Keeneland Library

Raíces: The Making of Latino Legacies in Racing, a new bilingual showcase and education initiative that highlights 100 trailblazing Latino men and women whose contributions have shaped Thoroughbred racing and breeding from the late 1800s to today, has opened at the Keeneland Library. The free exhibit is presented in English with an accompanying Spanish audio guide. "Raíces showcases the longstanding roles and achievements of industry professionals across the Americas: jockeys, grooms, exercise riders, owners, breeders, caretakers, veterinarians and beyond," Keeneland Library Director Roda Ferraro said. "The title reflects both the...

The annual end-of-year student networking event hosted by Amplify Horse Racing will be held Monday, Nov. 10 at the Keeneland library, the group announced Friday via press release. Set to begin 4:00pm and run until 6:00pm, the theme for this year's event is 'Storyteller Night: Exploring Careers in the Thoroughbred Industry'. Students, educators, industry and community members are invited to spend the evening storytelling, exploring careers, and establishing meaningful connections within the equine industry. Students will be offered an accessible way to meet professionals, explore pathways, and learn how diverse...

Keeneland Library's Lecture Series continues this summer with public events that celebrate recently published works about Thoroughbred racing whose authors conducted research at the facility. The series kicks off May 21 with Diane Crump and Mark Shrager discussing Diane Crump: A Horse-racing Pioneer's Life in the Saddle. It continues June 18 with "Celebrating 25 Years: An Evening with The Saratoga Special"; July 16 with Andy Plattner discussing Stymie and it concludes Aug. 20 with Catharine Melin-Moser discussing When Montana Outraced the East: The Rise of Western Thoroughbreds 1886-1900. All events...

In recognition of Black History Month, the Maryland Horse Library and Education Center will host the traveling exhibit, The Heart of the Turf: Racing's Black Pioneers. The exhibit will open Saturday, Feb. 1 with a talk by the exhibit curator, and Library Director, Roda Ferraro from the Keeneland Library. The exhibit will be available to visit at the MHLEC through Feb. 28. Heart of the Turf highlights the lives and careers of 100 African American horsemen and horsewomen from the mid-1800s to the present. One-of-a-kind photographs from the Keeneland Library...

Edited Press Release Keeneland Library is now presenting the exhibit Of Turf and Stone: Keeneland Through the Ages to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Keeneland Association, which established the race track and became a leader in the Thoroughbred industry. Showcasing photographs and memorabilia tracing the development of Keeneland's grounds, architecture, facilities and innovative industry firsts, the exhibit features photographs curated from Keeneland Library collections and Turf photographers who document today's race meets and events to highlight Keeneland's evolution from 1935 to today. "Racing has had a...

Old Friends will host a Family Day: Meet & Read to Old Friends Retirees event Saturday, Oct. 12 from 10 a.m.-11:30 a.m. The event will highlight the book 'Jockey & Her Horse' by Cheryl White, the first black woman jockey to ride and win a professional race in the United States. The Family Day is part of The Heart of the Turf: Racing's Black Pioneers, a traveling exhibit sponsored by the Keeneland Association and developed and shared by the Keeneland Library, which is open to the public in the Josephine...

Old Friends will host The Heart of the Turf: Racing's Black Pioneers, a traveling exhibit sponsored by the Keeneland Association and developed and shared by the Keeneland Library, from Oct. 2 to 31, seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily, the retirement organization announced Tuesday. The exhibit, which highlights the lives and careers of 100 African American horsemen and horsewomen from the mid-1800s to the present, will be held in the Josephine Abercrombie Center at Old Friends at Dream Chase Farm in Georgetown, Ky. It will...

Keeneland Library's Lecture Series returns with presentations by Maryland horseman and journalist Josh Pons, and NBC's Emmy Award-winning commentator Tom Hammond, the repository said in a release Thursday morning. Pons, author of the newly-released Letters from Country Life: Adolphe Pons, Man o' War, and the Founding of Maryland's Oldest Thoroughbred Farm, will speak Aug. 29. Hammond's presentation over his new autobiography entitled Races, Games, and Olympic Dreams: A Sportscaster's Life is set for Sept. 24. Both programs will be held at Keeneland Library from 6:30-8:30 p.m. ET. Each presentation will...

A Rite of Spring: the 100th Running of the Blue Grass Stakes will open at the Keeneland Library Apr. 1. The exhibit features photographs that capture race highlights over the decades, as well as memorabilia from notable jockeys Bill Shoemaker, Mike Manganello and Chris Antley and celebrated runners such as Whirlaway, Riva Ridge, Spectacular Bid and Strike the Gold. The exhibit's photographs, curated from Keeneland Library collections and public submissions from professional and amateur photographers, spotlight some of the greatest moments of the time-honored spring stakes. "We are fortunate to...

Edited Press Release Keeneland Library received a history-making gift from six-time Eclipse Award-winning photographer Barbara Livingston, who has donated an estimated two million photographic negatives from the collection of famed Turf photographer Jim Raftery. Raftery's Turfotos Collection is the most comprehensive photographic collection of Thoroughbred racing in 20th century North America, chronicling the sport's human and equine legends for nearly 60 years, from the late 1930s through the early 1990s. "We are incredibly grateful to Barbara for placing this incomparable historic industry asset in our care," Keeneland Library Director Roda...

Keeneland Library has scheduled a number of events for the remainder of 2023 to expand the reach of its exhibit, The Heart of the Turf: Racing's Black Pioneers, the repository said in a release Friday. Due to demand, the Library's free exhibit and its on-site youth and adult programs have been extended through Dec. 8. Other events include: Now: Companion book available The companion book to The Heart of the Turf: Racing's Black Pioneers is available at the Library and The Keeneland Shop (in store and online) for $10. All...

Keeneland Library Director Becky Ryder will retire as of Oct. 31, 2023, following better than a decade at the helm of the Thoroughbred information repository and public research facility, and Roda Ferraro, who formerly served as Head Librarian at Keeneland Library and recently curated its popular The Heart of the Turf: Racing's Black Pioneers exhibit, has been named her successor. Ferraro will serve as the incoming Library Director effective immediately and will work alongside Ryder as she transitions to retirement this fall. Ryder began her career as a college student...