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English Events Horse Happenings

Prelude to the Cup Offers Fans Chance to See Keeneland Dressed for Breeders’ Cup and Championship Contenders

Special day of racing on the eve of World Championships

LEXINGTON, KY (Oct. 28, 2015) – Fans have the opportunity to see Keeneland outfitted in Breeders’ Cup purple on Prelude to the Cup, Thursday, Oct. 29, a special day of racing on the eve of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, to be held Oct. 30-31.
Keeneland has carded nine races for Prelude Day, with the afternoon highlighted by the $100,000 Lafayette Presented by Keeneland Select for 3-year-olds and older at seven furlongs on the main track.

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English Events Horse Happenings

Schedule of Eclectic Special Events Highlight Keeneland Spring Meet

College Scholarship Day along with special Military Day guests and the inaugural Kids Club Day highlight special events for all ages

 

LEXINGTON, KY (April 2, 2015) – A special Military Day, the inaugural Kids Club Day and the return of other exciting special events highlight a fun-filled calendar during Keeneland’s 15-day Spring Meet, April 3-24.

 

The Spring Meet opens with the popular College Scholarship Day that draws thousands of students to Keeneland for scholarship and other giveaways. The Maker’s Mark Commemorative Bottle signing, Horses and Hope Pink Day, Jockey Autograph Signing, It’s my Derby and a variety of trunk shows add something for everyone to the calendar. The meet concludes with the Dixiana Presents Concert on the Lawn featuring country music artist Sundy Best after the final race on Friday, April 24.

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English Events Horse Happenings

Carpe Diem Headlines Field of Eight for Saturday’s $1 Million Toyota Blue Grass

LEXINGTON, KY (March 31, 2015) – WinStar Farm and Stonestreet Stables’ Carpe Diem, runaway winner of last fall’s Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity (G1) here and a leading candidate for the 141st Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1), has been installed as the even-money favorite in a field of eight entered Tuesday for Saturday’s 91st running of the $1 million Toyota Blue Grass (G1).

The 1 1/8-mile Toyota Blue Grass serves as a major steppingstone for the $2 million Kentucky Derby and will be run on Keeneland’s new dirt track, the first time over such a surface since 2006.

The race offers 170 points toward qualification to this year’s Derby with 100 points going to the winner, a total that would ensure a spot in the Churchill Downs starting gate in a field limited to the top 20 point earners.

A total of 19 horses that ran in the Toyota Blue Grass at Keeneland went on to win the Kentucky Derby, with the most recent being StreetSense in 2007.

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English Fashion Horse Happenings

6th Annual “Hats off to the Horses: The Road to the Derby” Continues with a Chapeau Inspired by Williamstown

GEORGETOWN, KY – FEBRUARY 3, 2015

The online fashion auction, “Hats off to the Horses: The Road to the Derby”, continues today with a fifth handcrafted Derby chapeau on the virtual auction block to raise money for Old Friends, the Thoroughbred Retirement Facility in Georgetown, KY.

 This new hat was inspired by Old Friends retiree Williamstown­, the 25-year-old son of Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew who has been pensioned at Old Friends since 2007. A graded stakes winner, Williamstown captured the Withers Stakes at Belmont Park in 1993 and marked one of the fastest miles in the history of the oval.

For the Old Friends campaign, the beautiful chapeau is modeled in accompanying photos and behind-the-scenes video by leading jockey Rosie Napravnik along with her husband, trainer Joe Sharp.
This is the sixth consecutive year that Old Friends has joined with acclaimed milliner Sally Faith Steinmann of the Massachusetts-based Maggie Mae Designs® to auction off six exclusive Derby hats between November and April, each inspired by one of the non-profit organization’s 150 retired racehorses.
Bidding on “The Williamstown” ends at 8 pm on February 11th.  Interested bidders can go to the Old Friends website at www.oldfriendsequine.org and follow the link.
A wide-brim hat made of rich dupioni silk and various layers of organza, The Williamstown is adorned with the colors of his former racing stable: three yellow rose curls spill down along the hat’s 22-inch brim, each nesting in a medley of textured plum organza leaves.
For a final touch, eight long and curvaceous silk “feathers” are set behind each rose in such a way as to gently frame the wearer’s face.

 

As always, strand of the stallion’s tail hair have been braided and woven into the trim for a physical remembrance.
For more information and additional photos of the hat please visithttp://www.maggiemae.com/OldFriendsAuction-Hat-Williamstown.htm.   For a behind-the-scenes video of Napravnik’s and Sharp’s photo shoot please visit  http://vimeo.com/117009595

For additional information contact Maggie Mae Designs® at sally@maggiemae.com

For more information about Old Friends see their website at www.oldfriendsequine.org or call the farm at (502) 863-1775.

Maggie Mae Designs® Custom Millinery offers magnificent hats for all occasions – from glamorous racing events such as the Kentucky Derby and the Royal Ascot to stunning bridal wear and handsome cocktail fashions. Every hat is carefully handcrafted by milliner Sally Faith Steinmann from her home base in South Harwich, MA. Salons of her fashions can been seen on her website atwww.maggiemaedesigns.com

 PHOTO CAPTIONS Rosie Napravnik and Joe Sharp with Williamstown.  Rosie models the Williamstown hat. Dress by Bella Rose Boutique, photo © and courtesy of EquiSport Photos

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English Events Horse Happenings

Keeneland Opens Prestigious September Yearling Sale on Monday

LEXINGTON, KY (Sept. 6, 2013) – Keeneland’s 2013 September Yearling Sale, the world’s largest and most important Thoroughbred auction, begins Monday, September 9.

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English Events Horse Happenings

Olympians Highlight Star-Studded International Line-up of Open Jumpers at Alltech National Horse Show

Lexington, KY – October 22, 2012 – Now just around the corner, the Alltech National Horse Show, scheduled for the Alltech Arena at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky on October 30 – November 4, 2012, will feature a world-class field of top national and international open jumpers, competing for some of the biggest purses on the fall indoor tour.

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English Events Horse Happenings

Jennifer Alfano Sweeps First Day of Professional Hunters at Kentucky Spring Horse Show

Lexington, KY – May 9, 2011- Riders gathered at the Stonelea Ring to face the demanding hunter course as the first day of the Kentucky Spring Horse Show got underway. They were greeted with a brisk morning air, and a cloud filled sky, as the divisions commenced with top riders from across the nation competing for the winning honors in their respective divisions. Opening day marked the beginning of the First Year Green Working Hunter, Second Year Green Working Hunter, Green Conformation, Regular Conformation and High Performance Hunter classes. Leading the way in the Green Conformation Hunters was Hunt Tosh aboard Say Again, while Havens Schatt exhibited both Macallan and Valencia to top honors in the Second Year Green Working Hunters. It was Jennifer Alfano, however, who stole the show in the Regular Conformation Hunters with Lions Paw, as well as the High Performance Hunters with the revered Jersey Boy, sweeping both divisions.