Helen Alexander has been selected by the board of directors of the Thoroughbred Club of America as the 2021 Honor Guest, Club president Tony Lacy announced on June 10. Alexander will be honored by the Club at its 90th Testimonial Dinner.
“The Thoroughbred Club of America is excited to name Helen C. Alexander as our 2021 Honor Guest,” said Lacy. “Helen's lifelong passion for Thoroughbred racing and breeding, born in her family's legacy and stoked in charting her own successful path, is guided by her dedication to service and excellence. Her commitment to improving the breed, championing integrity and tirelessly working to better the sport has made her a respected industry leader, horsewoman and friend.”
The 90th Testimonial Dinner will be held at Keeneland on Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022. Designation as the 2021 award reflects postponements of the annual event caused by the COVID pandemic.
Named for her grandmother, Helen Campbell Kleberg, Helen C. Alexander comes from a long line of women with a strong sense of independence, adventure, and the outdoors, as well as a great love of horses. Her early years were spent in Pennsylvania riding and foxhunting with her siblings under the watchful eye of their mother, Helen Kleberg Groves.
Deeply rooted with lessons learned at the ancestral home King Ranch, Alexander experienced first hand the importance of strong breeding, as well as being a good steward of the land. The first grandchild of Robert J. Kleberg Jr., she was fortunate to spend time with him as he shared his theories about breeding, the importance of pedigree and helped her to develop a keen eye for the good conformation necessary to breed champion racehorses.
For nearly two decades, Alexander managed the Thoroughbred division of King Ranch in Lexington, Ky. In addition to great racing success, King Ranch Farm was annually among the leading consignors of yearlings.
Alexander has continued this pattern of success as an owner, breeder, and sales-topping consignor at her Middlebrook Farm. Notable horses she has owned, bred, or co-bred include champions Althea, Yamanin Paradise, Diapason, and two-time Eclipse champion Covfefe, as well as Grade 1 winners Arch, Aldiza, Acoma, and Breeders' Cup Classic winner Bayern. Consistently, her Middlebrook yearlings, now included in the Gainesway consignments, ranked among those with the highest percentage of stakes horses sold at auction.
Throughout her notable career, Alexander has devoted years of service to the Thoroughbred industry. She has served as a steward of The Jockey Club and a trustee of the Jockey Club Safety Net Foundation, past president of the Thoroughbred Club of America and the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association. She has been a key board member of Keeneland Association, Kentucky Thoroughbred Association, Breeders' Cup, Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association, the Gluck Equine Research Foundation at the University of Kentucky, and chair of the Graded Stakes Committee.
As chair of the Bluegrass Land Conservancy, Alexander has been a leader in conserving more than 30,000 acres of Central Kentucky land. She was also involved in gaining official designation of 18 miles of Old Frankfort Pike as a National Scenic Byway. Alexander thus continues her grandfather's tradition of conservation, with a great respect for nature, the land, and water. In her current role as chair of the Kleberg Foundation, Alexander pursues the support of wildlife and habitat conservation, medical and scientific research, veterinary research as well as improving the quality of life in South Texas communities through various local organizations.
The Thoroughbred Club Testimonial Dinner was inaugurated in 1932, the year the Club was founded, to recognize distinguished contributions of leadership as well as success in the Thoroughbred industry. The first recipient was Col. E. R. Bradley, and other winners include William Woodward Sr., three generations of the Hancock family of Claiborne Farm, plus Ted Bassett, Shug McGaughey, Alice Chandler, Chris McCarron, and The Honorable Brereton C. Jones. To learn more about The Thoroughbred Club of America, visit www.thethoroughbredclub.com.
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