Looking ahead to 2026, Keeneland will once again host the international Breeders’ Cup, attracting guests from around the nation and the world to experience everything Lexington has to offer. In many ways, it will be the perfect follow-up to 2025’s year-long celebration of the city, showcasing Lexington’s global reach after focusing intently on honoring the local history.

Speaking with Shannon Bishop Arvin, president and CEO of this iconic Lexington institution, it’s clear she is proud of the way the horse racing and sales venue helps highlight the area. And she sees many similarities in how KET does the same.

“Everyone who comes [to Kentucky] – they really do fall in love with our culture and our roots, and showing that is such an important part of what KET does and makes accessible to people from all over.”

She points to a recent collaboration between Keeneland and KET that brought resources from both organizations to Lexington Sister City Deauville, France.

The Heart of The Turf exhibit, a Keeneland Library curation following the lives and contributions of Black horsemen and women, and the KET documentary, The Legacy of Black Horsemen, were showcased during the Deauville Racing Festival earlier this year.

“Our library is a tremendous resource for our industry and people interested in history in general. KET is a resource in the same regard, offering valuable education to everyone, locally and even globally.”

Everyone who comes [to Kentucky] – they really do fall in love with our culture and our roots, and showing that is such an important part of what KET does and makes accessible to people from all over.

Shannon Arvin

On a more personal level, Arvin is a fan of a broad range of KET productions and programming.

“I love America’s Test Kitchen, I think it’s a lot of fun; we love cooking channels,” Arvin said. “My husband and I both do. My girls are learning to, too!” Arvin also notes being a fan of the KET cooking program, The Farmer & The Foodie. “Recently, I rewatched the episode that features Walnut Grove Farms – that one was fun because we know the Halcomb family.”

“The fact that KET shows BBC News, I love that. We watch it frequently,” Arvin continued. “I think in a day and time when it’s hard to find the news that you feel is less biased and more objective, more quality driven … KET does a really nice job of offering that quality-driven news product.”

She also utilizes KET’s locally focused public affairs programming. “We keep up with legislative affairs coverage and Comment on Kentucky and Kentucky Edition with Renee Shaw, of course. We definitely have KET on frequently.”

“KET has done such a good job over the years of putting together documentaries. The Jim Host [biography] was fascinating, and I loved the one about Mr. Bassett [Ted Basset: A Kentucky Gentleman, a feature about the longtime Keeneland Race Course executive].

There’s always a lot to choose from,” said Arvin. “And that’s one of the nicest things about KET – you can learn something and enjoy yourself at the same time.”