Kentucky Spirit

While Tennessee’s civil rights anniversaries and music heritage have stolen the headlines, there’s another reason to be grateful for the new direct BA flight to Nashville. For those who share the British love of good whiskey, racing and other horsey pursuits, neighbouring Kentucky is now easier than ever to explore, with plenty to discover in the Bluegrass State.

Barely a three-hour drive from BA’s newest US destination, Keeneland racecourse proved a fine place to sip a mint julep from a frosted silver cup — and to view the Kentucky Derby.

The race itself is run at Churchill Downs, one of America’s most iconic venues, but the more intimate art deco track of Keeneland — where Lexing- ton’s horse-loving socialites hang out — makes for a memorable experience, complete with extraordinary Derby Day hats and outfits.

You don’t need to be a betting man (or woman) to enjoy a trip here, especially if you’re visiting outside the racing months of October and April. The horse nurseries, stud farms, training facilities and state-of-the-art equine vets open their doors year-round to visitors as part of an initiative to demystify the lives of prize steeds owned by the world’s royalty and tycoons.

Mill Ridge Farm has raised foals for the Queen and produced a slew of international winners. Owner and tour guide Price Bell is a fourth-generation horse nurturer; his great-grandfather founded Keeneland and his grandmother was the first woman to breed an Epsom Derby winner in Kentucky.

After watching thoroughbred mares nuzzling their foals in the paddocks, you can then see yearlings cantering through lush meadow as they come to the end of what owner Price Bell calls their kindergarten education.

The city highlights of Lexington, the base for all this equine activity, deserve a proper visit of their own, especially Gratz Park, founded by one of Kentucky’s earliest Jewish settlers.

This town square, unusually a bivouac for both Union and Confederate soldiers during the Civil