Kentucky is famous for its horse farms. In the Central Kentucky region of the state there are numerous horse farms that include stately historic homes and miles of stone walls or white fences. Drive in any direction in Fayette, Woodford, Bourbon, or Jessamine counties and you will more than likely run into a horse farm of some sort. There are also smaller operations without all of the fancy trappings. The horse racing industry contributes about 75,000 jobs and $5 billion dollars to the economy of Kentucky.

As the center of the world Thoroughbred horse industry, Lexington is where the world’s top racehorses are bred, born, trained, officially registered, bought and sold, retired and buried. And it’s been that way since before there even was a Kentucky Derby. In fact, in 1789 according to the census there were more horses than people in Lexington.

The thoroughbred industry in Kentucky really took off during the Civil War, when horse breeders in Maryland, the Carolinas and Virginia moved their horses "west" for safety. They discovered that their horses thrived in the Bluegrass, thanks to the rich lime content of the soil, the gently rolling terrain and the favorable weather conditions. By the 1930s, the Lexington Herald-Leader had a standing offer to give subscribers free papers on any day that no horse bred within a 50-mile radius of Lexington won a race at a major track – an event that no one can remember ever happening. The offer is no longer good, but if it were, there would still be no free papers.