Key Latino figures in the Thoroughbred racing and breeding industry are featured in a new bilingual exhibit at the Keeneland Library in Lexington.
It’s a quiet day at the Keenland Library in Lexington.
Outside, airplanes from Lexington’s Bluegrass Airport are the only sound as they fly over the 1200 acres of Keeneland, a National Historic Landmark and leader in the Thoroughbred industry. Inside, Keeneland Library director Roda Ferraro leads a tour of the facility’s latest exhibit.
“The title of our newest exhibit is Raices: The Making of Latino Legacies in Racing. Raices is the Spanish word for roots. We have an advisory panel of folks from four countries who weighed heavily in on every aspect of this exhibit’s creation, including that title. We wanted to land on a word in Spanish that kind of invoked the main themes of the exhibit, especially the depth and the breadth of contributions of folks from across the Americas over time. What better metaphor than roots to kind of connote this multigenerational, longstanding lives and impacts in the industry?” explained Ferraro.
The display showcases stories of 100 Latino men and women recognized as having a significant part in shaping American horse racing. It begins with 12 large interpretative panels. Ferraro points to the text on the panels, which is printed in English. She says the audio guide is in Spanish.
“All of these exhibit panels have a QR code, and that QR code takes you to that segment for a total of 24 audio guide segments in this exhibit,” said Ferraro.
Ferraro interprets some of the audio guide.
“Raices: The Making of Latino Legacies in Racing showcases groundbreaking Latino figures in the Thoroughbred racing and breeding industry from the late 1800s to today,” said Ferraro.
The core content of the exhibit, for the most part, said Ferraro, resides on these 12 panels, which are packed with biographical vignettes that span history. There are also many photographs and artifacts displayed. Ferraro points to the second panel which includes, Hall of Fame jockey Ramon Dominguez. Dominguez is from Venezuela and now lives in New York.
“Ramon was born into a family where these multigenerational ties to the sport were an always presence for him. Ramon was the very first Venezuelan inducted into the U.S. Racing Hall of Fame. And that induction was in 2016,” said Ferraro.
Ferraro said among his many accomplishments, Dominguez also has the unique honor of receiving the Eclipse Award for outstanding jockey three years back-to-back. Dominguez is on the advisory panel for the exhibit. The retired Hall of Famer explains why the exhibit is important.
“Latinos undeniably have been in big part able to help shape American horse racing. So, it is important because often time you may see the headlines, and if it is somebody from the U.S., wonderful. At the same time, when we stop and look at any area of any profession, whether it is jockeys, trainers, you name it, that have been historically involved in horse racing in the United States, there is a huge percentage that are Latinos,” Dominguez.
In a glass case next to a picture of Dominguez are some of his awards and a special riding crop or whip he created called the 360 GT or gentle touch. It’s been used in major races.
“ I invented a riding crop or a whip that is more humane that a lot of the jockeys have adopted. It is something that is really humane for the horse. It doesn’t cause them any harm. It gives them the cue to do their work,” said Dominguez.
Library director Ferraro said the story of Ramon Dominguez is just one example included in Raices: The Making of Latino Legacies in Racing. The exhibit is expected to be displayed at the Keeneland Library through 2026. It’s free and open to the public.
