Keeneland tours teach 5th-graders about Kentucky’s Thoroughbred industry

Keeneland this week is hosting 2,800 fifth-graders from 31 area public and private schools to spread the word about the track’s history and the importance of the Thoroughbred industry in Central Kentucky.

Now in its sixth year, the program has given more than 17,000 students the opportunity to see the inner workings of Keeneland and the Thoroughbred industry.

Each morning Monday through Friday this week, several hundred students are seeing how a Thoroughbred is sold in the Keeneland sales pavilion and touring the track’s grandstand, paddock and trackside areas.

Each tour includes presentations by Darley, Locust Trace AgriScience Farm, the Kentucky Derby Museum, the North American Racing Academy and Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital. The racing academy features an Equicizer, a mechanical horse that allows students to simulate riding a Thoroughbred.

This story was originally published August 25, 2016 at 6:55 PM with the headline "Keeneland tours teach 5th-graders about Kentucky’s Thoroughbred industry."