Martinez returns to Keeneland in grand fashion
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Why was Charlize Theron at Keeneland?
By Scott Shive and Janet Patton sshive@herald-leader.com and jpatton1@herald-leader.com
Actress Charlize Theron hugged jockey Willie Martinez after the trophy presentation for the Dixiana Breeders' Futurity at Keeneland on Saturday.
Actress Charlize Theron was in Keeneland's winner's circle with trainer Kenny McPeek after Saturday's Dixiana Breeders' Futurity.
Folks at Keeneland's fall meet Saturday might have had an unexpected A-list Hollywood encounter: Oscar-winning actress Charlize Theron.
Theron, not one of the usual horse-loving celebs we see this time of year, was at the track as the guest of Dixiana Farm owner and film producer William Shively, Keeneland spokeswomen Amy Gregory and Bonnie Senft said.
Shively was an executive producer of Theron's 2008 limited-release film Sleepwalking.
Theron helped present the trophy for Saturday's Grade I Breeders' Futurity, sponsored by Dixiana Farms. It was the eighth race of the day. Theron was joined in the winner's circle by Shively and his wife, Donna, and Keeneland president Nick Nicholson.
Theron, 34, is a widely known animal-rights activist and supporter of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. She won an Oscar in 2004 for playing real-life serial killer Aileen Wuornos in the film Monster. Critic Roger Ebert called it "one of the greatest performances in the history of the cinema." Her next film is the animated Astro Boy, scheduled for release Oct. 23.
Shively's Tower Hill Entertainment is producing the 2010 film The Rum Diary, based on the novel by Louisville native Hunter S. Thompson and starring Owensboro native Johnny Depp. Tower Hill also has produced Lucky Number Slevin and The Butterfly Effect.
In Lexington, Shively reunited the historic Dixiana Farm and Domino Stud; he also owns Woodland Farm (formerly Woodlynn Farm). In the name of his Tomoka Hills Farm in Gainesville, Fla., Shively bred champion sprinter Benny the Bull.
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