Kentucky | Horse Racing Free Tips

Keeneland Purchases Historic Manchester Farm

Edited Press Release

Keeneland has purchased historic Manchester Farm.

Located on the northern boundary of Keeneland Race Course, Manchester Farm is one of the most recognizable farms in Kentucky.

Originally named Manchester Springs Plantation after a creek that runs through the property, the farm has a rich history that dates back to the 1700s. In 1804, Francis Keen (first generation of the Keene family) passed 200 acres of Manchester Springs Plantation to his son. The land remained in the Keen/Keene family for five generations until 1935, when J.O. “Jack” Keene sold 147.6 acres to Keeneland Association for the creation of a model race track.

“The history of Manchester Farm and Keeneland are intertwined,” Keeneland President and CEO Shannon Arvin said. “We were thrilled to have the opportunity to purchase the farm and plan to celebrate this Central Kentucky treasure for generations.”

Keeneland purchased the nearly 200-acre farm from Calumet Farm, owned by Brad Kelley. He purchased Manchester Farm in 2016 from noted breeder and owner Mike G. Rutherford, who bought the farm in 1976 from Duval Headley (nephew of Hal Price Headley, a Keeneland founder and the track's first President).

“Over the course of Keeneland's 86-year history, we have acquired adjacent properties to preserve the track's picturesque setting and to further our mission to perpetuate the best of Thoroughbred racing and sales,” Arvin said. “While we do not have immediate plans for the future of the property, Lexington and the Thoroughbred community can trust that Keeneland will use the land to strengthen our industry, enhance the Central Kentucky region and always do what is best for the horse.”

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Spendthrift Unveils B. Wayne Hughes Visitors Center

Lexington, KY – Spendthrift Farm opened the doors to its new B. Wayne Hughes Visitors Center on Tuesday, Nov. 1 as part of the lead-up to the Breeders' Cup World Championships.

Named in honor of the farm's late founder, the 7,000 square-foot, two story facility will serve as the home for Spendthrift's tourism. The building is located between the farm's stallion complex and main office and features a trophy room, which showcases Spendthrift's collection of trophies, artifacts and racing memorabilia, as well as a gift shop.

Spendthrift owners Eric and Tammy Gustavson led the grand opening and credited Tammy's father Hughes for his vision behind the facility.

“He loved this farm, he loved the horse industry, and he grew to love the idea of tourism,” Eric Gustavson said. “He recognized its value and its ability to draw in fans and potential owners. He was always trying to grow the game. Tammy and I are honored to name the visitors center after him and to have this be a small part of Wayne's legacy and his impact on our industry.”

During the ribbon-cutting ceremony, the Gustavsons were joined by VisitLex President Mary Quinn Ramer and Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton.

“In the Thoroughbred business, Spendthrift has made history over and over again,” said Gorton. “Some of the best have roamed these fields…Today we're dedicating this beautiful new visitors center, a place that will welcome tourists. It is places like this that make Lexington special and unique. This reminds us how important it is to protect our Bluegrass countryside.”

Senator Damon Thayer and Congressman Andy Barr were also present for the event.

The newly-unveiled Malibu Moon memorial statue stands in front of the visitors center and portrays the farm's foundation sire facing his old paddock. Read more about the making of the bronze sculpture from the artist himself, Douwe Blumberg, here.

“Malibu Moon was vitally important to this farm,” Gustavson said. “Wayne had a tendency to speak very simply, and very simply he said that Malibu Moon started Spendthrift Farm. And it's true. We were a fledgling farm and Malibu Moon was a perennial leading sire. He put us on the map and gave us legitimacy. It was the start of something that became what we are now.”

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Breeders’ Cup Festival Week Kicks Off With ‘Isaac to Oliver’ Family Stroll

The 2022 Breeders' Cup Festival Week in Lexington features a series of events aimed to bring together locals and visitors alike in the days leading up to the main event at Keeneland. The week-long celebration kicks off on Sunday, Oct. 30, with the Isaac Murphy Art Garden Party and Family Stroll.

Participants have the opportunity to walk in the footsteps of legends as they stroll from the Isaac Murphy Art Garden to Oliver Lewis Way along the newly-completed Town Branch Commons, a public-private trail system that follows Town Branch Creek through downtown Lexington.

Event sponsors include WKYT, LM Communications and the Ed Brown Society.

“The organizers of the festival really wanted to make sure that we used the Breeders' Cup Festival Week as an opportunity to bring the community together,” said Daryl Love, the Executive Director of the Ed Brown Society. “We have a lot of people coming in across the U.S. and around the world, but sometimes when it comes down to the actual event it may be unattainable for some people to get a ticket. We want them to be able to celebrate the rich tradition that we have within the Bluegrass State and also feel like they're a part of the activities.”

Whether participants walk, jog or run through the stroll, they can all return to the Isaac Murphy Art Garden, which is the first park in the U.S. to honor the earliest African American professional athletes, afterwards to enjoy food trucks, live music, kids activities and more.

“People will have the opportunity to learn about the early days of racing in Lexington,” Love said. “We'll have some of the famous Black jockey silks that kids can dress up in. It really is an opportunity for individuals from all across the community to come out and have fun.”

The free event begins at 2 p.m. and will go on until 6 p.m. The first 300 walkers will receive a commemorative long-sleeve T-shirt.

Love said that a celebration honoring the early African American jockeys is the perfect way to kick off Breeders' Cup week.

“One of the things that we always talk about is making sure that history is put in its proper context,” he explained. “As people are seeking to diversify in various industries, it's important to come back and understand the rich contributions that African Americans have made from the beginning as trainers, jockeys and owners. It's also important as we try to inspire the next generation.”

The Ed Brown Society will also be hosting an art exhibit at the Lyric Theatre from Nov. 2-6 that will feature local and national artists showcasing their equine-inspired art.

Breeders' Cup festivities will carry on all throughout the week in Lexington. Tandy Park will be the center of the Breeders' Cup celebration action downtown with live music, food and refreshments every evening from Monday through Saturday. Large video boards throughout the park will feature live racing coverage on Friday and Saturday.

For a full list of the events that make up the 2022 Breeders' Cup Festival Week, click here.

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Report of Mares Bred: Gun Runner Tops, Totals Slide

The Jockey Club has released its Report of Mares Bred (RMB) statistics for the 2022 breeding season. Through Oct. 18, 2022 and based on the RMBs received, a total of 925 stallions covered 27,163 mares in North America this year, a decrease of the reported 27,829 mares from 2021.

In Kentucky, the state's 196 reported stallions served 16,689 mares, a number which translates to 61.4% of all breeding activity in North America. That number reflects a decrease of 0.2% from last year when 16,727 mares were reported as bred in Kentucky, while the number of stallions was down 2% from 200 in 2021.

California was the second-busiest state from a statistical standpoint, with 99 stallions covering 1,781 mares, a decline of 3.4%. Florida is the only other state reporting four-figure matings, with 1,495 mares (-4.3%) having been bred to 59 sires (-4.8%).

Stallions in New York and Indiana covered more mares this year than last. In New York, 973 mares were reported as bred, an increase of 2.6%, while the number of sires remained static at 38. In Indiana, 39 stallions (down from 45 in 2021) bred 496 mares, a bump of 4.4% over 12 months ago.

In terms of individual stallions, Gun Runner, standing at Three Chimneys, bred 248 mares in 2022, tops in North America. He was followed by Yaupon (Spendthrift), 242; Mendelssohn (Coolmore), 230; Practical Joke (Coolmore), 227; and Not This Time (Taylor Made), 225. The top 56 stallions by mares covered were all in Kentucky. Six different farms had a stallion in the top 10, up from four in 2021.

Gun Runner's rise from 166 mares in 2021 was fueled by his exceptional first crop's performance on the racetrack. He led all first-year stallions in every black-type category, as well as by winners, wins, earnings per starter and earnings.