Issuu

INDIAN CREEK FARM

KEENELAND’S NEW PRESIDENT

TAKE CHARGE LADY’S LEGACY

K EENELAND WINTER 2020

celebrating bluegrass traditions

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

KEENELAND.COM

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CALLED TO SERVE.

And the best son of emerging sire of sires SCAT DADDY.

â??a special stallion prospect for a shrinking global marketplaceâ?ž Sid Fernando, TDN, Sept. 21, 2018

First in-foal mares sold for up to $3,200,000, now watch out for his first crop foals!

Aisling Duignan, Dermot Ryan, Charlie Oâ€™Connor, Adrian Wallace, Robyn Murray or Blaise Benjamin. Tel: 859-873-7088 Email: info@coolmore.com Web: www.coolmore.com

Contents Contents WINTER 2020

SEASON 2020

F EAT U R ES

34 STANDARD OF EXCELLENCE by Lenny Shulman

Indian Creek Farm produces winning results at the Keeneland sales while remaining committed to a focused, detailed approach to raising horses.

50 QUITE A LADY by Liane Crossley Take Charge Lady’s success is intertwined with Keeneland racing and sales.

64 A WAY WITH WOOD by Vickie Mitchell Lexington artist Kiptoo Tarus has developed a following for his large sculptures found around town.

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72 ALL ABOARD by Maryjean Wall For more than 50 years Lexington watched rail passengers come and go from Union Station.

88 NEW CULINARY CONCEPTS

ON OUR COVER

by Patti Nickell Cooper Vaughan reinvents Apiary to offer memorable dining experiences during challenging times.

After Rain Hunt Oil on canvas, 32 x 40, by Reza Derakshani

Reza Derakshani is a painter, poet, musician, and performance artist. He completed his formal artistic education at the University of Tehran, followed by the Pasadena School of Art in California. He returned to teach at the University of Tehran until the Islamic Revolution in 1979, when he ﬂ ed his native country for New York City. Derakshani’s style blends abstract and ﬁgurative elements from both Eastern and Western cultures. His work is included in esteemed public collections such as the British Museum, London; the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; and the Russian Museum, St Petersburg.

After Rain Hunt is lot 172 in The Sporting Art Auction. The online auction will be held Nov. 22 from the Keeneland Sales Pavillion.

1970-2020

Founded by Pope McLean, the McLean family has owned and operated their full service, 1,000 acre Crestwood Farm since 1970.

2020 STALLIONS FIRING LINE

HEART TO HEART

Line of David – Sister Girl Blues

English Channel – Ask the Question

GET STORMY

JACK MILTON

Stormy Atlantic – Foolish Gal

War Front – Preserver

TEXAS RED

Afeet Alex – Ramatuelle (CHI)

1946 N. Yarnallton Pike | Lexington, KY 40511

859.252.3770 www.crestwoodfarm.com

Contents

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102

114

D E PA R T M E N T S PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE 12 • CONTRIBUTORS 14 • NEWS 16 • CONNECTIONS 20

24 SPOTLIGHT ON Shannon Arvin, Keeneland’s presidentelect, has close ties to Keeneland and the community. by Jarrett Van Meter

102 MAKING

A DIFFERENCE The Urban League has changed the face and mind of Lexington. by Jacalyn Carfagno

114 KEENELAND

TEAM PROFILE Mechanical Systems

24 8

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C ASTLETON L YONS

offers a unique opportunity for serious breeders to board their thoroughbreds. Here you will find a state of the art facility with old world charm. Over one thousand acres of lightly grazed lush pasture supported by the best quality soil, so famous for producing great race horses, await your thoroughbred investments.

Horses make a landscape. Individual detailed oriented attention for horse and client in a top class environment can be found conveniently located within minutes of the Bluegrass Airport, Keeneland, Fasig-Tipton, and the worldâ€™s best equine hospitals. Completing our facility is an isolation farm annex settled on approximately one hundred acres, directly across the road on scenic Mt. Horeb Pike. We would be delighted to hear from you | Please contact PAT HAYES

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

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), David Young, Claudia Summers Copy Editors: Tom Hall (chief), Rena Baer Visuals Director: Anne M. Eberhardt Creative Services: Jennifer Singleton (Director), Forrest Begley Account Executive: Amanda Ramey Chief Copywriter: Paul Gregory 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, Dan Metzger, Rosendo Parra, Dr. J. David Richardson

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

WINTER 2020

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President’s Message WINTER 2020

Farewell for Now The sport of racing is the heritage of Kentuckians, especially of those Kentuckians who live in the midst

and I are forever grateful. During these miraculous 10 years,

of the region where the majority of the champions of

Barbara and I have traveled the

the American Turf have been bred. These words are

world together and met so many

addressed to those who would have that heritage

wonderful people whom we thank

restored and made permanent through the agency of

for their hospitality and friendship.

a model race track dedicated solely to the perpetuation

However, the time has come, and

and improvement of the sport and specifcally commit-

a picture says a thousand words.

ted never to seek profts, except insofar as it may be

It’s Pappy time! We have been truly

necessary to pay interest upon money used.

blessed to have kept family frst

What is here set forth is the shadow of a dream in

during our 43 wonderful years of

that it envisions a creation the like of which has not

marriage, so now we just get to do

been seen in America. But hard mathematics, solid

more of it.

BILL THOMASON President and CEO

common sense, substantial facts, and the integrity of

Keeneland is in great hands with Shannon Bishop Arvin.

a community give substance and form to the dream.

She is the perfect person at the perfect time to assume lead-

Here are set forth the mathematics and the facts for

ership of this special place. I look forward to being on these

the consideration of those who would have the dream

grounds in the coming years to continue enjoying the best

come true.

racing and hospitality in the world and also to introduce all

It is our desire that lovers of the Thoroughbred

of you to Nathan, Nellie, Nolan, and Hunter. They will be on

throughout the country will recognize in this a serious

the shoulders of their Pappy at the rail cheering on Bibi’s

effort to establish a model race track, to perpetuate

handicapping favorite. I cannot wait to see all of you in the

racing in the proper manner and to provide a course

spring and properly thank you for your support of Keene-

which will stand for many years as a symbol of the fne

land. There is nothing like it anywhere else in the world. KM

traditions of the sport. More than words from the Keeneland prospectus, these principles have guided every action or decision that I and every other individual leading this great institution have strived to uphold. I was so fortunate to begin my career with Alice Headley Chandler, who embodies the ideals of our founders. Her uncompromising integrity and always doing what is right for the horse have provided my guiding light and a steady compass for those of us entrusted with this timeless mission. THOMASON FAMILY PHOTO

There are just too many passionate and talented Keeneland team members to thank, so please know how appreciative I am of each one of you. Special thanks to my fourth daughter, Kari West, who over these many years has made me look so much better than I truly am. Barbara

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KEENELAND.COM

Barbara Thomason with grandchildren, from left, Nellie, Nolan, Hunter, and Nathan

COMMITTED TO YOUR

SUCCESS

For more than 40 years, Lane’s End has pur pursued one mission: helping our partners achieve their goals in sales, s breeding, and racing. That dedication to your success has guided us as we’ve stood with our fellow horsemen through the up ups and downs of the industry—and will continue to guide us as we look toward our shared future. This is what we stand for.

Contributors

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

LIANE CROSSLEY (Quite a Lady) has spent her career inThoroughbred racingrelated jobs in barns, press boxes, and offces. A seasonal member of Keeneland’s media team, she has had her work appear in BloodHorse, Daily Racing Form,Thoroughbred Daily News, Breeders’ Cup

website, Horse Illustrated, European Bloodstock News, and Young Rider.

VICKIE MITCHELL (A Way with Wood) writes for regional and national publications as well as for small businesses and nonproft organizations. She lives and works in Lexington.

PATTI NICKELL (New Culinary Concepts) is a freelance travel writer whose work has appeared in major newspapers and national magazines. She currently writes travel articles for the Lexington Herald-Leader.

900 CLIENT FAMILIES

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KEENELAND.COM

(Keeneland News/Connections) is Keeneland Communications Associate.

LENNY SHULMAN (Standard of Excellence) is a senior correspondent for BloodHorse magazine and the author of Justify: 111 Days to Triple Crown Glory (Triumph Books) and Ride of Their Lives: The Trials and Turmoil of Today’s Top Jockeys.

JARRETT VAN METER (Natural Fit) is a writer originally from Lexington. His work has appeared in such publications as the Boston Globe, the Philadelphia Inquirer,

$1.25 BILLION AUM

AMY OWENS

the NashvilleTennessean, the Louisville Courier-Journal, and the Lexington Herald-Leader. He is the author of a nonfction book about Kentucky high school basketball titled How Sweet It Is.

MARYJEAN WALL (All Aboard) won multiple Eclipse Awards during 35 years asTurf writer for the Lexington Herald-Leader. In addition to Madam Belle: Sex, Money, and Infuence in a Southern Brothel, she is the author of How Kentucky Became Southern: A Tale of Outlaws, Horse Thieves, Gamblers, and Breeders. She holds a doctorate from the University of Kentucky.

23 ADVISORS

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PALACE MALICE $20,000 LFS&N

VOLATILE

$17,500 LFS&N

SKY MESA $12,500 LFS&N

SHARP AZTECA $6,500 LFS&N

WILL TAKE CHARGE $5,000 LFS&N

FUNTASTIC $5,000 LFS&N

FAST ANNA $5,000 LFS&N

Grade 1 Winner VOLATILE new for 2021

LGB, LLC 2020

www.threechimneys.com

Keeneland News

WINTER 2020

COMPILED BY AMY OWENS

KEENELAND CLOSES FALL MEET, PREPARES FOR BREEDERS’ CUP

MCKEE TRIBUTE Before the frst race on the Oct. 2 opening day of the fall meet, Keeneland paid tribute to the late Katherine McKee, who spent 15 years here, most recently as director of racing administration. McKee died July 27. “Katherine was a wealth of institutional knowledge and a specialist in her position,” Keeneland President and CEO Bill Thomason said. “Her absence has certainly left an emptiness. Preparations for this race meet have not been easy, and I commend the team for rising to the challenge, upholding Katherine’s expectations, and preparing the experiences for which Keeneland is known. “Katherine had two wishes: to ride a tractor on the track and ride a horse around the track,” Thomason continued. “While her tractor goals were achieved, she was

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never able to fulfll the wish to ride a horse with the outriders. Her outrider team has never forgotten this and feels this fall is the perfect opportunity to make that wish come true.” Keeneland outriders Darren Cain, Scott Cole, Colby LaVergne, and Robin Riesenbeck led a saddled horse through the paddock to meet Thomason, Keeneland President-Elect Shannon Arvin, McKee’s parents, and her two children. A garland of white hydrangeas, calla lilies, and roses was placed over the saddle of the riderless horse, who accompanied the outriders onto the track for a special memorial. “While this will be an unusual start to an unusual race meet, I honestly can’t think of anything more appropriate,” Thomason said. “It is just like Katherine to bring us together, putting into perspective what

ANNE M EBERHARDT

KEENELAND PHOTO

uring its Oct. 2-24 fall meet, the season with Keeneland at Home Keeneland showcased top Presented by UK HealthCare and equine and human athletes Ofcial Keeneland Watch Parties in who competed here in anticPartnership with VisitLEX and the ipation of the Breeders’ Cup World Bluegrass Hospitality Association. Championships at the track on Nov. Attendees had the opportunity to 6-7 while continuing its philansupport Nourish Lexington, the thropic mission of supporting the featured fall meet charity. Central Kentucky community and True to its mission, Keenethe Toroughbred industry. land’s commitment to support the “On behalf of Keeneland, our sincommunity and the Toroughbred cerest thanks to our fans across the industry remained unchanged country and around the world, and during the unusual season as the Keeneland employees gathered at the temporary loge boxes in our racing participants, sponsors, track teamed with sponsors and place for the Breeders’ Cup World Championships to celebrate industry and community partners racing-related partners to conduct retiring President and CEO Bill Thomason, who was joined by and employees who enabled us to several popular special events virtuKeeneland President-Elect Shannon Arvin. hold a safe, competitive fall meet ally and raise much-needed funds during these unprecedented times,” for worthwhile causes. together for the good of all.” said Keeneland President and CEO Bill “We continue to be humbled by the treBecause of the ongoing COVID-19 Tomason, who presided over his fnal race mendous support of our fans; their passion pandemic, the fall meet was closed to the meet before his retirement on Dec. 31. for Keeneland is inspiring,” Keeneland Presipublic but a limited number of participants “Te silver lining of this pandemic has dent-Elect Shannon Arvin said. and essential personnel were in attendance. been the collaboration and creativity of variLeading the fall meet were owner Mike All-sources wagering reached $148,229,708, ous constituencies in their steadfast support Sisk’s M and M Racing, which won fve races; for an average daily handle of $8,719,395. of Toroughbred racing and our philanthropKeeneland made it easy for fans — no mat- trainer Brad Cox, who had 15 wins; and jockic mission. Tere is a true spirit of coming ey Tyler Gafalione, who won 24 races. ter their location — to watch and wager on

Keeneland outriders fanked a riderless horse bedecked with a garland in tribute to Katherine McKee.

truly matters at the end of every day: our health, safety, and the love of our friends and family.”

LGB, LLC 2020

Hill ‘n’ Dale at Xalapa

SEPTEMBER YEARLING SALE CONCLUDES WITH POSITIVE TRADE, RESILIENT MARKET

ANNE M. EBERHARDT

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K KEENELAND.COM

SKIP DICKSTEIN PHOTOS

eeneland’s September yearling sale, held Sept. 13-25 with extensive COVID-19 protocols to create the safest environment possible for participants, had solid results generated by competitive trade and the sale of 15 yearlings for $1 million or more, led by a $2 million colt by Tapit. A total of 2,346 yearlings sold for $238,454,300, for an average of $101,643 and a median of $37,000. “Te September sale can be measured as a success, given that in these uncertain times the market proved there is still tremendous interest and money for quality racehorses at all levels,” Keeneland President and CEO Bill Tomason said. Te September sale is a bellwether for the global Toroughbred industry and a signifcant economic driver for Central Kentucky breeders. “Keeneland is fortunate, in the midst of a pandemic, to be able to not only hold the September sale but do so on its originally scheduled dates,” Keeneland President-Elect and Interim Head of Sales Shannon Arvin said. “I’m so proud of the Keeneland team who, immediately afer the spring meet was canceled and the lockdown in Kentucky was announced in mid-March, began collaborating with state and local health offcials, breeders, consignors, buyers, and others in the Toroughbred industry, Eclipse Thoroughbred to plan for the September sale even as Partners, Robert LaPenta, Gainesway, the landscape changed almost daily. Te and Winchell success of this sale is a testament to the Thoroughbreds paid cooperation among everyone involved $2 million for the saleand the resiliency of our industry.” topping colt by Tapit Health and safety protocols at the out of grade 1 winner Tara’s Tango. He was sale included requirements that people consigned by Eaton who accessed the grounds be credenSales, agent tialed through the Virtual Badge digital for Stonestreet Bred ID and that a number of them show & Raised. proof of a negative COVID-19 test. Daily health screenings were conducted; face coverings and social distancing were required; and the sales pavilion, including the sales arena and back holding ring, had reduced capacity. Online bidding, ofered for the frst time at the auction, resulted in the sale of 126 horses for $12,165,900 to buyers in 17 U.S. states, Japan, United Kingdom, Canada, and Spain. Te top online sale price was the $825,000 paid by Yuji Hasegawa for a colt by Tapit out of Breeders’ Cup Distaf (G1) winner Stopchargingmaria.

Keeneland sales graduates thrilled racing fans when Authentic (left) won the Kentucky Derby and the flly Swiss Skydiver outbattled him to win the Preakness. Both sold at the 2018 September yearling sale.

Kentucky Derby Winner Authentic, Preakness Winner Swiss Skydiver Sold at Keeneland Keeneland’s 2018 September yearling sale produced two winners of Triple Crown races in 2020 in an unusual season affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. On Sept. 5, Authentic scored a 1¼-length win in the $3 million Kentucky Derby (G1) Presented by Woodford Reserve. On Oct. 3, the flly Swiss Skydiver outdueled Authentic in a memorable stretch battle to win the $1 million Preakness Stakes (G1) by a neck. Because a number of 2020 race meets and races were rescheduled due to COVID-19, the Kentucky Derby was the second leg of this year’s Triple Crown. The frst leg was the Belmont (Stakes G1) on June 20. The series concluded with the Preakness. Keeneland sales have produced 23 Kentucky Derby winners and 26 Preakness winners.

Plans for Major Racing Legislation Announced at Keeneland At an Aug. 31 press conference in Keeneland’s sales pavilion, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky announced plans to introduce legislation in the U.S. Senate to help set national standards to promote fairness, increase safety, and help preserve Thoroughbred racing. Titled the “Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act,” the bill on Sept. 29 passed the U.S. House of Representatives. U.S. Congressman Andy Barr from Kentucky, who also attended the press conference, introduced the legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives. Because of Kentucky’s leading

role in the sport, McConnell brought Keeneland, Churchill Downs, Breeders’ Cup, The Jockey Club, and other industry leaders together earlier this year to develop a solution to the challenges facing racing. The press conference also announced the launch of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority, an independent, non-governmental regulatory body responsible for improving current regulations for a new level of transparency in the sport. The organization also will address medication use, track conditions, and other safety standards to protect equine athletes.

NEW YEAR

NEW OPPORTUNITY The first opportunity of 2021 awaits at the Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale.

LEARN MORE AT KEENELAND.COM/SALES

JANUARY

B E G I N S M O N , J A N . 11

Connections

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1 | FIST BUMP

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After the $400,000 Juddmonte Spinster on Oct. 4, jockey Luis Saez, right, on the winner, Valiance, celebrated with Joel Rosario on runner-up Ollie’s Candy.

KEENELAND PHOTO

Assistant trainer Andie Biancone and jockey Florent Geroux were interviewed after Diamond Oops won the $200,000 Stoll Keenon Ogden Phoenix.

KEENELAND/COADY PHOTO

2 | FRENCH CONNECTION

3 | FALL SCENE

On selected days during the fall meet, Keeneland’s corporate partners assisted with Nourish the Backstretch, an extension of Nourish Lexington that provides lunch and groceries to the hardworking community in the barn area. Participating partners included Anthem, Buffalo Trace, Claiborne Farm, Darley, Dixiana, Hagyard Equine Medical Institute, Juddmonte Farms, Lexus of Lexington, Pin Oak Stud, Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital, Shadwell Farm, Stoll Keenon Ogden PLLC, TVG, and UK HealthCare. Nourish Lexington was the fall meet’s featured charity.

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KEENELAND PHOTO

4 | NOURISH THE BACKSTRETCH

KEENELAND PHOTO

Only a limited number of participants and essential personnel were permitted to attend the fall meet, which was closed to the public due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

5 | BREEDERS’ CUP ART Renowned equestrian artist Peter Howell created two original paintings for offcial track programs, tickets, and other promotional materials for the 2020 Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Keeneland on Nov. 6-7. The scenes capture the energy and excitement of fans, jockeys, and Thoroughbreds in the paddock and at Keeneland.

See you at our place! Steer your hunger

Top Steakhouse in Kentucky

Best Steakhouse in Lexington

– Tasting Table

– Threebestrated.com

NE W

PR IC E

THESE TWO FARMS ADJOIN!

FORDS MILL —”Idyllic and captivating” perfectly

WALNUT SPRINGS FARM - 268 ACRES —

2 5 6 A C R E S O N C A S T L E R O C K WAY —

describe this completely renovated modern farmhouse ranch - from the stacked-stone pillars supporting the expansive porch to the custom kitchen fanked by freplace focal living room - it’s perfection. Master and guest suites are spacious and perfectly appointed. Tis 6.83 acre equestrian property boasts a three stall barn with tack room and guest quarters/she shed, paddocks, and automatic waterers. Maximum privacy and serenity with views of rolling hills and green pastures through the tree-lined front yard. You must see this VERY special property!

Magnifcent 11,000 SF main residence in a stoneenclosed court yard with pool and pool house. 66 stalls in 7 barns, open equipment shed, shop/equip bldg, 3 employee houses. Tis farm was originally developed by Robert Sterling Clark of Singer Sewing Machines. He chose this land because of its excellent soils, abundant water, and the limestone underneath. Te adjoining 256 acres is also available for sale by the same owner with 46 stalls in 3 concrete block barns.

Tis turn-key horse farm produced a $10 million yearling on its excellent land (nearly 80% Maury and Lowell). 46 stalls in 3 concrete block barns, manager’s plus 3 employee houses. A wonderful opportunity to acquire a well-located farm in the immediate area of Gainesway Farm. Adjoining 268 acre horse farm on Muir Station with magnifcent main residence is also available.

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

A PORTION OF DIAMOND A FARM —Highly developed 523 acre horse farm with immediate neighbors as Coolmore/Ashford and Gainesborough farms. Te centerpiece of the farm is its ofce/stallion barn complex that is very adaptable to a yearling complex. Tere are 5 additional horse barns with 86 stalls, 2 metal buildings, large shop plus a very nice 4,900 SF manager’s home (suitable for an owner) and an employee house. Frontage on 3 roads and exceptionally well-built and maintained. Absolutely the best turn-key horse farm on the market.

475 ACRES—Ideally located between world renown Stone & Xalapa farms, Grandview has been utilized as both a Toroughbred and agricultural farm; now, the Short family uses it as a highly productive agricultural farm. Its centerpiece is the 1970’s 2-story colonial home with 5 bedrooms, large rooms, and a private entrance. Additional improvements include a 15 stall concrete block horse barn, 2 large tobacco barns, & employee house. Grandview also has frontage on both Strodes and Stoner Creeks. REDUCED!

NEWTOWN PIKE—Located just 10 miles from the Kentucky Horse Park, the centerpiece of this 17.49 acre farm is its 4,800 SF 4 bedroom, 3.5 bath home with covered rear porch and in-ground pool. Horse improvements include an 8-stall barn with ofce, 76’ x 105’ outdoor sand ring, and shop/equipment building. Te farm’s desirability is enhanced by a 1,200 SF single family home with hardwood foors and vaulted ceiling and a 2-story 1,500 SF duplex. Te latter 2 homes are presently being utilized as an ongoing bed and breakfast.

MILLERSBURG ROAD—Located just 3.3 miles from Paris Bypass, this 25-acre farm ofers a concrete block barn with 7 stalls, tack/feed room and a 12’ asphalt center aisle. Other farm improvements include a loading chute, plank fencing, two felds, one paddock and 4 waterers. Te three bedroom, two bath residence sits back from the road and ofers 2,500 SF with a formal living and dining room, family room with beamed cathedral ceiling and wood-burning freplace, large kitchen, breakfast room, laundry, home ofce, and seasonal porch. In addition, there is a 2 car detached garage. Te gently rolling pastures, wet weather creek, and mature trees add to the ambience of this charming farm.

TURN-KEY HORSE FARM—417 acres of prime farmland at the corner of Hwy 627 & Spears Mill Road containing the “magic feld” - named by Arthur Hancock because so many good horses were raised there, including Kentucky Derby winner Gato del Sol. Improved with 4 horse barns with 85 stalls & 6 renovated homes. Established quarantine and boarding business. With 4 entrances and 8,650’ of frontage, this property is divisible! Tis farm is a great opportunity to acquire a proven farm in the Bluegrass with an income stream.

120 WOODFORD COUNTY ACRES—At the corner of Midway and Aiken Roads, this portion of Ashley House Farm is directly across Midway Road from internationally-renowned Lane’s End farm and across Aiken Road from Governor B. C. Jones’ historic farm. You’ll discover two horse barns with a total of 30 stalls on some of the best land Central Kentucky (or the world) has to ofer. Te adjoining 86 acres with a 19 stall barn is also for sale.

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

A UNIQUE AND WELL-LOCATED 40 ACRE HORSE FARM—Te home of Broadview Builders, noted builders in our area for decades, featuring a 2-bedroom, 1-bath brick home with a 2-car attached garage; a 1,755 SF ofce constructed in the mid-1800’s and expanded and renovated in 1983. Horse improvements include an 11-stall concrete block barn plus a 4-stall runin shed. Te owner created a 2,700 SF lofed apartment from a former tobacco barn; it’s dramatic and unique. Te lower level serves as a garage, shop, and storage area.

HISTORIC ROSEMONT FARM—Rosemont Farm has everything one needs to make their mark in the Bluegrass! Location - world-renown Paris Pike frontage plus frontage on Bryan Station, restored circa 1830’s main residence with exquisite wood work and containing 6,670 SF of gracious living area; 5 barns with 74 stalls including mare, yearling, and training barns; 3 auxiliary residences; ofce; mature treelined driveways; multiple equipment/storage buildings; and proven producer of Stakes winners including a Kentucky Oaks winner on excellent soils. 447 acres but may divide with a minimum of 250 acres.

AT THE CROSSROADS OF OLD FRANKFORT & MIDWAY ROAD —Breathtaking makeover on this exquisite French Country home located on one of the most desirable corners in Central Kentucky and on 1.8 acres! Luxurious frst foor master suite, a gourmet kitchen to die for, unbelievable fnishes, 3 bedrooms and 2 baths upstairs (one is a separate suite). Lower level fnished with bedroom, 1.5 baths, rec room with wet bar, trophy room, and cigar/bourbon room. Lush landscaping.

CENTRAL KENTUCKY’S HORSE FARM PROFESSIONALS

Cane Ridge Cattle Company 1806 CANE RIDGE—Tis 422 acre farm features the centerpiece of its family operation—its magnifcentlyrestored c.1838 Greek Revival home. Consisting of 4,650 SF, this fabulous home was restored in 2008-09. Boasting a breath-taking gourmet kitchen, beautiful hardwood foors, large rooms, and 10’ ceilings. Farm improvements include 2 feeder barns—both with conveyor belts, a shop building, an equipment/hay storage building, multiple grain bins, two silos, a “heifer” barn, and an employee house.

561 ACRE BOURBON COUNTY FARM—Excellent cattle farm with tremendous frontage in two deeded tracts (413 and 148 acres). Located on Stringtown and Roseberry Roads and a mile from the main Cane Ridge farm, this farm features a wonderful 80’ x 200’ metal hay/equipment barn. Great soils, city water, four ponds, and beautiful land with wonderful building sites. MAY DIVIDE!

ED IST L ST JU

PAYNES DEPOT & IRON WORKS—In the same family for generations, the Wash Farm is situated in a prime location at the corner of US 62 & Iron Works Pike. In the immediate area of Summer Wind Farm and Old Friends, it’s only 5 miles from the Kentucky Horse Park and minutes to downtown Lexington, Georgetown, and Midway. With its excellent soils and frontage on two major roads, this 124 acre farm lends itself very well to be developed into a horse farm of any discipline, and the new owner could consider dividing it.

THESE TWO FARMS ADJOIN!

JU ST LI ST ED

IRON WORKS PIKE - 145 ACRES—Absolutely

6344 PARIS ROAD—Horse farm perfection on this

6454 PARIS ROAD—Recently developed 53 acre

the fnest, most complete horse facility in all of Kentucky!! Lovely 7,300-SF classic Kentucky home, accessed via a mature tree-lined drive, features a copper roof, bluestone porches, tall ceilings, Kentucky chestnut oak fooring, and thick moldings; c.1800 log cabin; magnifcent formal gardens; 400’ x 400’ derby feld; 180’ x 250’ outdoor ring; 100’ x 200’ indoor arena; 4 horse barns - 48 stalls plus grooming/tack/ wash stalls; 2 additional employee houses.

well-located, scenic 50 acres featuring gorgeous 3000+ SF log home, two small auxiliary log homes, new 10 stall barn, horse exerciser, additional 2 foaling stall/maintenance adjacent to home, 4 felds, 6 paddocks (all with new fencing),Varnan waterers, run-ins, and additional storage buildings. Just move in to this well-planned beauty with gated entrance, meandering creek, and 25 minutes from the Horse Park.

horse farm features a three bedroom log modular manager home; large seven stall barn with four separate bedroom/ bath accommodations and equipment storage area; 3 paddocks and 2 large felds featuring all new fencing, waterers, and run-ins; stallion paddock/round pen. Approximately twenty-fve acre hay feld with large new hay storage building.

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S H AN N O N AR V I N , K E E N E L AN D â€™ S P R E S I D E N T- E L E C T, H A I L S F R O M A FAM I LY W I T H D E E P T I E S T O T H E T R AC K AN D C O M M U N I T Y By JARRETT VAN METER Photos by ANNE M. EBERHARDT

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Spotlight On SHANNON ARVIN

William T. “Buddy” Bishop III grew up William T. “Buddy” Bishop III grew up at Keeneland and later became its lawyer and a on the Keeneland grounds, where his fatrustee. He inspired his daughter Shannon to follow in his footsteps. ther, W.T., served as general manager afer being hired as the track’s frst employee. Te family lived in the third-foor apartment of the clubhouse, managing director, remembers watching, or rather hearing 5-yearwhere W.T. and his wife, Dottie, remained as their son grew up to old Shannon and her siblings, Anne and Will, run up and down the become a stalwart in the Toroughbred legal community and, ulfrm’s hallways on Saturday mornings. timately, a trustee at the track that helped raise him. Buddy Bishop “Tey would just run around,” Lear, who is also a Keeneland passed away in 2008, but his lifetime of service to Keeneland and trustee, remembered with a chuckle. “You’d be sitting in your ofce the sterling legacy it garnered will welcome a new chapter on Jan. and just look out the door and here comes a little blonde-head1, 2021, as his daughter Shannon Arvin becomes the racetrack’s ed girl and you’d go out and say, ‘Whose is that?’ Oh it’s Buddy’s new president. … Tat’s my frst memory, and then through my relationship with Arvin’s trajectory, in many ways, mirrors that of her father: law Buddy I followed her along. I knew where she went to high school, school, a thriving practice at Stoll Keenon Ogden, and now Keenecollege, and then, of course, UK law school.” land, all with esteem from a venerable book of clients and assoArvin’s frst real exposure to Keeneland came in high school in ciates. Yet while she grew up hearing the stories and seeing the the form of miscellaneous summer jobs. From working the switchphotos of her father and grandfather alike, Arvin did not enjoy the board, to catalog fling, pedigree research, and even working the same unfettered access to the facilities that shaped her dad’s formessage center during the sales, she loved every aspect of the busimative years. ness. Unlike her father, however, Arvin did not spend much time “When I was growing up, kids didn’t really go to the races. My on horseback as a child. Soccer was a staple throughout her early mom, she follows the rules, so I don’t have a lot of memories at the life, but she also displayed a propensity to seek out new challenges. races as a child,” said Arvin. “Keeneland has always had a mysAfer her good friend Julie Cauthen returned home from a sumtique.” mer National Outdoor Leadership School trip with glowing reTey were, however, allowed to visit her father’s ofce. Bill Lear, views, Arvin convinced her parents to allow her to do the same. To who has been with the law frm since 1980, including 22 years as her mother’s chagrin, she chose sea kayaking in Alaska.

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KEENELAND LIBRARY PHOTO

the Keeneland archives is a blackand-white photo of a young boy riding his pinto pony. Te boy, no more than 5 and dressed in shorts and cowboy boots, and the pony are both looking toward something out of the frame. Te photo was taken at Keeneland, and the moment has remained safely preserved as the boy built a life around the place.

Proud home of

INTO MISCHIEF Future home of

AUTHENTIC

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Buddy Bishop was known for his dedication to his clients and to Keeneland.

“Within her group everyone went around the circle and told how much kayaking experience they had,” recalled her mother, Nancy. “When they asked Shannon what her experience was, she said ‘I’ve never been in a kayak.’ Te trip was rugged. Whatever you were doing, you better do it well because there were going to be consequences. She had to learn quickly.” Arvin’s adventurous spirit pulled her away from home for college afer graduating from Henry Clay High School. She attended the University of North Carolina, where she gained her frst experience as a Keeneland ambassador. It became an annual tradition among her sorority sisters to head west for fall weekends in the Bluegrass. Te routine was always the same: Nancy’s fourcheese bowtie pasta on Friday night, a day at the track Saturday, and dinner out with the parents that evening. Te tradition continued when she moved to Washington, D.C., afer col-

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KEENELAND LIBRARY/MEADORS

KEENELAND PHOTO

SHANNON ARVIN

W.T. Bishop, Buddy’s father and Shannon’s grandfather, was Keeneland’s frst general manager.

lege to work for Sen. Mitch McConnell. Law school was always part of the plan; it was just a question of when … and then where. Afer two fulflling years in Washington, Arvin almost stayed put in the nation’s capital for school, but her heart was in Lexington, and she returned home. “I loved D.C. so much that I thought about going to law school there, and that could have led me down a whole dif-

WE’VE GOT TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO OPERATE IN THIS NEW WORLD.” — SHANNON ARVIN

ferent path” she said. “I think one of the benefts of going away is that you appreciate how special this community is. Tat was the truth for me. Once I was away and would bring people back to visit, I got a better sense of how special this community — and what we have to ofer — is. Tat made me really grateful to come back.” She enrolled in the University of Kentucky College of Law and moved into a house downtown with Cauthen, who was starting a career in the Toroughbred business. Te roots were set for good. “She was in law school, and I was working for EQUIX Biomechanics, and that was just an absolutely magical time in my life,” remembered Cauthen, now a member of Keeneland’s yearling inspection team. “We were working really, really hard, both of us, but it just was so much fun. Tat’s one of the things that I will say about Shannon that’s so unique: She has the ability to work as hard, or harder, than anyone I have ever met, an unrelenting work ethic, and still

Spotlight On SHANNON ARVIN

host a dinner party on Saturday night for 30 people. She’s just incredible that way. She can kind of do it all.” Lear was still at Stoll Keenon Ogden when the “little blonde-headed girl” who had torn through the corridors was hired at the frm upon graduating from law school. Buddy Bishop, a partner at the time and counsel to some of the most respected names in the industry, took a hands-of, by-example approach to mentoring his daughter. Lear believes the ability to navigate seamlessly between the social and professional is a defning trait in the legal careers of both father and daughter. Arvin meets with Geoffrey Russell, Keeneland’s director of sales operations. Her father often “Buddy was as fercely loyal to his clients as sat on the same couch when meeting with sales offcials. anybody I think I’ve seen. Buddy’s relationship with his clients became not lawyer but counselor,” said Lear. “For those of us in the profession, being known as a counselor as opposed to a lawyer or a litigator or transaction guy, that is where you want to be. Shannon turned into exactly the same thing, and one of the things that tends to happen is your clients become your friends. So, most of Buddy’s clients, at least who he’d worked with for any particular time, were friends, and I think you would say the same thing about Shannon.” Trough decades of Saturday mornings at the ofce, dinners, and golf trips, Lear became close with not only Buddy but the entire Bishop family. He notes that while Arvin’s professional prowess lends comparison to her father, the social graces and fortitude draw favorably from her mother. “Te adjective that always comes to mind with Nancy frst for me is class,” Lear said. “She is one of the classiest people that I’ve ever met, and Shannon has that. But, if you’ve ever been around Nancy, you also know that beneath that gracious, smiling exterior is a very tough lady. You’ve heard the phrase ‘iron hand with a velvet glove.’ Tat describes both of them.” And like her mother and her bowtie pasta that was always requested by visiting UNC friends, Arvin has developed a culinary reputation of her own. “One of the things about Shannon, she’s also a good cook. A really, really good cook,” said Drew Fleming, Breeders’ Cup CEO and a close friend of both Arvin and her husband, Will, also a Arvin succeeds Bill Thomason, who maintains, “I am confdent lawyer and co-owner of Castle & Key Distillery. Te Arvins have Keeneland is in good hands.”

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During the September yearling sale Arvin made an effort to speak with many consignors and buyers.

two daughters, Bishop and McCutchen. “So any time you get an invitation for dinner at the Arvins, you know it’s going to be really good bourbon, great wine, and then excellent food, but the highlight of it is their hospitality and conversation.” Arvin has built up and maintained an impressive book of devoted clients in the years since joining Stoll Keenon Ogden. She began serving as corporate counsel to Keeneland in 2008, the same year her father passed away, and her work earned her the roles of secretary and advisory member of the Keeneland board of directors in 2015. When Bill Tomason announced his retirement earlier this year, it didn’t take long for Arvin to be tapped as

his successor. “Shannon and I have been colleagues and friends for many years, and given her unique qualifcations and knowledge of our core businesses, I am confdent Keeneland is in extremely capable hands,” Keeneland President and CEO Bill Tomason said. “Her life and work experiences intertwine with Keeneland’s founding mission: to put the best interest of the horse frst. I know that philosophy will guide her leadership of Keeneland for years to come.” Arvin will have had three months in a president-elect post when she assumes her new role. Learning and adjusting are required elements of any new job, particularly within the challenging circumstances of a global

Arvin’s experience representing Keeneland has made her familiar with the sales operation. She confers often with Russell.

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Spotlight On SHANNON ARVIN

Arvin sees opportunity for Keeneland and the industry emerging from the challenges of COVID-19.

pandemic, but Arvin is determined to harness the unique circumstances to keep Keeneland as a vanguard of the industry. She cites a proliferation of online wagering opportunities, innovation in electronic bidding methods during the sales, and embracing alternative work arrangements among the means of pandemic-era progress. “I do think there are silver linings in any tough situation, so we are looking for those silver linings,” she said. “I think that’s part of that persistence and perseverance. We can’t just pull back and say, ‘Oh, no, the world looks diferent.’ We’ve got to fgure out how we operate in this new world. Tat sparks innovation; I think you’ve seen a lot of that from Keeneland, and I think you will continue to see that from us.” While the efects of the COVID-19 pan-

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Arvin accompanies the connections of Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Presented by Dixiana winner Harvey’s Lil Goil for the trophy presentation during the October race meet.

demic will ripple throughout the industry for years to come, so too will Arvin’s ascension to Keeneland’s presidency. Almost lost amid her family history, professional credentials, and respect within the industry is the fact that she will be the frst woman to hold the position. “As a woman in the industry, it’s huge, to be honest,” said Cauthen, whose grandfather Charles Nuckols was a Keeneland trustee prior to Buddy Bishop. “Tis is a merit-awarded position for a woman at one of the premier racetracks and auction houses in the world. I think it will be inspiring to younger women in the horse business.” Unlike sea kayaking in Alaska, when it comes to leading an organization through ubiquitous uncertainty, only preparation can beget lasting confdence. It seems Arvin has

prepped nearly her entire life to step into Keeneland’s chief post. “I will say from an emotional standpoint, and I guess that I will always feel this way, the fact that there has been an almost 85year association, beginning with Buddy’s daddy at Keeneland and now with Shannon being president, it almost takes my breath away,” said Nancy Bishop. “I mean, it’s just so unusual. Te thing that makes me feel good is that as she reaches this next opportunity, she’s sort of been in training all along to get here.” Lear said it would be easy for somebody from the outside to look at it otherwise and think she was born into the position. “But that would be a disservice to her because the reality is she absolutely earned it,” added Lear. “I think that’s important.” KM

Making the rounds during the September sale, Arvin checks in with stall manager Wayne Mogge.

Arvin will be on hand for the 2020 Breedersâ€™ Cup World Championships, the second for Keeneland.

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Indian Creek Farm produces winning results at Keeneland sales while remaining committed to a focused, detailed approach to raising horses

Standard of Excellence By LENNY SHULMAN Photos by KIRK SCHLEA

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PHOTO CREDIT

By Louis Guida Photos by Lee Thomas

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Indian Creek Farm sits on land steeped in history that has been studied and passed down by its president, Shack Parrish. Caption

odes “Shack” Parrish sits comfortably in his ofce at Indian Creek Farm in front of a wall chart that breaks down the six- or seven-dozen resident broodmares by feld. Te master of Indian Creek occasionally resorts to scouring the chart to hunt down the identity of a mare, but he requires no such help as a stream of stories about Kentucky horsemen, history, and events surfaces from his memory in quick succession. With a cherubic smile that recalls the wonderful comedian Jonathan Winters, Parrish has been in the thick of Kentucky equine lore for half a century. Afer serving in the Air Force in Vietnam and short-circuiting a potential career as a sportswriter in New England, he took over managing the 1,140-acre Bourbon County parcel purchased by his father, his uncle, and Arthur “Bull” Hancock Jr. in 1971. And he has relished the position ever since. While Parrish has bred dozens of stakes winners who’ve earned laurels on both sides of the Atlantic, has overseen successful consignments, and boards mares for top-shelf racing and breeding operations, his greatest accomplishment is the trust and friendships he has built with virtually every player in the Tor-

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Standard of Excellence

Indian Creek has produced generations of outstanding horses.

oughbred industry. His mark is not burnished in horses alone but also in his enriching the lives of the people in his sphere. He has mentored young men and women from around the world, many of whom have gone on to manage farms across the Bluegrass region. And he has imparted to everyone he’s touched a loving history of this cradle of the horse world tinged

with humor, compassion, and the example of a life well-lived. Indian Creek Farm sits about three miles from the eastern tip of Paris, a few miles down a lovely country lane, prime land on which to raise horses ever since Virginians pushed west in the 1700s. Te fortunate ones survived deadly skirmishes with Native Americans that ended in the early 1800s. Te farm lies just two miles from the site of a Revolutionary War battle between the British and colonialists, the latter led by Isaac Ruddle, at Hinkston Fortress in 1780. “Te colonialists tried to fght of a group of British, Indians, and some French who didn’t care which side they were on as long as they got paid,” said Parrish. “It marked the frst use of cannons west of the Allegheny. Te British foated two cannons down from Detroit to just south of Cynthiana, and they blew the wood walls of the fort down.” More recently, Julian Rogers, the premier cattle trader east of the Mississippi, owned the land, pulling together a half-dozen farms

Farm manager Charles Campbell hopes for good things from members of the 2020 yearling crop. Indian Creek’s spacious acres allow young horses to thrive.

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Standard of Excellence to form what is now Indian Creek. His wife owned Idle Hour Farm and raised several European stakes winners by Ribot. Parrish’s father, David Parrish Jr.; his uncle, Doug Parrish; and Bull Hancock Jr. bought the land from Rogers. Te three men were the principals in the Clay Ward Agency, a horse insurance company. Hancock, of course, also ran nearby Claiborne Farm. Looking at a map from the 1800s, the men discovered that Redmon Road, on which the farm sits today, was then known as Indian Creek, and they adopted the name for the land. “Tey had big plans for the place,” noted Parrish. “But then Mr. Hancock died the following year.” It would be 1974 when the frst horse was brought onto Indian Creek. Shack Parrish was allowed to buy a small portion of Clay Ward, so he was destined to work the land, although not before doing an internship at Lloyd’s of London, where he learned equine insurance and made contacts with European horsemen. “I had never lived in a city in my life, but there I was in London, riding subways and everything,” he said. “Ten my father fred the farm manager and told me I’d better come home.”

The farm offce was once a cattle scale house.

At the beginning, the mares, yearlings, and weanlings at Indian Creek all inhabited one barn. Soon, Parrish expanded, converting an old mule barn into the foaling barn as more clients came aboard. Sheikh Mohammed’s sales purchases needed to reside on area farms while clearing quarantine and were sent to Helen Alexander and to Parrish for that purpose. Lou Rowan, one of the founders of the Oak Tree Racing Association in California, sent horses to Indian Creek. European connections like Joss Collins, Annie and Chris Richardson, Alexandra Scrope, Chris Budgett, and Margaret O’Toole jumped in. Te Oppenheimer family from South Africa boarded mares to sup-

The antebellum Marston House occupies a corner of Indian Creek.

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port its stallion Horse Chestnut, who stood at Claiborne. As a result, Indian Creek began raising and breeding horses such as Bullish Luck, Life’s Magic, Grey’s Inn, and Minardi, who became champions in North America, Ireland, Switzerland, South Africa, and Hong Kong. Parrish had particular success with the European group 1 winner Diesis, who stood at Mill Ridge. He sent Love’s Reward to the stallion and co-bred full brothers Keen Hunter, who became a group 1 winner in France; and Altibr, who took the 2000 Shadwell Keeneland Turf Mile Stakes. Parrish bred Love’s Reward’s daughter Kissing Gate to the stallion and cobred Magical Fantasy, a three-time grade 1 winner and millionaire whose framed photo hangs next to Parrish’s desk. Additional graded winners bred or cobred by Indian Creek include Brunswick, Asher, Fire King, Lethal Combination, Tale of the Cat, Trafalger, Anifa, and Northern Causeway. History calls out from every corner of Indian Creek. Te farm ofce, redesigned some 15 years ago, occupies what was once the Scale House, where cattle were weighed arriving and/or exiting the farm. Te stairway leading to the second foor boasts railings taken from an old tobacco barn and vertical spikes that are repurposed tobacco sticks. Te scale still sits below the ofce foorboards. A shop and

COMMITTED TO OUR FUTURE Keeneland’s mission of improving and giving back to the sport of Thoroughbred racing has guided our organization for more than 80 years. As the home of the 2020 Breeders’ Cup World Championships, our dedication, to that mission— and to the horsemen, fans and customers who support it— is stronger than ever. January Horses of all Ages Sale January 11 – 14, 2021 Keeneland Spring Race Meet April 1 – 23, 2021 April Two-Year-Olds in Training and Horses of Racing Age Sale April 6, 2021 September Yearling Sale September 13 – 25, 2021 Keeneland Fall Race Meet October 8 – 30, 2021 November Breeding Stock Sale November 9 - 21, 2021

* All dates are subject to change

Standard of Excellence

Ancient oaks line the drive at Indian Creek, which is known for its impressive trees.

a corn crib have been converted into horse barns. In fact, besides three new barns, all the other equine structures are old tobacco barns. Two barns date back to 1903, when pegs instead of nails were used to fasten the walls and are said to hold up better to high winds. And then there are the trees, which are the hallmark of Indian Creek. Its famous bur oak is incorporated in the farm’s logo and was said to be the largest in North America before tumbling down a year ago. “Now it’s the largest stump in North America,” Parrish cracked. Seedlings from the bur oak and Indian Creek’s blue ash mother tree live on, however. Bill Wright, who initially managed Indian Creek for the Parrishes, established a nursery on the farm that has succeeded wildly. Indian Creek’s bur oaks can now be found growing as far away as Newmarket, England. A lane in the Paris Cemetery is lined with them, as are various farms in Lexington and Louisville.

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“When I bought Spring Station Farm for my yearlings, it had been a cattle and crops farm with hardly any trees,” noted Helen Alexander. “When I told Shack, he sent over bur oak and blue ash, and nearly every tree on Spring Station today came from Indian Creek. Tat was such a nice thing to do. For me, it’s special to have something that comes from somebody you care about and from a property that they care about. It’s a cool thing and a great legacy.” In addition to its impressive history, Indian Creek remains vibrant today. It ranked 12th among all consignors at the 2020 Keeneland September yearling sale, selling 30 head for $4.86 million, including a $600,000 Uncle Mo colt. At the 2018 Keeneland auction, it consigned a $1.1 million Quality Road colt. Its frst million-dollar sales horse was Minardi, who fetched $1.65 million at the 1999 Keeneland yearling sale. “Everything we sell is raised here,” an-

swered Parrish when asked the key to the success of his consignments. “People know they’re buying something that we have seen the whole time. We have all the records, and we’re willing to tell you any problem the horse has had. Tis is a people business, and there is a lot you have to overcome to be straight and honest. People will say, ‘So-and-so did this,’ and I tell them, ‘Well, we’re not doing that, so don’t worry about it.’ And I learned that from my father and his partners.” Each season Indian Creek foals out about 65 mares, many for high-profle clients such as Bob Edwards of e5 Racing, Larry Goichman, Tom Mara (whose family owns the New York Giants), Peter Redekop, Jef Drown, Al Wise, Mike Ryan, and Joe Anzalone. In November Indian Creek was slated to sell Edwards’ superstar runner and six-time grade 1 winner, Rushing Fall, as a broodmare prospect. A good measure of a man comes from the opinions of those with whom he works, as well as the success they go on to achieve elsewhere. Parrish passes these challenges by daylight. “Every person who has worked for him loves him,” noted Alexander. “His staf came out here to look at a yearling they’re consigning for me, and it was so obvious how much afection they have for Shack.” Mike Evans, who now runs Sheltowee

The Indian Creek logo pays tribute to a massive bur oak that was a farm hallmark.

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Standard of Excellence Farm, managed Indian Creek for a dozen years unbloodlines, and the history of the farm and the til going out on his own in 2009. It is evident his people,” said de Sousa. “Sometimes we’d go look education there came in people as well as horses. at horses somewhere, and he always took the long “Shack and his father were as good a people as way on back roads through small towns, and I there ever were,” said Evans, who has two sons in learned the area and its history just driving around the horse business as well. “Tey treated me and my with him. He knew everything about everybody, family like we were part of their family. Absolute and what he didn’t know, he could make it up.” gentlemen. As a horseman, Shack is great. He loves “Shack has mentored so many younger people nicks, loves European racing, and is well-versed in through the years and has always been willing to all of it. share his knowledge,” said Rogers Beasley, for“We rock-and-rolled when I was there. Sold a mer vice president of racing at Keeneland and a million-dollar horse just about every year, either classmate of Parrish at Transylvania College, on a weanling, yearling, or broodmare. We raised whose board of regents Parrish sits. “He’s always champions like Minardi and Greys Inn. Had Yarn, been a hard worker, and he’s old school in the best the dam of Tale of the Cat. We had good clients, possible manner taking care of his horses. He ungood land, and good mares. When you can grow Modest barns belie the derstands the history of his horses, the history 500-year-old trees that big, you know you have caliber of horses they house. of Bourbon County, and he’s proud of the land, good land you can raise horses on.” which has raised a lot of good horses.” Tat land also supports cattle, hay, soybeans, corn, and grass used At 74, Shack Parrish loves a good story as much as a good for horse bedding. horse. He can ofen be found in Lil’s, the lunch hangout for Sergio de Sousa, now a managing partner at Hidden Brook Farm, horsemen in downtown Paris, exchanging tales with veterinarian came with Evans from Margaux Farm and worked at Indian Creek Robert Copelan or members of the Hancock family. through much of the 1990s. “Shack is great. He loves the horses, the Oh, the stories. Parrish compares his tour in Vietnam to an episode

The bur oak that was thought to be North America’s largest is now “the largest stump in North America,” Parrish said.

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SISTER ACT

t seems more than just coincidence that Sarah Sutherland and Allaire Ryan are engaged in the exact same activity at the exact same time in the aftermath of Keeneland’s September yearling sale. Neither answers her cell phone because each is busy walking the barn areas of their respective farms, each inspecting weanlings, Sutherland at Indian Creek and Ryan crosstown at Will Allaire Ryan, left, and Sarah Sutherland Farish’s Lane’s End Farm. Both work as sales directors, although However, their father did not promote the Sutherland admits with a chuckle that horse industry to them, and each pursued “we’re not a big, fancy operation with studies far afeld from equines. Allaire matitles.” In fact, she works all over Indian jored in international relations and art hisCreek and engages in client relations as tory at Centre College “in case I needed to well. reroute myself.” Sarah, four years Allaire’s Oh, and Sutherland and Ryan are full elder, toyed with attending law school. sisters, daughters of bloodstock agent “I eventually found myself skipping class extraordinaire Mike Ryan. in college to go work the sales,” Sutherland Carrying those bloodlines, it might be admitted. “I worked a lot of sales and spent assumed the siblings were automatically time going around with my dad or going to ascribed a place in the Thoroughbred world. the races. Ironically, Shack [Parrish] used

to see me at the sales and admonish me for skipping school. He used to give me a hard time when he saw me showing horses. And now I work with him.” The pull of the horses eventually proved too attractive for the sisters. Both arrived at their respective jobs more than a decade ago. While sibling rivalry is common, particularly for those that fnd themselves in the same occupation, it doesn’t rear its head between Sutherland and Ryan. “There is no competition. We are the least competitive … we’re best friends and use each other as a sounding board for everything, from what we’re cooking for dinner to what type of wine goes with it to where to place your horse,” said Ryan. “Each of us is always encouraging the other one, always happy for the success of the other, or sharing the disappointment if it’s a bad day. We’re always on the same page.”

of the TV show “M*A*S*H*.” than ready to go to the pad“I wasn’t even in combat; I dock, but they’re waiting on was a foreign-language inthe queen, and she’s not going structor. But almost every day anywhere. Finally she leans for four months, here would over and says, ‘I say, Charles, come another damn rocket I seem to have lost a shoe.’ attack. We’d put on our fak And Charlie says, ‘Well, I can’t jackets, crawl under the bed, crawl under the table to get and drink beer. Tere was it.’ So they’re all scrunching nowhere else to go. If it hit, it around with their feet trying hit.” to fnd the shoe. Tank God Or the day Queen Elizashe fnally got it on and they beth visited Lexington and Indian Creek received a Master Conservationist award could go downstairs.” for land stewardship efforts. went to the races at KeeneOr the story told by a land, where she ate lunch befriend about Shack Parrish fore heading down to the paddock. Parrish laughs that the driving his ailing father around to a dove hunt so he could monarch was placed between his Uncle Doug and breeder interact with his friends one last time. Tat’s the one that hits Charlie Nuckols for the meal. closest to home. “Uncle Doug was not much for conversation, and CharAsked what he enjoys most today, 50 years afer Indian lie, well, maybe enough to talk about horses,” remembered Creek was established, Parrish doesn’t hesitate. “Breeding a Parrish. “So everyone has eaten their meal and are more good horse. And driving in the front gate.” KM

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Sutherland concurred. “The good thing about this business is you learn something every single day; with horses, there’s always something you’re picking up on. And we share a lot between the two of us. We’re very close, and it’s fun to bounce ideas off each other. We’ll talk about the sales, about who’s vetting for who, or what the traffc’s been like. We’re always pulling for each other, always trying to learn from each other. She’s younger than I am, but we look up to one other.” Although they’ve had a leg up in being able to learn from an expert, Sutherland and Ryan earned their stripes on their own. “Dad always joked that he’d be happy to teach us,” said Ryan, “but we’d never be on his payroll. We had to put in the footwork ourselves.” As far as horsemanship, Sutherland said she’s learned from her father to “see the good in every horse. He looks for what he likes before he thinks about being critical. Every horse has a chance, which is important.” As for her position at Indian Creek, Sutherland appreciates the farm and the working environment, as have so many others before her. Asked if she thinks about following her father’s path and working independently, she noted, “There are times I do. But I love this farm so much, and every time I drive in here, I think about what a magnifcent place it is. The people … it’s very much a family. You get invested in the mares and the clients, and over time it becomes part of you.”

Good land, good horses, and good clients have been keys to Indian Creek’s success.

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Take Charge Lady, shown winning the 2002 Ashland Stakes, maintained a perfect record at Keeneland.

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QUITE A LADY Take Charge Ladyâ€™s success is intertwined with Keeneland racing and sales By LIANE CROSSLEY | Photos by ANNE M. EBERHARDT

QUITE A LADY

ike a gif that keeps on giving, Take Charge Lady continues to leave her legacy to the Toroughbred world in general and to Keeneland’s auction house in particular long afer closing her racing and broodmare careers. On the track at Keeneland, she was unbeatable, and her descendants illuminate the Keeneland sales pavilion bid board each selling season, before and afer their racing achievements. Succinctly detailing Take Charge Lady’s accomplishments is challenging, perhaps because she was so consistent for so long and in so many ways. Statistically, she won half of her 22 career starts, including a unique combination of Keeneland’s signature events, and banked nearly $2.5 million. Her reputation as a purveyor of exceptional genes can be summed up with her honor as Broodmare of the Year for 2013 when her son Will Take Charge added an Eclipse Award to the family tree. Te aforementioned facts only hint at her breed-shaping power.

LADY AND THE TRACK Take Charge Lady’s march to prominence began at Keeneland on April 19, 2001, with an eye-catching triumph in her career debut at 4½ furlongs. As the third choice against 10 other 2-year-old fllies, she zipped to the front early and increased her advantage to win by 4¼ lengths. Trainer Kenny McPeek, who zeroed in on

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Owners Jerry and Feye Bach celebrate Take Charge Lady’s 2002 Ashland Stakes victory with Feye’s mother, Sim Chin.

her untapped talent when she was a yearling, was not surprised. Afer receiving her early lessons in Florida, a 2-year-old Take Charge Lady arrived race ready at his Keeneland barn. “We were always optimistic about her,” he said of the flly, who was bred in Kentucky by William Schettine. “She was always a beautiful flly and wicked fast.” Racing as Select Stable, Jerry Bach was on hand that spring afternoon to see the flly he lovingly named for his wife, Feye. Along with other family members, the

couple traveled about 100 miles on the scenic highways from Cincinnati every time Take Charge Lady was in action at Keeneland. Afer that initial triumph, Take Charge Lady was allowed to mature on the sidelines before winning at Turfway Park in her second trip to the post. In her third outing the daughter of 2-year-old champion Dehere served notice that she was extra special when she captured the Alcibiades at Keeneland. Content to stay just behind the leaders, Take Charge Lady assumed command at the top of the stretch and was clear

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QUITE A LADY 54

by a length, while defeating 10 opponents. “She won for fun,” McPeek said. Afer an of-the-board efort in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies at Belmont Park, Take Charge Lady closed her 2-yearold season as runner-up in the Golden Rod Stakes at Churchill Downs. Better days were in the not-so-distant future. Take Charge Lady was sensational at 3 in a near-championship campaign that began with victories at Fair Grounds in the Silverbulletday and in the track’s eponymously named Oaks. She capped that winning streak in Keeneland’s Ashland. As the overwhelming betting choice, Take Charge Lady dominated the competition as she romped to a 4¼-length score. Te favorite again a month later in the Kentucky Oaks, Take Charge Lady set the pace before being overtaken by Farda Amiga. Take Charge Lady then won the Dogwood Stakes at Churchill Downs and was second in the Gazelle Handicap at Belmont Park. Take Charge Lady faunted her fair for Keeneland again with a clear triumph in the Spinster Stakes in October against a star-studded feld. Tree weeks later as second choice behind subsequent Hall of Fame member Azeri, Take Charge Lady was unplaced in the Breeders’ Cup Distaf at Arlington Park. She capped her season with a second at Churchill Downs in the Falls City Handicap and as a fnalist for an Eclipse Award Trainer Kenny McPeek relishes Take Charge Lady’s nickthat ultimately went to Farda Amiga. name, the “Queen of Keeneland.” Take Charge Lady returned in the spring of 2003, nearly defeating Azeri in the Apple Blossom Handicap at Oaklawn Park. Two more runner-up eforts in the graded ranks followed before she captured the Arlington Matron Handicap. A month later her second Spinster triumph made her the frst runner to win four stakes at Keeneland (subsequently bested by Wise Dan with seven stakes wins and Rushing Fall with fve). “Some people called her the ‘Queen of Keeneland,’ ” McPeek said. “I don’t think another horse will ever win the Alcibiades, Ashland, and two Spinsters. Tat is really tough to pull of.” Afer being unplaced again in the Distaf, Take Charge Lady closed her career with a ffh in the Falls City. “I knew how rare and special she was, so I cherished every moment; I never missed a race,” said Bach, who ofen Take Charge Lady bettered an outstanding feld in the 2002 Spinster Stakes. ventured to Keeneland or to Churchill

QUITE A LADY Take Charge Lady’s repeat victory in the 2003 Spinster Stakes made her the frst horse to win four Keeneland stakes races.

Downs just to visit her at the barn and hand-feed her carrots. “She was a sweetheart to be around. I have been around horses with an attitude, but she was very calm and classy.” Bach said he knew all good things come to an end, and he made what he called a business decision to sell Take Charge Lady at the 2004 Keeneland November breeding stock sale. Bach was there for the dramatic conclusion of his spectacular run as her owner. “I never missed anything with her,” said Bach, who attended all her races at 10 tracks from coast to coast.

A FORCE AT THE SALES As she had done when racing on Keeneland’s track, Take Charge Lady made a statement when she appeared on the Keeneland auction stage. Pregnant for the frst time, she illuminated the auction bid board at $4.2 million, the third highest

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Take Charge Lady commanded a robust $4.2 million at the 2004 Keeneland November breeding stock sale.

Settling into life as a broodmare, Take Charge Lady became a stellar producer.

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QUITE A LADY Take Charge Brandi, a granddaughter of Take Charge Lady, won the 2014 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies.

Take Charge Brandi then sold for $6 million at the Keeneland November breeding stock sale, the second highest price for a broodmare prospect in the sale’s history.

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price of the auction. Eaton Sales as agent made the purchase from Tree Chimneys Sales, agent. Her resulting flly by Seeking the Gold set the tone for Take Charge Lady’s status as a foundation broodmare and Keeneland icon. At the 2006 September yearling sale, that initial ofspring strutted in front of the auctioneer’s podium and exited under a $3.2 million price tag. Subsequently named Charming, she was remarkably unremarkable as a racehorse but made amends in the broodmare ranks by sprouting a solid branch to the family tree. Like Take Charge Lady, Charming’s name will appear in catalogs for years to come, thanks primarily to her Eclipse Award-winning daughter, Take Charge Brandi, and multiple grade 1-winning son, Omaha Beach. As her dam and granddam before her, Take Charge Brandi was a winner at frst asking and quickly displayed that she had inherited the very best of Take Charge Lady. Unplaced in Keeneland’s Darley Alcibiades, she was the 61-1 longshot winner of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies at Santa Anita and added two more

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QUITE A LADY graded stakes victories before year’s end to earn the 2014 Eclipse Award as champion 2-year-old flly. Take Charge Brandi added another stakes at 3 in 2015 and retired from racing. Later that year she topped the Keeneland November sale at $6 million, a fgure that makes her the second highest-priced broodmare prospect in the history of the auction. It was the highest amount spent at the November sale since 2007 when Playful Act sold for $10.5 million. Following Take Charge Brandi in the ring at the same November sale was a close relative: a weanling War Front flly out of Take Charge Lady later named Lady Take Charge. She sold to Mandy Pope’s Whisper Hill Farm for $3.2 million, an amount that remains a North American record for a weanling. Take Charge Brandi thus far is mimicking her dam and granddam in the yearling marketplace with her frst sale ofering bringing $800,000. Omaha Beach has begun his breeding career with his frst youngsters arriving in 2021. Before Charming’s future infuence as a prolifc

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CHAD B. HARMON

Take Charge Lady’s son Will Take Charge took honors as champion 3-year-old male of 2013.

Will Take Charge’s victories include the Travers Stakes at Saratoga.

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QUITE A LADY Another son, Take Charge Indy, won the 2012 Florida Derby, earned more than $1 million, and became a sire.

broodmare was solidifed, Take Charge Lady had been estab- 2013 September sale for Take Charge Lady’s flly by Indian lishing herself as an overachiever whose ofspring were wildly Charlie. Her price of $2.2 million made her the most expensive popular at Keeneland sales. Take Charge Lady’s second flly flly of the auction and the second-best price overall. Racing as (Elarose) also proved to be a popular commodity by selling for I’ll Take Charge, she mimicked her older half sister Charming by $800,000 at the 2008 Keeneland September yearling sale. She winning once. With foals by renowned sires Tapit and Medaglia followed the family tradition by adding more black type to the d’Oro, I’ll Take Charge fgures to bring further honor to the clan. lineage as a producer. Take Charge Lady is forever revered as a breed-shaping ancesAt the 2011 September sale, Take Charge Lady’s colt by Un- tress of superior runners that inherited her prowess in the marbridled’s Song was an attention grabber in part because of his ketplace and on the track. Bach has a scrapbook of magazine and copper coat accentuated by white legs and face. His winning newspaper clippings and other memorabilia of her glory days. bid of $425,000 ultimately He cherishes his memories was a bargain. Christened of those days spent with close Will Take Charge, he was family when she raced and of honored as 2013 champihis quiet moments with Take on 3-year-old male and Charge Lady at the barn. retired with fve gradMcPeek holds similar ed stakes victories and a thoughts of the fnely tuned $3.9 million bankroll. His racer with an underlying status as a popular Kentenderness during private tucky stallion follows that time. of his older half brother “She was so sweet,” he Take Charge Indy (by A.P. said. “I remember taking Indy), a grade 1-winning my very young daughter in millionaire who won the the stall with her. She was 2012 Florida Derby. like a mama — very sweet Te on-track success and sensitive. Not all fllies Mandy Pope went to $3.2 million in 2015 for a weanling of Will Take Charge and and mares are like that. She daughter of Take Charge Lady, later named Lady Take Charge. Take Charge Indy inspired was a complete princess.” ferce competition at the KM

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AWAY WITH

LEXINGTON ARTIST KIPTOO TARUS HAS DEVELOPED A FOLLOWING FOR HIS LARGE SCULPTURES FOUND IN PARKS AND ON CORNERS AROUND TOWN

By VICKIE MITCHELL Photos by ARDEN BARNES

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Concrete block buildings and chain-link fences topped with concertina wire are the rule in the 900 block of National Avenue. But at 920 National, a brightly painted mural interrupts the industrial vibe. It is an homage to Africa, featuring a pink famingo, a stripy zebra, a girafe, a startled antelope, a stately lioness, a leopard, two crowned cranes, and, at the center, a striking Black woman in a gold head wrap. In the chain-link enclosed yard next to the mural, sculptures rise amid wildfowers, weeds, tree trunks, and assorted junk lef there by the landlord. Although there is no sign to announce it, those who know public art in Lexington will recognize the odd assemblage as the work of Kenyan artist and sculptor Kiptoo Tarus. From this studio, he churns out art — mostly wood-carved sculptures — that pops up on street corners and in public parks and in front of public buildings and private homes. Nathan Zamarron, community arts director for LexArts, calls Tarus’ contribution to the public art landscape in Lexington “substantial.” Tarus, he said, “continues to awe the public as he creates new work prolifcally throughout our community.” In early September, Tarus settles in with a Marlboro at a table in his work yard, the ground littered with cans, cardboard, and other odds and ends.

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Left, Tarus uses a chainsaw to shape a sculpture at his studio on National Avenue. Above, the artist uses smaller tools to create details on a human fgure.

He’s searched the refrigerator which frst reached out to Tarus in in his workshop without luck 2015 when it needed public art for for an Ale-8. In his jaunty hat the Breeders’ Cup Festival. Tose — he never seems to be withworks, a series of large, wooden out one — he sits beneath the hands reaching toward the heavgaze of his mother, the woman ens, were strung along several in his mural. blocks of Short Street. A few feet away, his latest “Tey came to me, and said, carving, an ample musician ‘We need pieces downtown; we playing a guitar, sits patiently need to beautify downtown,’ ” beneath the shade of a salTarus said. vaged patio umbrella. Te Nearby, other works are in sculpture will get a bit more progress or awaiting purchase. paint before it joins 10 other Te head of a horse, turned to temporary art installations nuzzle its neck, is emerging from — UK art profession scattered along revitalized a tree trunk. Another horse stands Southland Drive, commisnearby. Te near life-sized piece Garry Bibbs of Tarus sioned for the Rediscover is mixed media, its face fashioned Southland project. Tarus calls from pieces of broken ceramic; its this one “Blues 2020.” body, castof bike and auto parts. Inspired by Picasso’s Blue Period piece “Te Old Guitarist,” its blue hues come courtesy of Tarus’ for- WORKING IN WOOD mer neighbor on National, who gifed the artist his Tarus’ wood carvings require an artistic eye and expensive and durable automotive paint when he an understanding of the qualities of wood but call for closed his auto body business and retired. very little equipment. He does much of his work with “Blues 2020” is a collaboration with LexArts, a chainsaw, using a grinder to polish the roughness.

THERE’S NOTHING HE CAN’T DO…”

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Above, an equine work takes shape outside Tarus’ studio. Although Tarus primarily works with wood, he also incorporates other materials into his work.

A chisel brings out intricate details like eyes, noses, mouths. His subjects are many and varied. For a corporate client, Maker’s Mark, he has carved the bourbon maker’s distinctive bottle alongside a wooden glass. For art exhibits and public displays, he’s created abstract angels and graceful, long-limbed African women, playful seahorses, and mysterious mermaids. And although some of his work has been equine inspired, a love or interest in horses did not draw him to Lexington. He became determined to come to the University of Kentucky to earn a master’s degree in fne arts in sculpture afer a chance meeting in Nairobi a decade ago with sculptor Garry Bibbs, a UK art professor. Bibbs was in Africa with the Ruth Hunt Wood Foundation, which was bringing Kenyan artists to UK for short residencies. In addition to reviewing residency candidates, Bibbs also reviewed the work of art

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students at the University of Nairobi. Tarus was among them. At the time, no one, including his art professors, was encouraging Tarus as he segued from painting to sculpture. “I was quarrelling and fghting with my professors,” he said. “Tey’d say, ‘You enrolled for painting and what is all this metal and sculpture?’ ” Tose professors urged Bibbs to talk to Tarus. “Tey said, ‘We’re tired of him. You go to talk to him,’ ” Tarus said. “We spent two days talking.” Tey also kept in touch as Tarus continued to produce sculpture and build a portfolio. In 2011 he quit his job as a bank manager to focus on art. His parents were not happy, although his mother did show support by bringing him food and supplies. Neighbors shook their heads as he gathered wood to carve. “I was going to pick up stumps at construction sites with my little wheelbarrow. Tey’d say, ‘He’s an artist. He’s cray cray.’ ”

Tree years later, afer twice being turned down, Tarus was accepted into UK’s program. His studies at UK got of to a fast start with Bibbs as his guide. “I was father fgure, mentor, instructor, which was easy to do because Kiptoo is so extremely disciplined and hungry for knowledge.” Taking an artist from Kenya, where equipment and materials are limited, and dropping him in a studio like UK’s sculpture facility was like “putting him in a candy store,” said Bibbs. “Tere’s nothing he can’t do — ceramics, wood carving, metal sculpture, forging, and casting. Whatever we fed him, he took it and ran with it.” Tarus’ work was chosen for impressive shows, including the 2015 African American Art Exhibition at Actors Teatre in Louisville, where he was one of 22 artists selected.

But a couple of years in, a blowup with the art department ended his graduate studies. Tarus began working on his own, feeling isolated and lonely as a Black African artist, living in a place that didn’t completely understand him. Looking back, he and Bibbs agree that perhaps it was the best path for a driven artist. “While it is always good to have another degree, I tell people you don’t have to have a master’s to be a good artist,” said Bibbs. “You have to have a good studio practice. And Kiptoo was hungry enough to keep pushing himself.”

FINDING A COMMUNITY Tarus transformed a tree stump at Ashland: The Henry Clay Estate into “Maji Mazuri,” Swahili for “good waters.” The sculpture brought the artist to the public’s attention.

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And as he built a body of work and a reputation as a working artist, Tarus also began to build a community that appreciated him and

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Tarus’ “Mutation of the Happiness Gene” enhances the garden at The Living Arts and Science Center.

his contributions to public art. One piece of evidence was the outpouring of support when the house he rented burned in 2017, destroying much of his work and his equipment. Fellow artist Mercedes Harn launched a GoFundMe drive that raised $10,685 to help him. Almost 200 friends, neighbors, fellow artists, and other supporters contributed. “We love him very much,” Harn said recently. “We consider him family.” Tarus further deepened his connections when he worked in the cold for two months two years ago at the Ashland Estate on a commission to turn a black maple stump into the head of a horse, standing on its nose, drinking water. Ashland executive director Jim Clark knew from his days leading arts funds in New York and Lexington that seeing an artist at work would pique people’s interest in the creative process, but he didn’t expect them to stop their cars on busy Richmond Road to take pictures, which made him understandably nervous. “When the horse’s head began to take form, then people were all the more interested, and they began coming by daily to check on progress.” Te stump is at the very visible corner of Richmond and Sycamore roads. “Car afer car afer car would honk, honk, honk,” said

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Tarus. “Every moment when I was there on the ground, people were stopping by. It was so much exposure.” Te fnished work, “Maji Mazuri,” which means “good waters” in Swahili, has been in place longer than most of Tarus’ wooden pieces, which don’t fare as well in the weather as sculpture made of metal or stone. And like that sculpture, Tarus seems to be rooted here. He’s got new ideas and plans, perhaps to make a slight shif to avoid being known only as a woodcarver. “I don’t think I can move away from wood but mix this wood with other materials like clay and metal.” He’d like to create more art in Kenwick, the neighborhood where he’s spent much of his time and has many friends. And, he also has personal plans, with his upcoming wedding on the calendar. He’d love for his mother to come, but the pandemic makes that unlikely. His mentor thinks Tarus’ combination of skill, spirit, and intelligence will sustain him in his new home here. “He’s had his challenges, but he is likeable and a wonderful spirit,” said Bibbs. “He loves making art and wants people to be happy. Once you start talking to him, you become interested in him. You put all those things together, and you’ve got something quite dynamic.” KM

In addition to horses, Tarus celebrates other Kentucky hallmark products in his work, such as these bourbon bottles sculpted from wood.

Tarusâ€™ gallery space adjacent to his studio showcases his dexterity with painting and other art forms.

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For more than 50 years Lexington watched rail passengers, including soldiers and celebrities, come and go from UNION STATION in the

HERALD-LEADER ARCHIVE PHOTO

heart of downtown By MARYJEAN WALL

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It was “the center of Lexington,” said Keeneland’s former president, chairman, and trustee James E. “Ted” Bassett, who walked through Union Station at least eight times a year beginning in the 1930s. Bassett was a young man attending prep school in Connecticut and, later, Yale University. He traveled to school the only way out of Lexington

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HERALD-LEADER ARCHIVE PHOTO; INSET, UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY PHOTO ARCHIVES

Lexington saw its Union Station as a worthy monument to modernity. With a semicircular entrance drive and a bubbling fountain at the center, this sparkling new train depot afrmed the city’s place in a nation pushing full bore into the 20th century.

The station’s interior boasted a 50-foot-high central dome with a Roman arch ceiling and six oak waiting benches.

going east, riding the storied George Washington train on the Chesapeake & Ohio line. “My most vivid recollections of Union Station were the high-vaulted ceilings, the highbacked wooden benches, and the fact it was the only gateway to the East,” said Bassett. “Union Station was a sort of an adventure. It was an event, going there.” Opened in 1907, the station expressed the values of its times. Te 20th century had rolled in on the iron wheels of the industrial age, with capitalists amassing fortunes. Te new depot’s opulent design, its location facing Main Street, and the community pride it cre-

ated clearly stated Lexington was keeping up with the times, in the right sort of way. Te timing was perfect. Wealthy men of industry and fnance were beginning to look to the Bluegrass with increasing interest to set up horse breeding farms. If these men had caught their frst glimpse of Lexington at the former passenger depot, they might not have liked what they saw. Te old Chesapeake & Ohio depot, behind the Phoenix Hotel at Main and Limestone streets, was some 30 years old by 1900. It had aged into a chamber of commerce nightmare. Te foor threatened to collapse. One newspaper described the

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A westward view of Union Station railroad yards shows the tracks running through the heart of downtown. Many celebrities alighted in Lexington, including Judy Garland, who performed at Memorial Coliseum in 1953.

facility as “two shacks” cobbled together. Visionaries in Lexington had been calling for a new depot since 1889 without success. In the end, it took private money to turn their vision into bricks and mortar. Tree railroad corporations came together as the Union Depot Company, formed for purposes of buying up property and constructing Union Station. Te participating railroads were the Chesapeake & Ohio (C&O), the Louisville & Nashville (L&N), and the Lexington & Eastern (L&E). Union Depot Company began buying up lots one block east of the old depot. It soon ran over its $200,000 budget. Te company bought property that is presently the site of the Lexington Police Department, the Fayette County Clerk’s Ofce, and a parking garage. Te largest lot was the site of the Main Street Christian Church built in 1842. Against preservationists’ protests, the depot company tore the church down. Te new depot’s eastern edge was intended to run alongside a pass-through called Ayres Alley that connected the south side of Main Street and High Street. Pedestrians

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and buggy passengers made their way carefully over the tracks crossing Ayres Alley. Te three railroads decided a viaduct built over the tracks at Ayers Alley would be a safer choice for pedestrians, buggies, and the new automobiles beginning to appear on city streets. Te viaduct was called Harrison Street. In the 1980s it was renamed Martin Luther King Boulevard. Construction of Union Station began in 1905. Te architecture chosen was the highly popular Beaux Arts style, renowned for its exaggerated elegance. Beaux Arts, with its columns and arches, implied wealth and progress by harkening back to the excesses of Greek and Roman structures. Beaux Arts was a perfect choice in this era when the opulence of industrial wealth was leaving its mark on nearly every corner of the United States. Te architectural frm of Richards, McCarty and Buford of Columbus, Ohio, designed the station, and the builder was Hendricks Brothers and Company. Town gossips had plenty to talk about concerning the architects afer they mistakenly seized as truth a factual

error published in the Lexington Leader. Te newspaper reported that the Columbus frm combined on this project with the New York frm of McKim, Mead and White, with Stanford White leading the New York team. Te New York frm never was involved, as Peter Brackney has pointed out in his book, Lost Lexington. Several thousand visitors showed up Sunday, Aug. 4 to get a look inside the new passenger depot. Te Leader described Union Station as a “magnifcent structure” and reported that, “All the lights inside and on the front walks and under the sheds were turned on at 7 o’clock Sunday night, and a crowd estimated at 3,000 people soon gathered, flling the large waiting rooms and the platform under the sheds.” People cheered when a C&O train pulled in at 8:45 p.m. Sunday, believing this train to be the frst to arrive at the new depot. Actually, the frst train had arrived earlier, at noon, when an L&N pulled in. A block away to the east, workmen already had been tearing down the two shacks that were the old depot.

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www.LexHorseFarms.com â€œReal Horse People Helping Real Horse Peopleâ€? 4465 Aug Augusta gu usta Chatham C Road,, Augusta Aug gusta The T he Baker-Bird Winery aand nd D Distillery was built in tthe he 1850s by Abraham Baker, B aker Jr. The Grandson of JJohn ohn Baker, the distiller. IItt is one of the oldest ccommercial om wineries in America A m that still has its ooriginal rig vineyard land. The T h spectacular stone eenclave is partially uunderground nde and perfect ffor or private parties. The main m ain ffloor loor has has been been completely completely restored restored in in places places with with original original beamed beamed ceilings ceilings and and other other parts parts of of the the stone sto structure that kept in as close cllose to to originall condition cond dittion as possible. possib ble. Sitting Sitting on o 65 65 acres, the the distillery disttilllery building buillding is completely com mpletely new n and perfect for bourbon tastings. Wines from Baker-Bird have won awards from across the USA and the world!

4487 Louisville Road, Salvisa This T his is i a gorgeous workiing ng farm fa with a training ttrack rack located less than 30 minutes m inut from Keeneland. The T he ffarm sports 69 stalls iin n 3 bbarns, a lovely 2650 ssquare qua foot manager's house, h ous covered and unccovered over round pens, dirt ttraining rainin track, turf gallop, aand nd 110 paddocks. The 97 aacres cres hhas as ggently ently rrolling olling fields fields aand nd beautiful beautifu vistas with a few sstately tately trees. trees. $$1,500,000 1,500,000

500 Carvers Ferry Road, Richmond 3336 36 acres on the bluffs of the Kentucky K ent River. This includes tthe he old o ferry landing. Custom bbuilt uilt llog cabin with vaulted ceiliings, ngs, eextraordinary upgrades and sspectacular pect views in the middle ooff this thi cattle farm/hunters paraddise/country ise/c retreat. Large 10' x 338' 8' covered porch and back pporch. orch The farm includes a mangger's er' trailer, multiple tobacco bbarns, arns, pponds, onds, aautomatic utomatic w waterers, aterers, ffruit ruit tre trees, and a circa1800 cabin bbuilt uiilt bby y IIsaacs saacs B Boone. oone Seller Selller will divide. $1,143,000

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This T his Scott S Guyon designed home graces 10 aacres cres iin the heart of the bluegrass and overllooks ooks Juddmonte Farm, one of the world's premier p remi thoroughbred farms. This spectacularly u larly designed U-shaped house provides ccasual asu elegance with spaces for gracious eentertaining. ntert It features zoned geo-thermal heating/cooling, h eatin hardwood floors, floor to cceiling ei brick fireplace, chef's kitchen, vaulted v aul ceilings, whole house audio systtem, em, basement entertainment center, and ssplit plit bbedroom edroom ddesign esign w with ith pprivate rivate w wings ings that tha encompass a lovely outdoor living sspace. pace. T The he iindoor ndoor E Endless ndless P Pool ool aand nd hhot ot ttub ub are a in their own private wing and provide id opportunities i i for f exercise i andd relaxation. l i The large porch on the back is accessible from every area of the home and offers breathtaking views of quintessential horse country. A true retreat in Fayette County. $995,000

Elegance E legan & Serrenity enity on over 71 aacres! cres! This bbeautiful eauti executiveti ive- style s home ooffers ffers two compplete lete living l areaass on on one o level. The T he ffinishes i are sstunning tunni and iinclude nclude trey trey ceilings, ceilings, marble, marble, hardwood, hardwood, and a tile fflooring looring aand nd w wains-coating. ains-ccoating. The The farm farm features feat a6 stall ll barn b with i h tractor/hay h storage and d 4 paddocks. Generous views of the gently rolling pastures and nice woods surrounding this stunning home are incredible. $699,000

UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY PHOTO ARCHIVES

Union Station saw its share of wartime arrivals and departures, including this group of recruits arriving in Lexington in 1918.

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rollers like Te Drifers and Te Platters also brought their shows to Lexington. Comedian Redd Foxx and blues performer B. B. King got their frst view of the city from segregated Union Station as they arrived in the Bluegrass. Usually these entertainers put on shows in Lexington’s segregated neighborhood for

Busy hub Lexington saw between 30 and 40 passenger trains daily arriving or departing from Union Station and a second station, the Southern Railway Depot on South Broadway at Bolivar Street. Union Station was reserved for passenger trains while the Southern Railway Depot handled passengers and freight. Freight departing or arriving downtown was consigned to the city’s west end, to a terminus

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Pieces of history lay strewn across the tracks as the old structure toppled to hammer blows. Tose walking through the new station surely looked up in wonder at the Roman arch ceiling high above the lobby foors. Centered in the ceiling was a dome that reached skyward some 50 feet. Standing high above the front doors and separating the lobby from its two side wings was another arch, this one enclosing a fan-shaped window crafed in stained glass. Waiting rooms occupied one end of the rotunda: a ladies’ retiring section, including a dressing room and toilets; and men’s lounges that provided a washroom, toilets, and a smoking room. African Americans used separate waiting rooms, divided into lounges with restrooms for men and a separate lounge for women. Racial segregation marked Union Station’s nearly 50-year lifespan, with African Americans directed to a separate entrance that led straight to the segregated waiting rooms. Te irony lay in those persons who were forced to use this separate entrance, persons who ranked among the best-known entertainers in the world. Tey included jazzmen Duke Ellington and Cab Calloway. Early rock-and-

African Americans, a neighborhood centered on East Tird and DeWeese streets. A thriving entertainment district had grown up in this section of Lexington. Te entertainment district was close by the Kentucky Association track where Toroughbreds raced from 1828 to 1933. Te famous Black jockey, Isaac Murphy, had lived in a mansion in this neighborhood until his death in 1896. Murphy traveled frequently by train in and out of Lexington, ofen accompanied by his valet, a white man. Had he lived a few more years he would have patronized Union Station.

Soldiers depart from Union Station during World War I.

Photo by Jen Roytz

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situated where Rupp Arena and the Lexington Civic Center are now. Union Station afected business throughout Central Kentucky, particularly in downtown Lexington where most local business took place. At the center of all enterprise was the Phoenix Hotel, a favorite of horse owners and trainers, gamblers, hemp agents, and tobacco sellers. A livery stable was conveniently situated practically next door to the hotel, so that travelers arriving at the old depot had ready access to local transportation. Te livery business reacted quickly when the location of the passenger depot was confrmed. Owner Garret D. Wilson moved his entire stable in the direction of the train station, building equine facilities across Main Street from the new depot. Te newly constructed stable was ready to open in time for the opening of Union Station. Wilson had increased his inventory by 125 horses. His building stabled horses on two foors and spanned an entire block

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Prominent owners and breeders traveled to and from Central Kentucky by rail, including, clockwise from top left, John E. Madden, Helen Hay Whitney, and Joan Whitney Payson and Jock Whitney (right). Some had private rail cars.

from Main Street to Short Street. You could write a book about the cast of characters who arrived and departed from Union Station. Te most notorious probably was Lexingtonâ€™s internationally known brothel keeper, Madam Belle Brezing, who traveled by train to New York whenever she needed to replenish her resplendent wardrobe. It is believed she attended the horse races in New York or upstate at Saratoga Springs. She was a huge fan of racing.

John E. Madden was another who rode back and forth to New York by train. Founder of the horse farm known as Hamburg Place, he arrived in Lexington in the latter 1890s, arriving at the old depot. Madden was a young man long on ambition, short on funds, and looking to acquire a stake in the horse business. As Union Station evolved afer 1907, so did Madden, both as a horse dealer and as a trainer of national renown. He was a frequent traveler to and from Lexington, as the racing adviser and manager for William Collins

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Luxury travel for some Te oldest passengers arriving and departing Union Station undoubtedly reminisced about their earlier days of train travel. A few could have evoked remembrance of the excursion train that began running in 1833 from a station at Mill and Water streets. Its sole destination was a depot at rural Yarnallton 12 miles away. Te old Lexington & Ohio train that ran this route was slow, uncomfort-

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able, and barely removed from the days when horses pulled the frst trains in Lexington. But the reward at the end of the line was worth the laborious journey. Tis reward was Captain Clutterbuck’s Villa de Boceage, a roadhouse where the excursion train’s passengers sated the hearty thirst they had built up on the way to Yarnallton. Reaching Clutterbuck’s was no small feat. Te journey was “short in dis-

riving in Lexington. Private cars brought families like the Whitneys to Lexington, although these cars generally were unhooked not at the station but at the family’s horse farms, where railroad sidings accommodated private cars. Te Louisville & Nashville tracks ran conveniently through Greentree Stud on Paris Pike north of Lexington. William Payne Whitney died in 1927, less than a year afer buying Greentree. His wid-

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Whitney, former secretary of the U.S. Navy. Te two combined to win some of the most prestigious races, most of them in New York. Two world wars disrupted racing, but rail travel did not cease. Te wars brought young men, soon to be soldiers, through Union Station. A great number would be trained for war on the grounds of the University of Kentucky. Some would return home via Union Station following the wars; others would not return at all. Tree years afer World War II had ended, the University of Kentucky basketball team made a triumphant return through Union Station, afer winning its frst NCAA championship in March 1948. Te Wildcats defeated the Baylor Bears in New York, and their return home at Union Station was an event attended by a large and enthusiastic welcoming crowd. And then there was the famous train dog, Tuck, renowned as Union Station’s fond resident. He had met every train for the frst three years afer Union Station opened before he died in February 1910. Prior to working Union Station, he met every arriving train for a decade at the old depot. Tuck had an owner, but he really belonged to all those passing through the passenger depot, many who reached down to pat his head. “He was a great favorite,” the Lexington Leader noted upon his death. “He was only a dog, but his fdelity and almost sleepless vigilance at the old Chesapeake and Ohio passenger depot, and later at the Union Station, earned for him a fame which might have justly aroused the envy of other canines.”

A crowd of 15,000 fans greeted the University of Kentucky’s 1948 NCAA national championship team outside Union Station on their return from New York.

tance but long on excitement and danger,” historian Dan Bowmar wrote. Several persons lost their lives or were injured along the 12-mile rail journey. Passengers injured on the return trips were the most fortunate: Tey would have felt a lot less pain thanks to Clutterbuck’s anesthetizing beverages. Union Station was many evolutions advanced from Clutterbuck’s era. Union Station was capable of accommodating the wealthy arriving in their private railroad cars, a development that foreshadowed the private jets ar-

ow, Helen Hay Whitney, and son, John Hay “Jock” Whitney, continued operating the farm and began traveling by train for periodic visits from New York. “Te Whitneys would ride down from their other Greentree mansion on Long Island in a private car to their Kentucky farm once or maybe twice a year,” Randolph Hollingsworth wrote in Lexington Queen of the Bluegrass. “Te Lexingtonians who attended the raucous polo games and picnics, elegant luncheons and charity events, fancy balls and concerts,

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orses were frequent rail travelers during the frst half of the 20th century while moving from one race meet to another or in keeping to their sales or stakes schedules. Some boarded freight cars on private railroad sidings at horse farms; others boarded or unloaded at their “Union Station,” the freight facilities in Lexington’s west end nearby what is now Rupp Arena and Lexington Civic Center. “The horses unloaded [or loaded] under the Jefferson Street viaduct [connecting Main and High streets],” recalled James E. “Ted” Bassett, former Keeneland president, chairman of the board, and trustee. The freight facilities in this location used the same tracks passengers used when taking trains from Union Station at the city’s opposite end. The freight facilities were demolished in 1970 to make way for the civic center. Some 20th century farms, including Greentree Stud and Whitney Stud, loaded their horses on private sidings on their property. Still more horses might have boarded at rural train depots scattered throughout Central Kentucky. Even as far back as the mid-1800s, the famed Woodburn Farm was using Spring Station near Midway for horse shipments; owner Robert Aitcheson Alexander sent his valuable stallion Lexington and about 300 head of breeding stock to Illinois from this depot for safekeeping during the Civil War. Historian David Hume of Midway has a train schedule from 1865 showing the “race course” in Louisville as a regular railroad stop. He also has a freight bill for two horses traveling from Lexington to Midway for $3.05 in 1859. One rural siding used for horse travel up until the 1950s was located at the rear

Calumet Farm’s champion Bewitch arrives in Lexington by train in 1948. of Calumet Farm on Viley Road. Keeneland and Calumet Farm used this siding, called Payne. John Veitch, former trainer for Calumet Farm, said a “donkey engine” would bring one or two horse cars to these private sidings. After horses were loaded, the donkey engine would move the cars to a marshalling yard where the cars would be attached to a freight train. “It was hard on horses because the trip wasn’t smooth,” Veitch said of rail travel. Freight trains also made frequent stops in small towns, adding time onto a horse’s arrival at the next track. C.V. Whitney solved this problem one time in the 1950s, Veitch recalled, by persuading a railroad company to hook his horse car onto a cross-country passenger train leaving Chicago, so the horses would get to California more quickly. Ercel Ellis, racing historian and radio

personality, recalls horses from Dixiana Farm, where he grew up, being sent to South Broadway to the Southern Railway station that handled both passengers and freight. Horse cars were partitioned with moveable wooden framework, divided into perhaps 12 stalls. The horse cars were not heated, so anyone traveling with horses would become uncomfortably cold during winter months. Dr. Robert Copelan, a retired Central Kentucky veterinarian, recalled catching a ride on a horse car leaving Florida for Kentucky when he was a young man. By the time the train had reached Georgia, he was so cold that he lay down next to a flly that was also lying down, sharing her body warmth. Today, horses traveling long distances generally fy on jets, serviced throughout the fight by attendants known as “fying grooms.”

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remained behind afer the season was ing room, and bedrooms.” over and formed their own exclusive Train travel and Union Station social circles.” represented a diferent lifestyle than A later arrival was Joan Shipman the hurried-up way of living following Payson, born Joan Whitney and a World War II. Train travel was doomed granddaughter of William Collins the minute automobiles started rolling Whitney. Some knew her as co-ownof assembly lines. Te automobile beer and co-founder of the major came the travel mode of choice for the league baseball team the New York average person. Te rich traded their Mets; others knew her as a devotprivate railroad cars for private jets. ed patron of Toroughbred racing. Te last passenger train to pull out Whenever she visited Lexington, her of Union Station was the George WashThe George Washington passenger train made its fnal social or business plans determined stop in Lexington on May 9, 1957. ington on May 9, 1957. Union Station whether she would stay at the big and all its stories were wiped away house on the farm or on her train car parked Veitch recalls the interior of Joan Ship- when the station was demolished in 1960 and on a siding at Union Station. Tis was how man Payson’s railway car as “just lavish.” the last of the tracks removed in downtown John Veitch remembered her visits. Veitch He got a look inside the car when he was Lexington in 1968. Union Station lives on is a former trainer for Calumet Farm whose a young man; he thought this might have only in postcard images where the fountain father, Sylvester Veitch, trained Whitney been in the late 1950s or early 1960s. “Tey still bubbles from inside the entrance drive, an horses in New York and managed the horses had a full crew,” Veitch said. “Maids and a image that has dimmed in Lexington memothat trained in Lexington. cook. Tey had a galley, living room, din- ry with its disappeared past. KM

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CONCEPTS Cooper Vaughan reinvents Apiary to offer memorable dining experiences during challenging times By PATTI NICKELL Photos by SHANDON CUNDIFF

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Right in the middle of a global pandemic, I escaped to Tailand. On a balmy evening I sat in a beautiful, sofly lit garden and feasted on green papaya salad with tamarind, lime, and cabbage; steamed sea bass with ginger, celery, and mushrooms; grilled Iberico pork with yu choi, chili, and sticky rice; and coconut cremeux with passion fruit, pineapple, and almond. Before you start shaming me for my seemingly cavalier behavior, know this: I didnâ€™t violate the governorâ€™s travel ban; I wore a mask until seated and remained separated from my nearest dining companions by what appeared to be a lot farther than six feet.

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From left, chef Tony Yalnazov, Mea Adams, and Cooper Vaughan have reimagined Apiary to include the members-only Hive and Omage, which features pop-up dinners.

By now you have probably guessed I wasn’t in Bangkok or Chiang Mai but, instead, on Jeferson Street at Apiary where proprietor Cooper Vaughan and his creative team have found a unique way to cope with COVID-19, reinventing their business in the process.

‘‘

WE CAME UP WITH THE CONCEPT OF OMAGE

ON TRACK FOR BEST YEAR EVER In the early part of this year, Vaughan, one of Lexington’s premier caterers, and Apiary were on track for their best year ever. In addition to a full slate of weddings, conventions, and signature soirées from Derby parties to the annual Lexington Wine Auction, they were already taking bookings for Breeders’ Cup galas. Tat translated to a full calendar of events that would see up to 250 people for cocktails and 175 for seated dinners in Apiary’s ele-

AS A SERIES OF CURATED DINNERS…” — COOPER VAUGHAN

gant spaces — the Winter Room, Orangerie, and limestone terrace and lavish gardens. As Apiary’s creative director, Mea Adams, put it, “in early March the potential for what we could accomplish felt endless.”

By mid-March, when the coronavirus outbreak necessitated the closure of bars and restaurants, the prohibition of large gatherings of any kind, and the need to wear masks and remain socially distant, that endless potential had become a struggle to stay afoat. “Our business was all about large groups of people gathering together and socializing,” said Vaughan. “I knew that if we didn’t make a pivot, we would be fnished.” Finished is a word seemingly not in Vaughan’s vocabulary. Afer time spent at the Cordon Bleu in London, and in Tennessee at the Inn at Blackberry Farm, the South’s preeminent luxury hotel, he returned to his hometown to pursue his dream — creating an epicurean destination. He launched phase I of that dream in 2008 when he purchased a concrete shell

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that had formerly housed Star Light & Magic, a special events company for theatrical productions that had been gutted by a fre. Vaughan started with an onsite catering kitchen and then created some magic of his own when Apiary debuted as one of Lexington’s premier special events spaces. For a decade, Apiary, partially obscured by a brick wall that heightened its allure, fourished. Unwilling to see his dream die in the wake of a global health crisis, Vaughan, Adams, chef Tony Yalnazov, and a cadre of talented hospitality professionals set about redefning Apiary. “We knew we had to shif focus, and fortunately, we found a creative way to keep our vision alive,” said Vaughan.

THE HIVE IS BORN

Clockwise from top left, guests at a dinner at Omage can expect specially created cocktails as well as an extensive wine list and other beverages. The Winter Room serves as a gorgeous gateway through which diners pass on their way to their tables. A private dining room is an option.

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While other restaurants were ofering their menus to customers through both delivery and curbside pickup, Vaughan was going one better. “We wanted to create a safe haven and ensure a loyal following that felt connected to us and to each other,” he said. “We accomplished this by sharing experiences that had been taken from us and creating a virtual hospitality network.” Tat safe haven is the Hive, whose members pay a monthly fee of $100 (plus cost of any meals) to have access to a virtual marketplace and a variety of safe, socially distanced dining experiences. Vaughn’s “pivot” turned into a 360-degree revolution.

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A staff member puts the ﬁnishing touches on ﬂowers and foliage designed for each pop-up dinner. Below, guests can expect a warm welcome as well as getting their temperature taken as they enter.

In the early days of the pandemic when Lexington was in lockdown mode, he turned Apiary’s glamorous entertaining venue into a bodega and marketplace. Tis marketplace was like no other. Te Hive members could be assured of fnding toilet paper and sanitizers, which were in short supply at grocery stores, but they also had access to Apiary’s full pantry of specialty items such as chef-curated meats and seafood and elegant concoctions from resident pastry chef Maria Hughes-O’Neil. Yalnazov, a native of Bulgaria and an actor before he came to America and exchanged greasepaint for kitchen grease, imbued this new dining experience with a theatrical fair. He changed his menu of prix fxe meals weekly and embellished them with his own special touches. Members would place

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their orders at the beginning of the week to be picked up Friday or delivered to their homes. It was a hit from the start. “I would pull up in front of the Apiary to pick up my order, and the atmosphere immediately put me in a weekend state of mind — half urban cool and half Garden & Gun laid-back country estate,” said the Hive member Mollie Jameson, a local author. “When chef Tony would hand me my meal in a brown bag tied with a ribbon, I was ready to greet the weekend like a rock star.” Indeed, the Hive is home to a number of contented bees (180 at last count), and their buzz is music to Vaughan’s ears. “What I love about the Apiary is that while they do familiar things, they always take it to another level,” said Jon Carlofis, who designed Apiary’s signature gardens. Artist Andre Pater and his wife, Kasia,

The creative heart of Apiary is its kitchen, where a cadre of staff painstakingly prepare the night’s multiple courses.

describe Friday pickups from Apiary as being like a “visit to a candy store.” “Cooper and Tony fed us with gusto,” said Kasia, “not just our bodies, but our souls and spirits, which we certainly needed.”

Te Hive members have diferent reasons for loving the experience. Financial adviser Betsy Bulleit lauds the exceptional food — “branzino, roasted chicken, minted English peas, and homemade pimento cheese all

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CULINARY CONCEPTS CON

The salad includes baby beets, pickled beets, pecan crumbles, goat cheese mousse, and local greens. A decorative green is placed in a bowl that will contain cauliﬂower soup.

Center left, seared sea trout rests on a bed of celeriac purée and smoked onion jam. Above and left, chef Yalnazov ﬁnishes decorating porcini-crusted beef tenderloin.

Above left, apple fried pies get dressed up with gelato and almond brittle. Specialty cocktails are an Omage signature.

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The tented patio is transformed for a weekend dinner. Right, diners enjoy their meals in the Orangerie at carefully distanced tables.

measured out and proportioned so there is no excess.” Janie Greer-Lewis likes the addition of a poem or inspirational quote and the sprig of fowers that comes with each meal. Hollie Harris-Phillips loves the idea she is supporting a local business that uses local farmers and vendors, while Ellen Ven says Apiary, which uses only the fnest ingredients and “epic apothecary cocktails” has made entertaining a breeze. Something all the Hive members appreciate is Apiary’s philanthropical eforts in supporting Chrysalis House, a treatment center for pregnant women and mothers recovering from substance abuse. “Over a 10-week period, the Apiary staf cooked, packaged and delivered food to each of the 39 families in residence,” said the Chrysalis House’s Connie Neal, adding that the packages included milk, eggs, peanut butter, fresh fruit, and vegetables that they might otherwise not have gotten.

BACK TO REALITY As Lexington slowly began to open up to non-virtual experiences, so did Apiary. Te Hive members who had supported Vaughan and his team to the point that no core workers had to be furloughed or laid of received

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payback from a grateful team. “We thought about what we could do that would stay within the COVID guidelines and came up with the idea of inviting our members to a Sunday supper twice a month,” said Vaughan. Sunday suppers were an immediate hit with the Hive members and became Apiary’s version of Sunday dinners with the family — that is if you could only invite 50 percent of the family and that 50 percent had to stay six feet away from each other. And if your mother ofered a menu that included endive salad, a choice of prime rib, King salmon papillote, or vegetarian

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AN HOMAGE TO OMAGE Te next logical step for Vaughan was to open Apiary to non-Hive members, although on a sporadic basis. Tus, the birth of Omage, a pop-up dining experience and what may be Lexington’s

ultimate culinary adventure. “We came up with the concept of Omage as a series of curated dinners paying homage to a particular chef ’s or restaurant’s take on innovative cuisine,” said Vaughan. Te Tai dinner, for example, paid tribute to the authentic street food of northern Tailand as celebrated at chef Andy Ricker’s Pok Pok Restaurant in Portland, Oregon. Omage actually had its nascent start preCOVID with an initial event in late 2019 celebrating Mexico’s Dia de los Muertos. It was so successful that they followed up with another honoring the lunar New Year in January and were working toward a multiday spring equinox party in March when the virus put an end to their eforts. “Like the rest of the world, we unplugged our computers, packed up our oﬃces, and went home to sort through the wreckage of our exploded plans,” said Adams. Tankfully, Omage didn’t prove to be a lasting casualty and has returned to ofer Lexingtonians sporadic fights of culinary and cultural fantasy. Te menu and décor change with each event — from a serene

Tai moon garden to a riotous Oaxacan street celebration. Adams said the theme of each Omage dinner is always kept secret until two weeks prior to the event, and while the Hive members get frst crack at reservations for the Friday and Saturday night dinners, the public can purchase any remaining tickets for $65 a person. Tat’s a small price to pay to be transported to a diferent country, a diferent culture, a diferent world every few months. With an actor turned chef, a creative director who is a sculptor and a practitioner of herbal medicine, a chief fnancial oﬃcer (Tobi Keller) whose German farming background has led to a passion for making homemade sausages, a foral designer (Polly Seals) who is a yogi who once lived in a California ashram, and an owner who celebrates creativity in every form, it’s no wonder Apiary has been able not only to survive but to thrive during the pandemic. Chef Yalnazov has the last word: “We have the best staf in Lexington. No brag; just fact.” KM

A special evening awaits guests behind the lush, foliage-covered exterior of Apiary.

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P.G. Peeples Sr. became one of the youngest presidents of an Urban League affliate in 1971 and remains at the helm 49 years later.

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JOHN BUCKMAN

Caption

Making a Difference

CHANGING THE FACE AND MIND OF LEXINGTON FOR MORE THAN 50 YEARS THE URBAN LEAGUE OF LEXINGTON HAS SUPPORTED AFFORDABLE HOUSING, EDUCATION, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, AND MINORITY BUSINESS INCLUSION

By JACALYN CARFAGNO

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THE URBAN LEAGUE OF LEXINGTON

n the 1960s, as today, our country faced a time of reckonings. Lexington, still a mostly quiet small city in the midst of a prosperous agricultural area, was not exempt. Rigid segregation had maintained a wary peace between races for decades, but demands for change thundering across the nation were disrupting even Lexington’s tranquil surface. Black people marched downtown, demanding jobs at the stores they patronized, and sat at all-white lunch counters asking to be served. One person who saw the impact of segregation on young Black people was Harry Sykes, who would play a key role in establishing the Urban League of Lexington. He had graduated from Kentucky State University and played basketball with the Harlem Globetrotters before taking a job teaching math at the segregated Dunbar Junior and Senior High School, where he also developed

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a junior high basketball program. (While working at Dunbar, he continued his studies, earning a master’s in mathematics from the University of Minnesota in 1960.) Sykes struggled to fnd opponents that would play a Black team and also struggled to motivate his students. “Tey did not have a very high opinion of themselves or the community in which they lived,” he said in an oral history interview, believing the only jobs available to them were “to be a garbage man or be a teacher.” In 1963 Sykes became the frst Black person to run for and win a place on what was then the city commission. Tat same year a multidenominational and interracial group, the Lexington Committee on Religion and Human Rights (LCRHR), was formed and Sykes became chairman. Te federal Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlawed segregation in public places and employment discrimination, but segregation was deeply entrenched by law and custom. No Blacks played on the University of Kentucky’s football and basketball teams; the local newspapers still published “Colored Notes”; and it took a 1972 federal court order to integrate Lexington’s public schools fully. Te LCRHR began working to improve public accommodaDemonstrators protested the entrenched segregation that persisted in commerce, education, housing, and other areas in the 1960s.

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tions, housing, and economic opportunities for Lexington’s minority population. Tose visionary volunteers ultimately decided it was a job for professionals and sought afliation with the national Urban League. Tat organization, always interracial like the LCRHR, had begun in New York early in the 20th century to tackle the problems Black migrants from the South found in urban areas of the North — poor housing, limited economic opportunity, and access to quality education. At the time the Lexington group reached out, Kentucky native Whitney Young Jr. was leading the national Urban League. Young played a key role in allaying the fears of Lexington’s white civic leaders that the Urban League

Top, in Lexington and elsewhere Blacks “sat-in” to demand services at all-white lunch counters. Under segregation, Dunbar (shown here) and Douglass high schools in Lexington felded award-winning basketball teams for decades that were only allowed to compete in Black leagues.

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Making a Difference

LEXINGTON HERALD-LEADER PHOTOGRAPHS: UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY ARCHIVES

THE URBAN LEAGUE OF LEXINGTON

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Clockwise from left, Harry Sykes became Lexington’s frst Black city commisioner in 1963; early Urban League offcers (from left) Walter Brown, Harry Sykes, Stanley Rose, and P.G. Peeples; Whitney Young spoke at UK; the Second Street YMCA became the Urban League’s frst headquarters.

YMCA OF CENTRAL KENTUCKY

would sow unrest rather than solve problems. With Young’s assurances, the support of UK President John Oswald and other local advocates, the group fnally got an editorial endorsement from the Lexington Leader in the spring of 1967. Sykes took on the job of raising $25,000 for a frst year of operation — a requirement of the national Urban League. Soon, with the help of national companies with a presence in Lexington such as IBM, Square D, Dixie Cup, Sears, and Proctor and Gamble, he had raised $27,000 and received a charter to establish the Urban League of Lexington, Kentucky. Te new organization set up ofces in the Second Street YMCA, widely known as the Colored Y, with Sykes as board president and Walter Brown, who came from the Urban League’s Dayton ofce, as executive director. Sykes’ wife, Geraldine, taught the frst vocational training course, a free evening clerk-typist class. No one could have known that from those humble beginnings the organization would survive much less thrive for more than half a century, helping change both the face and mind of Lexington in the decades to come. “Tey have evolved,” explained Kip Cornett, founder of the Team Cornett agency, which has represented many of Kentucky’s leading institutions, including Keeneland, for more than three decades. “Tey’ve evolved from cash registers to fber optics” in job training programs, he said, and made inroads in addressing educational inequity both through advocating at the state and local levels for equal opportunity. Te League, he said, also has taken on the practical

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Making a Difference

LEXINGTON HERALD-LEADER PHOTOGRAPHS: UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY ARCHIVES

THE URBAN LEAGUE OF LEXINGTON

Top, Ed Holmes, left, suggested to P.G. Peeples that the Urban League renovate blighted homes to create affordable housing. Above, in 1984 that effort began when these four shotgun houses were bought and renovated with evident results.

task of assuring kids are ready for school by launching back-to-school rallies that provide each child a new backpack full of supplies to start the school year. Looking further into the future, the Urban League

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Young Professionals was founded in 2002, Cornett said, “creating the next generation of leaders, giving them what they need to network and be efective.” Te Urban League has also lef its stamp

on Lexington and the lives of thousands through its housing development arm, the Fayette County Local Development Corporation (FCLDC). Beginning in 1984 with the rehabilitation of four dilapidated shotgun houses on Chestnut Street, the FCLDC has invested more than $28 million in developing 159 housing units for frst-time buyers and 261 apartments for low-income renters. Cornett has known the man who has guided Lexington’s Urban League through all this since junior high, where he encountered a student teacher named Porter Geneal Peeples Sr. A young man from the coal town of Lynch, Peeples had come to Lexington to earn his teaching degree at the University of Kentucky. While at UK, he lived and worked at the Second Street Y, where the Urban League set up shop in 1968. Peeples graduated that December and took a job at the old Douglass Elementary School on Georgetown Street but also began volunteering with the newly formed Urban League. In 1969 he took of what he thought would be a semester to help the Urban League launch its education programs. But before he could return to teaching, Brown lef and the new organization turned to Peeples as an interim director, ultimately choosing him for the permanent job. In 1971 he became the youngest director of an Urban League afliate in the nation at the age of 24. It turned out to be a good ft. Almost 50 years later Peeples is now one of the longest serving Urban League directors in the nation. Peeples and the Urban League soon established themselves, walking the fne line between advocacy for Black and other underserved people and engaging the white leaders in their work.

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Making a Difference THE URBAN LEAGUE OF LEXINGTON

he First 50 Years – 1968-2018, a history of the founding and frst half century of work of the Urban League in Lexington, is now available. It includes a profle of P.G. Peeples Sr. who came to Lexington from the coal town of Lynch to get a degree at the University of Kentucky, took over the reins of the organization in 1971 at the age of 24, and continues to serve today. With historical and contemporary photos and extensive research based on newspaper accounts, documentary evidence, oral history, and modern interviews, the book tells the story of both the struggle to found and fund the organization and the work and people who have helped it endure and adapt. The book describes how the Urban League’s affordable housing initiatives grew from rehabbing four shotgun houses in 1984 to investing almost $30 million in building or renovating rental units and houses to extend the dream of home ownership to more people in the community. The human impact of the Urban League’s work is shown through profles of individuals and families who have benefted from the organization’s affordable housing initiatives as well as educational opportunities and job training and counseling programs. The hardcover, full-color book sells for $49.95. To fnd out where it is available visit: ullex.org.

JOHN BUCKMAN

Rashida Thompson, recognized as one of Lexington’s Top Black Entrepreneurs, and her family have benefted from Urban League business, housing, and educational programs.

‘‘

“Lexington is a very political leaders, university conservative, very small presidents, ministers from city,” businessman Ralph many denominations, Coldiron said in a 1992 bankers, and ordinary peooral history interview. ple committed to a more I SAW A NEED Tere is “a small group inclusive Lexington. AND AN of corporate citizens who “When it comes to have a great deal of control knowing that an organiOPPORTUNITY TO over what goes on; they zation can get something can help or be a thorn in accomplished and have MAKE A GREATER your side.” confdence that its board IMPACT…” Tey helped the Urban of directors will get the League, Coldiron said, job done and its volunteers — P.G. PEEPLES because Peeples and his will be there to help you,” boards had “a quiet sell, a Coldiron said, the Urban one-on-one approach” and developed a League “is at the top of the heap.” reputation for getting things done. As he looked back at his long tenure Te almost 300 people who have served at the Urban League, Peeples refected on the boards of the Urban League and on the decision he made in 1970 to leave the Development Corporation over the teaching. “Educators work within the sysyears include developers, corporate and tem to nurture the minds and expecta-

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ROB MORTON/CRE8TIVE VISIONS

tions of students,” he wrote in an introduction to a book about the Urban League of Lexington’s frst 50 years. “I saw a need and an opportunity to make a greater impact working to mitigate the social and economic issues … that infuence and frame the students’ mind-sets and expectations.” Like Sykes, he wanted kids to see more opportunities, to expect better lives for themselves and their families. Now, there are families like that of Rashida Tompson, who moved into a home renovated by the FCLDC as a teen and as an adult has benefted from Urban League programs, including the Young Professionals. She developed and expanded her business — Rashida’s House of Style — to become recognized as one of Lexington’s Top Black

Entrepreneurs. Her two sons have participated in YLEAD (Youth Learning Economics and Appreciating Diversity), a six-week Urban League-sponsored summer camp that introduces middle schoolers to entrepreneurial skills, and she’s eyeing Urban League scholarship programs to help them succeed in college. And there’s DeMarius Wilson, who participated in YLEAD in middle school, then in high school went to the Urban League’s annual LIFT (Lifing and Impacting Futures Today) conferences, where he learned leadership, money management, and communication skills as well as “tips for succeeding in high school.” Now Wilson is studying at Western Kentucky University with assistance from an

JOHN BUCKMAN

DeMarius Wilson attended Urban League leadership programs and received a college scholarship that helped him pursue his dream of a career in agriculture.

P.G. Peeples began a career as a teacher before the Urban League and its mission beckoned.

Urban League scholarship. Cornett says it’s these and hundreds, if not thousands, of similar stories that defne the Urban League’s work. “I don’t think people realize how much impact they’ve had on the city,” he said. “Tey aren’t out there grabbing headlines; they’re making things happen.” KM

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GIFT KEENELAND FOR THE H O L I D AY S

Kitty Keller Ornaments Made exclusively for Keeneland, each cloisonne ornament is 24k gold plated, handcrafted in an eight step ancient process and kept in a silk covered keepsake gift box.

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Whether you’re looking for a one-of-a-kind gift or to bring a little Keeneland style into your home and wardrobe, Keeneland ofers a beautifully curated selection of quality goods from throughout the

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South. While this holiday season may look diferent than years past, with these winter essentials, you’re sure to fnd gifts for everyone on your list.

$14 Sherpa Blanket Keep your loved ones warm this winter with a Shepra/Micro Mink Blanket. 50” x 60”.

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Stocking Stuffer Bundles for Kids Surprise your little ones with their first Keeneland Tervis Tumbler 6 oz. sippy cup, a stuffed horse and more with a variety of stocking stuffer selections for kids.

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Tie Case & Neckwear Combo

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Dress to impress this holiday season with a Vineyard Vines Keeneland custom tie. Traveling? Pack it in a Moore & Giles Keeneland tie case with Titan Milled Brown leather featuring two elasticized leather straps on either side for holding up to four ties.

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K AYL A W EB ER PRI NT S

STO NEWA R E OR NA M E NTS

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$24 K EE N EL A ND CO FFEE For those early holiday mornings, Keeneland Race Day Blend is a 12oz bag of whole bean cofee, custom made for Keeneland by Lexington Cofee & Tea Company.

$15 STO NEWAR E MUGS Enjoy your favorite warm beverage in a custom design by Stoneware & Co. exclusively for Keeneland.

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Shop safely in-store or online at KeenelandMercantile.com

Keeneland Team Profle WINTER 2020

ne of the most critically important teams at Keeneland is mechanical systems, a fve-person, highly skilled crew who oversees HVAC, plumbing, and fre alarm and prevention systems throughout the sprawling 1,000-plus-acre campus.

“We are fortunate to have a great group who are cross-trained and cross-licensed,” Mechanical Systems Supervisor Eric Soard said. “Tere’s no hesitation when it comes to tasks. We just jump in, and they do an excellent job.” Te team’s expertise and institutional knowledge of Keeneland are apparent. Soard has been with Keeneland for 33 years and holds master HVAC, master plumber, and master electrical licenses. Otho Tate, a 14-year veteran of Keeneland, has a journeyman HVAC and plumber license. Jamie Kilbourn, at Keeneland for fve years, holds a master HVAC license and a journeyman plumber license. Travis Bugg is a journeyman plumber, and Jacob Pitcock is working

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toward his journeyman plumber status. Keeneland’s range of facilities — from the 57 barns in the stable area to the clubhouse and grandstand, sales pavilion, track kitchen, Keene Place, Keeneland Library, and associated kitchens, restrooms, bathhouses, water heaters, and underground utilities such as water and gas lines — ofers mechanical systems members a variety of ways to hone their talents. “We work on everything from a small PTAC heating and cooling unit, like you see in a hotel room, up to a 350-ton chiller, and from a little residential fve-gallon water heater to a two-million BTU boiler,” Soard said. Preventative maintenance is key, and the team takes advantage of technology such as the Trane Ensemble to keep operations running smoothly. Te Trane Ensemble is a web-based system that enables Soard to monitor — even remotely — the functionality of HVAC units in buildings across Keeneland and to receive alerts about any potential issues before they surface. However, nothing replaces old-school,

PHOTOS BY Z/KEENELAND

MECHANICAL SYSTEMS hands-on inspections to troubleshoot problems. Before the race meet begins, Soard and his crew change flters, check belts and wiring, and test run all HVAC units in the clubhouse and grandstand. Every race day, they walk through the grandstand and clubhouse, manually fushing every toilet and turning on every sink faucet to ensure it is working properly. Soard is most proud of implementing the True Sight Workstation fre prevention system across Keeneland. Te True Sight system can immediately pinpoint the smoke detector or pull station signaling the alarm on a digital blueprint, thereby lowering track security’s response time and enhancing life safety. Additionally, mechanical systems conducts monthly inspections of all 76 fre risers associated with the fre sprinkler system installed around the property. “We are the behind-the-scenes people no one sees until there is a problem,” Soard said. “Our team takes a lot of pride in what we do, and we get gratifcation from a job well done.” KM