Old Friends Thoroughbred Retirement Farm near Georgetown, Ky., has partnered with the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame and Nick Ryan’s Saloon to present “Hall of Fame Day at Old Friends” Monday, Oct. 17.
The event will kick off at 3 p.m. at Old Friends, 1841 Paynes Depot Road in Georgetown, with an observance for the three great Thoroughbred champions buried at the farm’s official Hall of Fame cemetery: Skip Away, Noor, and Precisionist.
The event will be highlighted by tours of the farm and visits with many of the stars of the turf now retired at Old Friends.
Hall of Fame Day continues at 6 p.m. at Nick Ryan’s Saloon, located at 157 West Jefferson Street in Lexington. Tickets to Nick Ryan’s are $50 and include a BBQ buffet, drinks, live music, and special guests. Reservations can be made by calling (502) 863-1775.
“We’re grateful to the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame and Nick Ryan’s for their participation and support and we welcome everyone to the event, especially members of the Hall of Fame,” said Old Friends founder Michael Blowen in a statement.
“The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame is proud to partner with such a great organization as Old Friends for a Hall of Fame Day in Kentucky,” said Brien Bouyea, the communications officer for the National Museum of Racing in Sarasota Springs, N.Y., in a release. “We will be honoring a Hall of Fame legend in Skip Away, as well as two other Hall of Fame greats, Noor and Precisionist, both of whom have found a perfect final resting place in the heart of the bluegrass.”
Christopher Dragone, director of the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame added that the organization would additionally help honor the Hall of Fame horses Old Friends has buried at the farm with replica Hall of Fame plaques, though they are not "endorsing any location as the official cemetery."
