Raíces: The Making of Latino Legacies in Racing

Raíces: The Making of Latino Legacies in Racing

Opens October 1, 2025

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Keeneland Library’s newest exhibit and education initiative, Raíces: The Making of Latino Legacies in Racing, showcases groundbreaking Latino figures in the Thoroughbred racing and breeding industry from the late 1800s to today. The exhibit features biographical vignettes, photographs, memorabilia, awards, and trophies of Latinos in the sport from across the Americas to highlight the breadth and depth of their indelible marks on the industry. Raíces – or roots – are emblematic of their respective stories, individual and collective heritage, and legacies sowed and sustained at every level of the sport over time.

The lives of the exhibit’s 100 featured men and women from Latin America are representative of the profound, far-reaching, and ongoing Latino contributions throughout the Thoroughbred industry. Myriad Latino lives and careers are woven into the past and present of the Bluegrass and its most iconic sport.

Developed in English and Spanish by contributing writers and photographers from six countries, Raíces: The Making of Latino Legacies in Racing celebrates the exceptional human athletes, relentless backside workers, multinational racehorse owners and breeders, committed farm and stable crews, equine veterinarians, multigenerational farriers, racetrack and horse farm communications and media specialists, and pioneering industry professionals who continue to forge their paths across the Americas as they shape the sport’s future. 

Timed to coincide with 250LEX celebrations of Lexington, Kentucky’s 250^th anniversary and the country’s 250^th anniversary in 2026, Raíces: The Making of Latino Legacies in Racing is freely accessible to the public and racing fans of all ages during the Library’s operating hours of Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The exhibit’s printed text is in English with an audio guide in Spanish.

To schedule an exhibit experience, email [email protected] or call 859 288-4223.