This is not about going back.
This is about life
being ahead of you
and you run it.
Because you never know
how far you can run
unless you run.
...Penny Chenery
Well, it only took 18 photos to finish Day One of my trip because we did so much.
On Day Two, we took a 12 hour adventure to Kentucky. Our first stop was the Kentucky Horse Park near Lexington. We also went to the Keeneland race track, then back to Lexington for dinner at Alfalfa. We walked around and found a crowd enjoying the evening with music, a bar that carried over 800 Bourbons and 21C, a contemporary art museum hotel. What a great day...horses, vegetarian food and art!
The Kentucky Horse Park is an equestrian facility dedicated to "man's relationship with the horse." The park celebrates Horses of the World showcasing common and rare horses. Additionally, the park contains the International Museum of the Horse which has a permanent collection of horse history. It was fabulous to see!
The Kentucky Horse Park has been home to many racehorses including John Henry, Cigar, Da Hoss, Funny Side, Go For Gin and Alysheba. There are also a number of horse sculptures including Man o' War over his grave and Secretariat, a life-size statue of the U.S. Triple Crown winner.
Secretariat has always been my favorite. I got very emotional on several occasions thinking about him. I cried at his statues, when I talk about him, the Secretariat movie and seeing his name up at Kentucky Downs. I bought the Secretariat Horse charm in the gift shop along with Man o' War, Justify and Barbaro charms.
Above is one of the Secretariat statues near the entrance to the park and the bronze plaque that reads:
Secretariat - Legendary Thoroughbred Champion
Secretariat, a chestnut colt of imposing size and beauty, was the outstanding Thoroughbred of the last half of the 20th Century. He showed his brilliance early by earning the Horse of the Year Eclipse award as a two year old. He went on to win 16 of his 21 starts, sweeping the 1973 Triple Crown: the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes, setting new track records in each race. His 31 length triumph in the Belmont awed the racing world and sports fans everywhere as one of the most thrilling sports events ever. Here, he is depicted in the winner's circle after the Kentucky Derby with his jockey Ron Turcotte aboard and led by his groom Eddie Sweat.
Secretariat set records that still stand today at the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness and Belmont Stakes.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kentucky_Horse_Park
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secretariat_(horse)
https://cs.bloodhorse.com/blogs/horse-racing-steve-haskin/archive/2017/07/20/secretariat-photo-album.aspx
https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/sports/Horse-of-the-Century-Man-o-War-vs-Secretariat-201932431.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klP5dwGh88U
https://www.americasbestracing.net/the-sport/2019-secretariat-tremendous-machine
https://www.horseracingnation.com/news/The_Tremendous_Size_of_Secretariat_s_Heart_123
