Keeneland, VisitLEX to Add Fan Features for Game Day on Saturday

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Keeneland and VisitLEX are planning special events for the University of Kentucky football game on Saturday.
 
Features will include pregame Keeneland ticket and poster giveaways, a VisitLEX #ShareTheLex photo booth, UK’s “Hype Video” with imagery from Keeneland and a stick pony race at halftime.
 
The events will be held as three signature Lexington institutions will unveil the new Keeneland Paddock at Kroger Field. 
 
This strategic partnership among Keeneland, VisitLEX and the University of Kentucky is intended to enhance the atmosphere of the paddock for game-day visitors and do so much more. 
 
“The Paddock will serve as a year-round showcase of Lexington’s finest traditions: horse racing, UK athletics and bourbon to out-of-state meeting and convention coordinators as well as hundreds of special events,” said Mary Quinn Ramer, president of VisitLEX.
 
The new features of indoor/outdoor space include:

• Landscaping by Jon Carloftis Fine Gardens
• Big Lex, the blue horse that is 5-foot-6 tall x 6-foot-6
• Keeneland’s signature lawn jockeys in blue and white silks
• Pastoral images of Lexington

 
“Football and horse racing are fall traditions in the Bluegrass, so it’s only fitting that Saturday’s game be the official Big Blue countdown to Keeneland’s Fall Meet, which opens next Friday, Oct. 6,” Keeneland President and CEO Bill Thomason said. “Keeneland’s support of the University of Kentucky is a cornerstone of our founding mission. This collaboration with VisitLEX and UK is yet another unique way to support the University and showcase Kentucky’s signature horse industry.”
 
“We are proud of our partnership with Keeneland and VisitLEX and excited for it to be on display on the Keeneland Paddock,” UK Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart said. “Kroger Field is becoming an increasingly popular destination for events in Lexington, so this display will be visible on football games days and beyond.”
 
Keeneland and VisitLEX called upon renown landscape designer and University of Kentucky graduate Jon Carloftis on the design of the paddock.  “The Keeneland Paddock can be seen from almost everywhere in the stadium, which is really cool!  From the jockeys outfitted in blue and white silks and the beautiful garden details to the near life-size statue of Big Lex and the pastoral scenes adorning the walls, The Paddock is a place you want to be just like Keeneland and Lexington.”