This is a picture of Keeneland race track from one of it's beginning years. Keeneland opened in 1936 and is a national landmark here in Kentucky. On October 15, 1936, Keeneland hosted its first day of live thouroughbred racing. Their goal when opening was to create a place where the community could go and enjoy watching what Kentucky is most known for.
Had Headley, a respected horseman, and one of the men to bring racing back up after the great depression stated that, "We want a place where those who love horses can come and picnic with us and thrill to the sport of the Bluegrass. We are not running a race plant to hear the click of the mutuel machines. We want them to come out here to enjoy God’s sunshine, fresh air and to watch horses race.” This shows the real dedication and heart these fans had towards keeping Keeneland open even at its lowest times.
Some questions that came across my mind while researching Keeneland was how many races usually occur there during the year? Also how did Headley find the support and money to bring racing back up to what it is today?
This information was found on http://www.keeneland.com/discover/our-founding
Michelle,
ReplyDeleteBoth the image and quote you bring in about Keeneland's history are quite interesting. You might, however, have done more to analyze or critically examine them both. What does the quote mean for us today? What does the photo really show us? The relative brevity of the posts means you had plenty of room to explore these types of questions further. Still, a promising start.