Roda Ferraro

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...

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...

Author and renowned horseman Arthur B. Hancock III will lead off the Keeneland Library's Winter/Spring lecture series with an evening of reading Dec. 12. Held monthly at the Keeneland Library, the series benefits the Keeneland Library Foundation. The full lineup includes: Dec. 12--Arthur B. Hancock III, author of Dark Horses: A Memoir of Redemption, in conversation with Turf writer Lenny Shulman Jan. 22--Eliza McGraw, who wrote Astride: Horses, Women, and a Partnership That Shaped America Feb. 19--Stacy A. Cordery, author of Becoming Elizabeth Arden March 19--Jessica K. Whitehead, who wrote...

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...

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...

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...