MINT GAMING HALL AT KENTUCKY DOWNS , Franklin Enjoy live thoroughbred horse racing on America’s only European-style (all turf), kidney-shaped racecourse at Kentucky Downs, which is also home to the Mint Gaming Hall, featuring more than 1,000 gaming machines, a calendar full of live music concerts, the Irons Steakhouse and a gift shop. AMERICAN SADDLEBRED CAPITAL OF THE WORLD , Shelbyville Witness the exquisite grace and ath-leticism of the American Saddlebred at Shelby County’s Dogwood Classic Horse Show (held two weekends before the Kentucky Derby and overlapping Shelbyville’s annual Dogwood Festival) and the Shelby County Summer Classic (formerly the Shelbyville Horse Show), held over four mid-summer days. CLAIBORNE FARM , Paris At Claiborne Farm — home of the legendary Secretariat — the guided walking and shuttle tour experiences go next level with the Private Stallion tour. Walk the grounds with friends and family, inter-act with the stallions and tour the breeding shed and cemetery where the world’s greatest racehorse is buried. You’ve Gotta See This! THE KENTUCKY DERBY , Louisville SCAN FOR MORE ON KENTUCKY HORSE CULTURE Hats and horses, Twin Spires and traditions — and the Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports®: The Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs. There’s no other sporting event like it or the weekslong party leading up to it. Learn more at the Kentucky Derby Museum’s immersive exhibits and tours. Photos from top: Claiborne Farm, Paris; Kentucky Derby, Louisville Kentuckytourism.com/horses 23
The Official Kentucky Visitor's Guide The Official Kentucky Visitor's Guide 2026: Page 23
