Book chronicles Keeneland’s legacy

Book chronicles Keeneland’s legacy

RICHMOND — As the son of a professional gambler, I spent a lot of my childhood at race tracks. Not particularly nice race tracks.Dad would drag us to the aging River Downs facility in Cincinnati or the even more rundown Latonia race track in Northern Kentucky. Lots of broken down men (outside of Pete Rose’s first wife, I can’t remember any woman) betting on broken down horses. Not a pretty sight.Compare that with Keeneland, the crown jewel of Kentucky’s signature horse industry. Keeneland is a destination both for high rollers and $2 bettors around the world.You can run into captains of industry, or possibly Queen Elizabeth II, who visited the track in 1984 business golf balls.The track and grounds are immaculate and Keeneland seems to have a place for everyone. Men and women in equal number.You will see college students tailgating with their friends in the parking lot.The clubhouse, where proper attire is required, is a reverent crowd who often take advantage of the fine dining facilities. Keeneland is a mix of millionaires in private boxes and people who paid $5 to be in the grandstand. The management at Keeneland is very stable and traditional. Ted Bassett was president, chairman of the board, and trustee from 1969 to 2007. Nick Nicholson, president since 2000, started his career as an assistant to Sen. Wendell Ford, but has been in the thoroughbred industry for decades.W.B. Rogers Beasley, director of racing, has been with Keeneland for 30 years. (Disclaimer: Rogers was my next-door neighbor from 1985 to 1988.)When you look at Keeneland’s tradition, management, horses and ambiance, you note one thing:It’s a long way from River Downs. Or any other horse track.Where many tracks are the equivalent of a nine-hole municipal golf course, Keeneland is Augusta or Pebble Beach.All of the history and elegance of Keeneland is captured in a book called, “Keeneland, A Thoroughbred Legacy.”Edited by Jacqueline Duke, an editor at Blood-Horse publications, several high-powered writers participated in the project. Two-time Pulitzer Prize nominee Maryjean Wall wrote a chapter titled “Life on the Backstretch” and longtime Lexington Herald writer Rick Bailey did an excellent piece called, “Technology Finds a Way.”Noted Lexington writer and editor Rena Baer contributed a chapter, as did writers like Fran Taylor, Deidre Biles and Sharon Reynolds K. J. Choi Donates to Japan Relief Effort.