Community Calendar

Keeneland Library will host Tom Durkin in discussion of "A Life’s Calling: The Voice Behind the World’s Greatest Horses."

Because of the great announcers of the 20th century, sports have become indelibly linked to the voices that describe the action. In horseracing, perhaps no single voice did as much to reshape, modernize, and improve the soundtrack of the sport as Tom Durkin.

In "A Life’s Calling: The Voice Behind the World’s Greatest Horse Races," Tom Durkin, alongside writers Paul Volponi and Lenny Shulman, shares his fascinating story of life in the backwater stops of the Midwest learning his craft of calling horseraces, working his way up to calling America’s greatest races. And then there came the day when he called the first-ever Breeders’ Cup and ended up at an after-party surrounded by Frank Sinatra, Elizabeth Taylor, and Cary Grant.

Tom Durkin is a retired American sportscaster specializing in Thoroughbred horse racing, and was the iconic voice of the Breeders’ Cup, Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Belmont Stakes, the race caller for NBC Sports, and announcer for the New York Racing Association for more than two decades.

Lenny Shulman is an Emmy Award-winning television and film writer. He served 20 years as features editor of "Blood-Horse" magazine and is the author of multiple books on horse racing. He has received the Walter Haight Award for lifetime achievement as a turf writer.

Paul Volponi is the multi-award-winning, bestselling author of over 25 books. His novels "Black and White" and "The Final Four" have become staples in English coursework.

Keeneland Library will host Elizabeth Letts in discussion of "The Ride of Her Life: The True Story of a Woman, Her Horse, and Their Last-Chance Journey Across America."

In 1954, 63-year-old Maine farmer Annie Wilkins embarked on an impossible journey. She had no money and no family, she had just lost her farm, and her doctor had given her only two years to live. But Annie wanted to see the Pacific Ocean before she died. She ignored her doctor’s advice to move into the county charity home. Instead, she bought a cast-off brown gelding named Tarzan, donned men’s dungarees, and headed south in mid-November, hoping to beat the snow. Annie had little idea what to expect beyond her rural crossroads; she didn’t even have a map. But she did have her ex-racehorse, her faithful mutt, and her own unfailing belief that Americans would treat a stranger with kindness.

The three travelers rode more than 4,000 miles, through America’s big cities and small towns. Along the way, she met ordinary people and celebrities and received many offers—a permanent home at a riding stable in New Jersey, a job at a gas station in rural Kentucky, even a marriage proposal from a Wyoming rancher. In a decade when car ownership nearly tripled, when television’s influence was expanding fast, when homeowners began locking their doors, Annie and her four-footed companions inspired an outpouring of neighborliness in a rapidly changing world.

Elizabeth Letts is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of historical fiction and non-fiction and 2017 Pen USA Literary Award for Research Nonfiction recipient. A graduate of Yale College and the Yale School of Nursing, she is a passionate equestrian, a former certified nurse-midwife, and she served in the Peace Corps in Morocco.

Keeneland Library will host Lenny Shulman in discussion of "A.P. Indy: Champion Racehorse and Breed-Shaping Sire."

As a son of Seattle Slew and a grandson of Secretariat—both Triple Crown winners—A.P. Indy was destined for racing glory. But he still had to go out and earn it. Overcoming physical ailments that would have stopped lesser athletes, A.P. Indy won the Belmont Stakes and Breeders’ Cup Classic to become 1992’s Horse of the Year. Although he retired from the track in 1993, his influence on the sport remains unmatched. While standing stud at his birthplace, Lane’s End Farm in Versailles, Kentucky, A.P. Indy sired a number of the best racehorses on the planet, and some of his progeny would follow suit.

A.P. Indy details this extraordinary Thoroughbred’s life and how he impacted the entire racing industry along the way. Author Lenny Shulman captures his personal connection to A.P. Indy and shares the stories of those who shaped the champion’s incredible ride—including his trainer, owners, breeders, groom, and jockey—giving readers an inside look at the never-before-seen dynamics of the stall, track, and paddock.

Lenny Shulman is the author of several books including "Head to Head: Conversations with a Generation of Horse Racing Legends," "Justify: 111 Days to Triple Crown Glory," and "Ride of Their Lives: The Triumphs and Turmoil of Racing’s Top Jockeys." For 20 years, he served as features editor of the Blood-Horse. His awards include an Emmy for television writing and the Walter Haight Award for career excellence in turf writing.

Keeneland Library will host Avalyn Hunter in discussion of "Holy Bull: An Unconventional Path to Racing Glory."

Holy Bull’s path to glory was anything but ordinary. Born outside the Bluegrass and destined for racing’s blue-collar ranks, this gray colt did not inspire Triple Crown dreams. Yet owner and trainer Warren “Jimmy” Croll saw his champion’s potential. Croll and jockey Mike Smith took Holy Bull all the way to the Kentucky Derby, but a lethargic performance ended in a twelfth-place finish. This could have ended their aspirations, but the team came back stronger. Just weeks after the Derby, Holy Bull returned to dominate the rest of the racing season with incredible speed and drive.

Holy Bull: An Unconventional Path to Racing Glory captures the spirit of 1994’s Horse of the Year, following Holy Bull’s career from humble beginnings to the Hall of Fame and highlighting the experiences of the people behind his success. The result is a gripping portrait of a remarkable horse. A compelling account of an underdog’s rise to greatness, Holy Bull contains the grit of the stables and the thrill of the racetrack.

Avalyn Hunter is a nationally recognized authority on Thoroughbred pedigrees and racing history whose work has appeared in the Blood-Horse, Thoroughbred Times, Owner-Breeder International, MarketWatch, New York Breeder, and Louisiana Horse. She is the author of many equine-related titles, including "The Kentucky Oaks: 150 Years of Running for the Lilies" and "Dream Derby: The Myth and Legend of Black Gold."