On display at the On Top of the World communities through August, the Heart of the Turf: Racing’s Black Pioneers traveling exhibit follows the lives and contributions of Black horsemen and women to the world of Thoroughbred horse breeding, raising and racing.

The exhibit can be viewed every day at On Top of the World, as part of Master the Possibilities educational programming, at 8415 SW 80th Street through August, Monday through Saturday from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., and Sundays 7:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. 

The exhibit travels to the Marion County Black History Museum in September at Howard Academy at 306 NW 7th Avenue and will be open weekdays 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Additional programming includes a ‘Meet and Greet’ reception with local racing connections still in the planning stages by local historian, educator and author Cynthia Wilson Graham.  

In October, the exhibit travels to the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association’s golf tournament and brunch on Oct. 3 at Stone Creek Golf Club and then the Association’s museum and gallery at 801 SW 60th Avenue Oct. 6 through Oct. 31, weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The Keeneland Library, based in Lexington, Ky., launched The Heart of the Turf: Racing’s Black Pioneers in 2023. The groundbreaking exhibit includes interpretive visual panels and never-before-displayed photographs, artwork, artifacts and video interviews.

More than 100 photographs from Keeneland Library collections, commissioned artwork by LaVon Williams and loaned artwork from the Kentucky Derby Museum, the International Museum of the Horse, and private collections honor the lasting legacy of racing’s black pioneers in the exhibit and online companion book.

“The exhibit has been so popular after that Ocala was on a waiting list for more than a year, as it made its rounds to other Thoroughbred-related museums including the National Sporting Library and Museum, National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, Maryland Horse Library and Education Center, Aiken Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame & Museum and then Old Friends. 

“I am thrilled FTBOA can now showcase ‘Heart of the Turf’ throughout the entire county with these locations,” FTBOA V.P. Member Services Tammy Gantt said. “From racetrack superstars to behind-the-scenes caretakers, there are more than 125 stories told in this exhibit.”

Heart of the Turf has been exhibited at schools, community centers, museums and galleries throughout the country with more than 200,000 youth and adults from nearly every state and 35 countries connecting to the exhibit and educational programs as an extension of outreach initiatives for the Keeneland Library. The library director, Roda Ferraro, deserves credit with producing the exhibit and book after researching the Keeneland racetrack, the East end of Lexington which was a historic hub for the Thoroughbred industry in general and, more specifically, for racing’s Black pioneers.

“This is where many Black entrepreneurs established their racing and breeding operations, both on the land and in businesses surrounding that track,” said Ferraro. “While people featured in the exhibit hail from across the country, most of them had a presence here.”

Heart of the Turf: Racing’s Black Pioneers is sponsored by the Keeneland Association and supported with funding from the Kentucky Historical Society. Big Lick Gives, the charitable arm of the Big Lick LLC Family of Companies, funded a portion of the Ocala installation. 

The Master the Possibilities educational program at On Top of the World and the Marion County Black History Museum at Howard Academy supported the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ & Owners’ Association’s initiative to host the Ocala leg of the history exhibit.

Return to the August 22 issue of Wire to Wire