Tour the Thoroughbred World at the Heritage Horse Farm – Lexington, Kentucky
You have watched the beautiful horses run in the Kentucky Derby and seen them in other races on TV, now is the chance to actually to tour a horse farm and get a real understanding of why Kentucky is the home of world famous horses. You will be going through the heart of the Kentucky Bluegrass horse country and seeing a number of different entities of the horse world.
You will be able to go to Calumet Farm, the home of a breeding and racing dynasty from the 1940′s and 1950′s and even longer. Calumet Farm was begun in 1924 by William Monroe Wright. He passed away in 1931 at the age of 80 and his son took over the operations. During it’s time of development and growth Calumet produced its first Triple Crown winner with Whirlaway in 1940. Then Citation won the second Triple Crown for the farm. During the 40′s there were 5 other horses from Calumet that won the Kentucky Derby, Twilight Tear, Armed, Coaltown, Barbizon and Real Delight. In 1968 Forward Pass became the 8th Kentucky Derby winner for Calumet. The farm has miles of white fences as it sits in the heart of the Bluegrass region, nestled amidst the rolling green Kentucky hills. It is comprised of 800 acres, 19 barns, 210 stalls, a 3/4 mile dirt tract and 5/8 mile turf. There are Six-horse electric starting gate test and an aqua treadmill. Truly a quality facility that you will enjoy seeing on your tour.
You will tour the ivy covered grounds of Keeneland race course which is also the home of the most expensive horse auction in the world. Keeneland was ranked as the #1 Thoroughbred racetracks in North American in 2009 by the Horseplayers Association of North America. This track was founded in 1935 on 157 acres of farmland west of Lexington. The Keeneland Race Course has conducted live racing from April to October since 1936. In 1985 they also added a grass course. The track is used by those preparing for the Kentucky Derby the first Saturday in May and for the Breeders’ Cup in the fall.
Keeneland was the site for most of the racing scenes of the 2003 movie "Seabiscuit" because its appearance has changed very little for many years. Keeneland was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.
To get a taste of what it is like in the horse country of Kentucky you may want to take a tour. There are a number of tours available, the one described here is the Heritage Horse Farm Tour which runs 7 days a week, departing both at 9 AM and 1 PM for a number of hotels in downtown Lexington.
Cost for this tour: Adults: $30, Seniors: $28 and children 12 and under $18. These price quotes may change during special events so be sure to check before booking your tour. Call 800-808-9533 if you are out of the area or 859-260-8687 if you are in the local area.
Location:
1900 Clays Mill Rd.
Lexington, KY 40503
Email: ljmiano@netzero.com
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