Blood-Horse Feature: Welcome to Keeneland

In just about ten days it will again be time for me to take my annual week-long Breeders' Cup handicapping sabbatical during which period you won't be able to find with a search warrant neither me nor my Daily Racing Form.  Well, OK, I'll be here at The Ranch.  No surprise there.  But you catch my drift.

I had outlined a grand post or series of posts about Keeneland including an unauthorized re-transcription of Max Watman's excellent chapter on Keeneland titled "Racing As It Should Be" from his book Race Day.  Alas, time and the All-Star Summer conspired against such an effort.  Therefore, you'll have to satisfy your interest with third-party resources.  Some of which I'll provide here and where I am able.

If you enjoyed the stunning, artistically visual Blood-Horse features Calumet Farm: The Rebirth of a Legend and Ireland and the Thoroughbred then you should find for yourself a deep attraction to their newest feature published just this week titled Welcome to Keeneland.  Welcome to Keeneland goes a step - or perhaps I should say a stride - further by incorporating audio and video elements missing from their two previous features.  Among the vignettes you'll see is one of equine artist Peter Williams.  I know as much about art as the next guy, which is to say almost nothing.  Most of what I do know I learned from Bob Ross and from watching the Antiques Roadshow.  And like every other obnoxiously opinionated blog artisan, I know what I like.  For example, the works of Edouard Cortes.  Unsurprisingly, I am fanatical - or as fanatical as I can get over art - about the oeuvre of Peter Williams.  A discerning eye might observe similarities in the two artists.  If you're in need of an attractive print to adorn some particular wall in your home or office, I strenuously urge you to support Mr Williams.  You can view/purchase his artwork here.  "Out Riders" (below; image absconded without permission) is a particular favorite of mine:

One particular video in Welcome to Keeneland that illustrates the bucolic rolling hills of horse country into which Keeneland rests is found on the "Grandstand" page, called "Shoot a Race."  In this clip, you'll watch a race from the grandstand rooftop with a track photographer.  The rooftop itself is industrial-looking and the photographer's rapid-fire shooting might be distracting to some.  What I call to your attention are the green hills of bluegrass that stretch away in all directions and disappear into the horizon.  With but few exceptions, this is unique in North American horse racing where the older, established tracks have been squeezed by dusty and decaying pax Americana industry and the newer racinos are shoehorned into office parks and strip malls.

The Breeders' Cup attracts each year many of the world's greatest race horses, hence its designation as the World Thoroughbred Championships.  Nearly all of the foreign invaders are turf horses.  Back in June I gave you the winner - Golden Horn - in England's Epsom Derby, the UK progenitor of our Kentucky Derby.  Last week, Golden Horn won Le Prix de L'Arc de Triomphe, the most important horse race in the world outside of these United States.  Golden Horn's jockey is the Italian-born Lanfranco "Frankie" Dettori, the greatest jockey in the history of mankind.  Frankie Dettori will be at Keeneland for the Breeders' Cup.  I hope Golden Horn makes the trip to join him.

Roll the credits!