Visit LEX Map to the Stars. Photo courtesy of Whit Hiler.
We have to give a big bravo to the marketing team at Visit LEX, which promotes tourism in the Horse Capitol of the World: Lexington, Kentucky. Their newest promotion had the EN team chuckling and we knew we needed to share this with our own Thoroughbred-loving readers. From Visit LEX:
“You may not know this, but like Los Angeles, California there’s a large population of celebrities living here in beautiful Lexington, Kentucky. They lay low but live the good life, enjoying Lexington’s fresh air and beautiful landscapes. Our pals at VisitLEX are tasked with increasing tourism…so in an effort to do just that, we’ve come up with a fun way to expose and leverage these celebrities to help bring in more visitors to Lexington. That said, we’re excited to introduce the all-new Map to the Stars. It’s complete with real names and actual addresses for Lexington’s most rich and famous.
So, what makes Lexington’s new Map to the Stars so damn special and unique?
-Well for starters, Lexington’s celebrities have four legs instead of two.
-They say “neigh” instead of “hey.”
-They eat grass instead of smoking it.
-If you haven’t already guessed it, we’re talking about famous horses and their horse farms.
-And unlike Hollywood’s Map to the Stars, visitors can actually book tours through Horse Country to visit these beautiful horse farms and meet these famous horses. How cool is that?
The beautifully designed Map to the Stars can be found at the VisitLEX Visitors Center, the Blue Grass Airport and the Kentucky Horse Park inside various eye-catching newspaper boxes. To help raise awareness for our new Map to the Stars we’ve also created a fun (and really misleading) video.”
Personally, I’ll take Lexington over Los Angeles any day. After you visit the stars, here are three off-track Thoroughbreds looking for new careers who available in Lexington or the surrounding area that you can take home as a souvenir:
Cooptado. Photo via Makers Mark Secretariat Center.
Cooptado (EQUAL STRIPES (ARG) – COORDINADA (ARG), BY RIDE THE RAILS): 2010 16.0-hand Argentinian-bred gelding
Chances are this horse has done more traveling than you have. Born in Argentina and after competing in the Argentinian Triple Crown where he won the first and third races, Cooptado went on to race in Singapore, Dubai, and the US where he’s been competing since 2017. His last race was in March of this year and after a career total of 46 starts he earned a total of $1,193,150. His racing connections sent him to the Maker’s Mark Secretariat Center (MMSC) specifically so that he could find a loving forever home and a second career. At nine years old, Cooptado has more than enough left in the tank to show just how classy and athletic he is al over again in a second career. He retired soundly from the track and has simply spent the summer enjoying downtime at the MMSC facility.
Located in Lexington, Kentucky.
View Cooptado on Makers Mark Secretariat Center.
Tweezer. Photo via New Vocations Racehorse Adoption.
Tweezer (SOCIETY ROCK (IRE) – DEEDAY BAY (IRE), BY BRAVE ACT (GB)): 2016 15.3-hand Irish-bred gelding
Want the heartiness of an Irish Sport Horse with the full blood of a Thoroughbred? Meet the Irish bred-and born Tweezer. Tweezer never raced in Ireland, however — he was imported and made his first start in Louisiana earlier this year. He made five starts with no remarkable placings before arriving at the New Vocations facility to get a shot at another career. His lovely uphill build would lend itself nicely to a career as a sport horse and he’ll need a more advanced rider to bring him along. He’s never displayed any naughty behavior under saddle, but he is a hotter ride who will require some finesse from his rider to teach him how to be balanced and help him develop new musculature.
Located in Lexington, Kentucky.
View Tweezer on New Vocations Racehorse Adoption.
Dee’s Ronnie. Photo via Second Stride Inc.
Dee’s Ronnie (BRAVE CAT – GEE HONEY, BY MATTY G): 2014 16.2-hand Minnesota-bred gelding
They can’t all be world travelers, but Dee’s Ronnie comes to Kentucky by way of his homeland of Minnesota. The now five-year-old began racing just last winter and has made eight total starts, with the latest being earlier this month. Overall, he’s simply lacking the talent to succeed as a racehorse, but this kind gelding looks like he’d really thrive being someone’s best friend and maybe event partner. Dee’s Ronnie has a super sweet face and a kind eye to match. His veterinary exam upon arrival at Second Stride was clean and the staff describe him as smart and willing.
Located in Prospect, Kentucky.
