With the 142nd Kentucky Derby fast approaching, Kentucky Life host Doug Flynn and the team begin this special episode by introducing collector Ken Grayson and his vast assortment of horse racing memorabilia. We then visit Old Friends in Georgetown, the internationally renowned retirement home for Thoroughbreds. The Louisville Gallopalooza public art project began in 2004, and its two renewals have attracted a loyal following of horse lovers, art aficionados, and philanthropists. Last year’s Gallopalooza promoted two of the Derby City’s most celebrated pastimes.
A Treasure Trove of Horse Racing History
Ken Grayson credits his passion for horse racing to a friendship he formed during a stint in the military as a young man. He served in the U.S. Army with Willie Tichenor, a jockey from Beaver Dam in Western Kentucky. After being discharged, Tichenor went south to Evangeline Downs in Louisiana to begin exercising horses again, and Grayson followed him there for a while.
Watch the video featuring some of Ken Grayson’s thoroughbred racing memorabilia.
Old Foes, Old Friends
Michael Blowen, former film critic for the Boston Globe, founded Old Friends in 2003 as the first retirement facility for Thoroughbreds in the U.S. Since then, the bucolic farm outside of Georgetown in Scott County has served as a popular tourist destination and beacon of hope for a growing community of Thoroughbred lovers who feel that our cherished racehorses deserve a retirement befitting their accomplishments.
Read more about the horses of Old Friends Farm and watch the video.
Bourbon, Horses, and Derby City Artistry
Gallopalooza immediately became one of Louisville’s most popular art attractions when it debuted in 2004, and the community venture has only grown in popularity since then. The nonprofit behind Gallopalooza organized a 2009 renewal, and then last year enlisted a bevy of talented area artists to decorate fiberglass creations according to the theme of “Bridles and Bourbon.”
Find out more about the Gallopalooza project and watch the video.
Doug Flynn hosts this episode from Life Adventure Center in Versailles. Tim Magill and his staff have 21 horses on hand, which they use to assist military veterans in dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder and to help introduce at-risk inner-city youth to the wonders of the outdoors.
