jenny Wiley Tanksgiving meal. Te fxings inState Resort Park,” Bozarth said. “We clude preparatory items — butter, also worked with our agencies in God’s Pantry has a fleet of vehicles to distribute food througheggs, onions, plus mixes for stufPikeville and in Breathitt and Knott out the region. ing, corn mufns, fudge brownies, counties and several others. We sent and chicken gravy — along with a out more than 250,000 pounds of food.” receive free and reduced-price school lunch- turkey, sweet potatoes, green beans, and cranes. A bag of nutritious, nonperishable food is berry sauce. Te program is slated to serve FEEDING THE CHILDREN given to kids to tide them over on weekends 8,500 families in 2025.

Food bank oferings for children include and school vacation days. During fscal year A good example of how God’s Pantry the BackPack Program, aimed at kids who 2024, the organization handed out 53,477 helps to empower partners in the fght against

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KEENELAND.COM

K SUMMER 2025 123

MAKING A DIFFERENCE GOD’S PANTRY FOOD BANK

KEENELAND PHOTO/Z

Caption

Keeneland’s Bill Bliziotis works with God’s Pantry to facilitate the leftovers program.

KEENELAND TO THE RESCUE

C

onsidering the truly mas-

than 41,000 meals. Bill Bliziotis,

sive amounts of food God’s

Keeneland’s banquet chef, works

Pantry Food Bank handles,

with Bozarth to facilitate the

avoiding waste is a priority for

leftovers program.

Danielle Bozarth, vice president

“We have a lot of buffets and

of operations and philanthropy,

we forecast how much we’ll

and her team.

need, but you can’t pinpoint it

One method, known as a “res-

down to the last piece of prime

cue” program, is to gather sur-

rib,” he said. “We participate in

plus food from the food service

a program called ‘MealConnect,’

functions of other organizations.

an app where God’s Pantry can

Keeneland’s participation is an

schedule an appointment to come

excellent example of this effort.

pick up the leftover food.”

“Keeneland is a great partner

Bliziotis and his family also

of ours,” Bozarth said. “After

volunteer at the food bank, and he

a race meet, they save what is

encourages his fellow employees

left over and donate it to us. This

at Keeneland to do the same.

might include anything from hot

“I take my kids and we’ll go to

dogs to prime rib. I remember

God’s Pantry and prepare food

picking up product from them

boxes,” he said. “I try to get my

on a Sunday morning and

employees to volunteer. It’s a

taking it out to GreenHouse17

team-building exercise. I’ve been

[domestic violence shelter] here

in business since I was 22 years

in Lexington.”

old, and I’ve always given back

Over the past nine years,

to the community.Thank God for

Keeneland has donated enough

Keeneland — they back you to be

food to the food bank for more

able to do these things.”

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God’s Pantry’s new warehouse has enabled it to increase its distribution from 44.5 million meals annually to 60 million.

hunger is Blue Grass Farms Charities, a Lexington nonproft that supports workers in the Toroughbred industry employed on horse farms, in the stable area at Keeneland, or at Te Toroughbred Center. Te charity provides assistance in many areas, with food being an important beneft.

“I couldn’t do our work without them,” said Julie Kwasniewski, executive director of the charity, referring to the support she receives from the food bank. “We handled about 88,000 pounds of food in 2024, most of it coming from God’s Pantry. It’s a great organization whose people are always right there willing to help.”

THE VOLUNTEER BRIGADE God’s Pantry relies on a veritable army of nearly 4,800 volunteers who give approximately 33,000 hours of their time annually to help with all phases of food sourcing and delivery across its service region. Te assistance volunteers provide can be very personal, as was the case with David Jones at the Winchester Road pantry, where he was meeting and greeting neighbors stopping by to grocery shop.

“I direct newcomers to the vegetable bins and help those in wheelchairs or with walkers who can’t reach the top shelves,” said Jones, a retired journalist and fnancial services

Dr. Andy Henderson, a retired physician, serves as president of the food bank’s board of directors.

“

MANY INDIVIDUALS ARE JUST ONE UNFORTUNATE CIRCUMSTANCE — LOSS OF A JOB, A HEALTH CARE CRISIS — AWAY FROM SUFFERING HUNGER. WE WANT TO DISPEL THAT STIGMA AND HELP PEOPLE OVERCOME THOSE CIRCUMSTANCES.” —GOD’S PANTRY CEO MICHAEL HALLIGAN

professional. “As part of my Rotary Club commitment, I also help prepare the backpacks for school kids.”

At the top of the volunteer pyramid is Dr. Andy Henderson, who retired as chief executive ofcer of Lexington Clinic afer a long career as both a clinical physician and administrator. He serves as president of the food bank’s board of directors.

Henderson’s thoughtful comments provide a personal way of summing up the work and spirit of the organization.

“My work as a physician was to help out neighbors and friends and patients in their time of need,” he said. “I spent my professional life helping people who were sick or to keep them from getting sick. I see my work at God’s Pantry as a continuation of what I have chosen to do with my life, which is to reach out and help those who need help.” KM Volunteers help organize food at the Winchester Road food bank.

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John Backer, CFO, Pin Oak Stud and BGCF Board Member Ashley Backer, Community Volunteer and BGCF Fundholder

PARTNERING WITH BGCF IS A SURE BET.

Ashley and John Backer partner with the Community Foundation to support their family giving, and Pin Oak Stud turns to BGCF to organize its corporate philanthropy.

We’re here to help with your equine, corporate or family giving.

Join Ashley and John, and establish your charitable fund at the Community Foundation today.

bgcf.org

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