Buy TicketsTours and educational experiences available
Keeneland Library is ending 2025 with impressive numbers thanks to interactions with more than 185,000 patrons from every state and 36 countries through its exhibits and education and outreach programs during the year.
“In 2025, Keeneland Library offered another year of varied education and outreach programs in the Library and at community and industry sites with a record-breaking reach,” Keeneland Library Director Roda Ferraro said. “From school programs, university lectures and trackside programs in the U.S. and Europe to industry research workshops, tours, conference presentations, and culture, history and book festivals across the Bluegrass, Keeneland Library curated a daily outreach presence for our global patron base.”
Keeneland Library offers free year-round exhibit tours, behind-the-scenes Library tours and in-Library and onsite educational programs centered on all facets of the Thoroughbred industry’s past and present.
To book an educational experience for groups of all sizes and ages, visit Keeneland.com/library or email [email protected].
Starting Gate Storytime sets schedule
Since the launch of Starting Gate Storytime in 2024, Keeneland Library has introduced more than 250 families to Thoroughbred racing by pairing a reading of a children’s book centered on horses with literacy, art, history, science and industry awareness activities. Keeneland Kids Club mascot Buckles joins young racing fans and horse lovers ages 2 to 7 at Starting Gate Storytime.
Upcoming events, which begin at Keeneland Library at 10:30 a.m. ET, are:
- Jan. 10: Horses by Teesha Holladay
- Feb. 21: Perfect Timing by Patsi B. Trollinger
- March 21: Pasture Bedtime by Jenny H. Lyman
- May 16: Be Like Hank by Tammi Jo Regan with a special visit by Hank the Horse
- June 27: Seabiscuit by Megan McCarthy
Even though programs are free, please reserve tickets for children and their families who plan to attend at Keeneland.com/library.
Library Lecture Series announces winter dates
Keeneland Library’s popular Lecture Series celebrates published works about Thoroughbred racing whose authors conducted research at the facility. Tickets are now available for these winter events:
- Jan. 21: Gary O’Dell will discuss Reinventing the American Thoroughbred
- Feb. 18: Curtis Stock will talk about The Turcottes: The Remarkable Story of a Horse Racing Dynasty
- March 18: Steve Haskin will discuss Tales from the Triple Crown
“We continue to pack the house with our Keeneland Library Lecture Series, and we are pleased to present a great range of speakers and topics this winter,” Ferraro said. “With Kentucky State Geographer Gary O’Dell chronicling the life of the seminal horse breeder Alexander Keene Richards during the tumultuous Civil War era; Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Famer Curtis Stock sharing his insight into the lives and careers of the Turcotte family; and veteran horse racing journalist Steve Haskin recounting standout stories of the Triple Crown, we have crafted a series lineup for long-time racing fans and newcomers alike.”
Each Lecture Series event, which will be held at Keeneland Library from 6:30-8:30 p.m., includes a presentation by the author, reception and book signing. To purchase tickets and copies of the featured book, visit Keeneland.com/library or call 859 254-3412. Event proceeds benefit the Keeneland Library Foundation.
Here is a look at each book:
Reinventing the American Thoroughbred — Many consider Alexander Keene Richards one of the 19th century’s most significant Thoroughbred importers and breeders. He traveled to Syria in 1851 and 1855 to obtain Arabian stock for his Kentucky breeding farm, Blue Grass Park, and his Louisiana plantation. Richards relied on future Racing Hall of Famer Ansel Williamson, an enslaved trainer, to condition his Thoroughbreds for racing.
Richards’s life story is an epic tale of adventure, experimentation and devastation that illuminates the history of the American Thoroughbred industry in the tumultuous Civil War era.
Author Gary A. O’Dell holds a Ph.D. in geography from the University of Kentucky and taught at Morehead State University for 23 years. Appointed State Geographer by Gov. Steve Beshear in 2014, he has published several articles on Thoroughbred racing in Kentucky.
The Turcottes: The Remarkable Story of a Horse Racing Dynasty — The late Ron Turcotte, who rode Secretariat to Triple Crown glory more than 50 years ago, grew up as one of 14 children in the lumberjack town of Drummond, New Brunswick.
Four other Turcottes — Noel, Rudy, Roger and Yves — followed their older brother. The Turcottes: The Remarkable Story of a Horse Racing Dynasty is the story of the family’s journey to the top of the Thoroughbred racing world. Each Turcotte found success, collectively winning a staggering 8,251 races for purse earnings just shy of $60 million, but the unlikely triumph of one of horse racing’s most talented families was not without tragedy.
Drawing upon over 30 years of reporting and interviews, journalist and Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award finalist Curtis Stock takes readers on an unforgettable ride with The Turcottes. Stock is a Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame inductee and 11-time Sovereign Award-winning writer for best Thoroughbred story of the year.
Tales from the Triple Crown — Author Steve Haskin takes readers through the adrenaline charge of victory and the disappointment of defeat in 24 behind-the-scenes stories of trainers, jockeys and horses seeking the world’s most elusive sports prize, bringing an up-close-and-personal dimension to the repertoire of Kentucky Derby (G1), Preakness (G1) and Belmont (G1) reporting.
Haskin provided lead coverage of the Triple Crown for more than 20 years as Senior Correspondent for Daily Racing Form and The Blood-Horse. He now covers the Triple Crown for Secretariat.com.
His weekly Derby Dozen and Kentucky Derby Rankings have been a fixture in The Blood-Horse and on Secretariat.com for a quarter of a century. Haskin has won numerous awards for his writing and was elected to the Racing Hall of Fame’s Media Roll of Honor in 2016.
About Keeneland Library
Founded in 1939, three years after Keeneland opened for racing, Keeneland Library collects, preserves and shares all types of materials related to Thoroughbred racing, including thousands of books, magazines and newspapers; millions of photographic negatives and prints; and a vast collection of art and artifacts. The Library team connects researchers to these world-class collections, creates and delivers education programs to racing fans of all ages and curates and produces exhibits and outreach programs for the community.
Keeneland Library is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
To reach the Library, enter Keeneland at Gate 1 (Man o’ War Blvd.) on Keeneland Blvd. and take the first right on Entertainment Ct. The Library is to the left of the Keene Barn and Entertainment Center. Admission is free.
For more information about Keeneland Library and how you can support its preservation and outreach efforts, see keeneland.com/library.