Lexington is know as the Horse Capital.
Lexington is surrounded by hundreds of horse farms and is home to the world’s largest thoroughbred horse auction house, Keeneland, which also hosts races.
In September is Keeneland’s yearling sale, where people drop millions on year-old horses who’ve never even been ridden. In 2018, more than $377 million worth of horses were sold at Keeneland’s September sale.
I got to tour this amazing facility. Here is what I learned . First things first horses love to run. they are born to run and these horses are not your average horse. There are multimillion dollar horses. They live a life of luxury. they stay in AC stalls super clean with a dedicated 24/7 staff.
The race track has such a rich History.
Keeneland originated as a nonprofit racing–auction entity on 147 acres (0.59 km2) of farmland west of Lexington, which had been owned by the son of James R. Keene, Jack Keene, a driving force behind the building of the facility. It has used proceeds from races and its auctions to further the thoroughbred industry as well as to contribute to the surrounding community.The start of the 2016 Appalachian Stakes, one of many graded races run during Keeneland’s spring meet every year.
Keeneland Race Course has conducted live race meets in April and October since 1936. The 15-day spring meet is one of the richest in North America, with fifteen graded stakes racesfeaturing the Blue Grass Stakes, a prep race for the Kentucky Derby. The 17-day fall meet features seventeen graded stakes races, six of which are Grade One events used as Breeders’ Cup preps.
Keeneland has also a Hollywood connection, it was the set of the Disney feature “secretariat” and “Seabiscuit” and other various cameo.
Keeneland is the world’s largest Thoroughbred auction house, conducting three sales annually: The September Yearling Sale, November Breeding Stock Sale, and January Horses of All Ages Sale. Keeneland’s annual September yearling sale in Lexington, Kentucky, is the biggest horse sale in the world, with more than $377 million worth of horses sold in 2018.The September sale is for yearlings only, these are year-old horses who have never even been ridden. Don’t forget to bring some serious cash if you decide to bet on a horse.
But the best part of Keeneland is that even if there is no race going on, the site seat on more than a thousand acres and is open to the public everyday. You can roam free and enjoy the views and the many trails throughout . Oh and did I mention its super dog friendly as well. So go ahed and book a visit