WEG Test Events

July was crazy around here! The Kentucky Horse Park has completed their New Indoor Arena AND hosted two major test events-Vaulting and Reining.

Most of you have never heard of either. so let me fill you in.

Reining-Western type horses are showcased in several approved patterns. Patterns include small slow circles, large fast circles, flying lead changes, roll backs, 360 degree spins done in place and the exciting sliding stops that are the hallmark of the reining horse. See above photos.

Vaulting-Both gymnastics and dance elements are combined and performed to music on a cantering horse. It requires a harmonious relationship with the horse and the outstanding physical condition from the vaulter.

If this is any indication, the 2010 Games will be AMAZING!

419

What an amazing day we had last Friday! Several of us went to Denali Stud to visit the latest addition to the sales team. 419 She was born April 19, 2009 (hence the name) and is certain to be a real asset to the team.

419 will be the focus of our marketing campaign for the next 18 months, or so.



She certainly is cute! Her mother is Serena's Song and sired by Unbridled's Song.

Serena's Song won 18 of 36 stakes races in 1994, 1995 and 1996. Unbridled's Song won the Breeders Cup Juvenile in 1995 and the Wood Memorial and Florida Derby in 1996. With a pedigree like this, I am sure she will remain at Denali Stud for a long time.



Gary Walsh is the farm manager at Denali and is super to work with. He has been very generous with his time and actually acts like he is glad to see us. Gary-thanks.

I took a lot of photos while we were there and will publish them somewhere else on this page.

I'll post more after our next trip to Denali-I can't wait!

The Future is Almost Here

I came back to Lexington a little more than four years ago after being gone for some 20 years. What I found surprised me. The little old convention center was brand new and certainly not little any longer. It looked more like very nice hotel convention space with all the latest technology. The layout is well thought out and is very workable yet very flexable. It has the second largest ballroom in the state of Kentucky (18,000 sqft). And the interior design is quite sophisticated.


I also found something else that surprised me. The Hyatt Regency Lexington and the Radisson Hotel had not changed in the last 20 some years. Unless you call decomposing a change. As I looked around at the convention package I had been charged to sell, I started to pray for two hotels that match the quality of the center. Somebody answered my prayers.


The Hyatt Regency is just wraping up a $32Million renovation and it looks FABULOUS. This is a view of the lobby and certainly conveys a warm sense of arrival.




















The Radisson has made an even bolder move. In addition to a $16M renovation, the are changing flags. Later this summer they will officially become a Hilton Hotel! They are currently part of the Hilton organization (reservation system and HiltonHonors).



The interior work is underway and the public space will rival the Hyatt Regency and the Lexington Convention Center. The picture below is a 20 panal photo by Doug Prather and will change 4 times a year (seasonally). It is located on the convention floor landing, just above the lobby.

As more work gets completed at the "Soon To Be Hilton" I'll pass pics along. In the meantime, you better reserve your space at the Hyatt, Hilton and Center before dates are all GONE!

Off Message but on Task

I fully understand the premise of this blog, but I seemingly need to digress. In preperation to the games, I have felt the need to upgrade the way I (we) view competetive events from the luxury of my (our) home . . . what I am saying is, I (we) finally pulled the trigger on a big screen tv. . Now, I am not one to fool around and I didn't this time. I did an enormous amount of research and decided on a Panasonic 46" HD Plasma (TC-P46G10). The local retail outlets are not going to carry this model so I ordered from Critchfield (critchfield.com). Great price, no tax, free delivery by two guys who brought into house, set up and took packing away. Perfect.

Blu-Ray also needed to be part of the package and I (we) bought one, too.

Please pay attention now because this is the entire point of this article.

If you are to connect all the components correctly to ensure the very highest quality picture and sound, conventional advertising says you should pay up to $100 per cable (I needed 2 HDMI and 2 Fiber optic cables) in addition to the normal speaker wires.

But hold on there. The reviewers at cnet.com said "we strongly recommends cheap HDMI cables widely available from online retailers instead of the expensive counterparts sold in your local electronics store". They went on to refer me to monoprice.com where I place an order for the 4 cables and they cost $5.77 each and were in my mailbox 2 days later.

So what's my point? I don't have one other than I love my new TV.

One Down!

The first test of the Kentucky Horse Park was a resounding success. The brand new Outdoor Arena was amazing. The participants were unanimous in their praise of the footing. Superior was the least of the adjectives.

Australian rider Lucinda Fredericks on Headley Britannia was the eventual victor after a flawless ride in the stadium jumping. A standing room crowd of over 16,000 watched as Bettina Hoy of Germany came in second and Buck Davidson, the only American in the top 5, on board My Boy Bobby, finished third.

The cross-country element on Saturday saw more than 40,000 spectators on a near perfect day.

19 International Federations were on hand to witness how the KHP fared for this first event in the new stadium. If you ask me, they passed with flying colors!

Ready, Set, Go!

Keeneland's spring meet ends on Friday. That means the Rolex Three Day Event,the only 4 Star equestrian event in North America, starts Thursday and the new outdoor arena gets dedicated on Wednesday afternoon. Wow, what a week.
We were given a private tour of the new Outdoor Arena and the new Indoor Arena last week and The Bluegrass and the entire Commonwealth should be very proud. They are spectacular to say the least. I am sure the total investment in the park sounds excessive but we will be reaping the benefits for years. This isn't just about the world Equestrian Games, its about a legacy. But in the meantime-go to Rolex-you've got to be there!

Spotlight Lexington Festival

The world is coming to Lexington in just 18 short months ( a long month?). Thousands and thousands of people will be here with freshly minted cash! Perfect! Nothing beats a recession or depression like thousands of visitors with money to spend. That's a stimulus package.

The festival will begin September 24 and end on October 10. Each day the festival will host activities at three vacations; Courthouse Plaza, Triangle Park and Cheapside Park. Medal ceremonies will be held each evening and all competitions can be seen on a jumbo screen located at Courthouse Plaza.

Of course, no real festival can exist without branded merchandise and all kinds of merchandise will be available soon. Stay tuned for more info on where to buy.

The most promising aspect of the festival is the willingness for it to become an annual event. Hear, Hear. More great festivals are a good thing! Legacy events are measured on what remains after the event is over. This should only increase the legacy.