Kentucky Horse Farm & Tourism Brochures

Here’s a collection of tourism and horse farm tour brochures from the 1950s though 1970s. Mostly, I will be listing items which feature a photo of the Man O’War statue while at Faraway Farm, though a few other interesting pieces may be included. New images will be posted throughout August.

Central Kentucky Tours, Inc. Brochure

Here’s a tour brochure from most likely the 70’s. The original ebay listed labeled it as 1975. What is interesting with this photo is the inclusion of the two grave markers for War Relic (1938–1963) and War Admiral (1934–1959), two of Man o’War’s most prized offspring. Both graves were also moved to the Kentucky Horse Park in 1977 and still rest at the feet of their legendary sire. I’ve taken the scan of the photo and colorized it as best I could.

Central Kentucky Tours, Inc. Brochure - inside spread

Colorized photo of Man O' War Statue at Faraway Farm from Central Kentucky Tours, Inc. Brochure

Lexington, Kentucky Blue Grass Tours Brochure

Here’s a brochure for Lexington, Kentucky Blue Grass Tours from sometime in the 1960s. A colorized version of the scan of the photo is also displayed. On the cover is a scene of several horses grazing under large trees in the fields. On the back is a photo of a mother and yearling galloping around a farm. On the inside, there are pictures of a group of seniors boarding a bus, Ashland – Home of Henry Clay, and the Man O’ War Statue at its original location at Faraway Farm.

Lexington, Kentucky Blue Grass Tours brochure inside spread

Grayscale version of photo of Man O'War statue at Faraway Farm from Lexington, Kentucky Blue Grass Tours brochure

For A Weekend or a Week, Tour The Bluegrass
Rolling fields of lush Kentucky bluegrass with handsome thoroughbred horses roaming their wide expanse … Expensively built and spotlessly clean barns housing these aristocrats of the equine world … Historical and modern-day mansions remindful of the gracious living of the Old South … Transylvania College, oldest institution of higher learning west of the Alleghenies where Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederacy, was a student … Beautiful Ashland, home of the great statesman, Henry Clay … Race Tracks, where racing is in the highest tradition of the sport … the University of Kentucky with its new, multi-million dollar Medical Center, one of the finest in the nation.Yes, you can see these and many other points of interest, leisurely and without bother of consulting maps or driving your own car. BLUE GRASS TOURS furnishes the transportation as well as gracious, highly-informed guides who can describe in detail and and answer your every question about this picturesque section of Kentucky.. And it’s all included in the price of your tour!Tours leave Daily and Sunday April through October from 239 North Broadway (Chamber of Commerice Building) Lexington, Kentucky. (No minimum number). Time of departure: 1:30 p.m.; Tour 21/2-3 Hours; Fare $3.95 – Children $1.95 if accompanied by an adult.

visit Kentucky’s Horse Farms in the beautiful bluegrass country

Here’s a brochure most likely from the 1960s. The back cover highlights the six race tracks in the state – Churchill Downs and Miles Park at Louisville, Keeneland and the Lexington Trots (aka The Red Mile) at Lexington, Latonia at Florence, and Ellis Park at Henderson. There’s a calendar of horse events for Spring, Summer, and Fall plus a glossary of most common horse farm terms. The inside spread dishes on wonders of the area…

there’s a lot to do and see at KENTUCKY’S HORSE FARMS
the farms and horses will make you feel “right at home”. The Kentucky Bluegrass Region is devoted to the raising of every breed. Here you will see acres of blue-hued pastures, miles of spanking white fences, magnificent barns… and horses, horses everywhere. There are more than two hundred horse farms in Kentucky and the majority concentrate in the high-spirited Thoroughbred, producing more race horses for a ready marker than all the other farms in the United States put together. Virtually every farm has its “great name” in horses… plus the country’s finest brood mares, dozens of long-legged gangling foal, and famous stallions that earned their right to a stud career on America’s race tracks or in its show ring. there are exciting sites… and fun for all the family at Kentucky’s horse farms.

Open house for visitors. Family groups like this are welcome everywhere in the Bluegrass to see dams and foals in luxurious pastures.
Proud stableman parades a famous race horse – now retired. Stallions like this often command stud fees of $10,000 and more.
Horses enjoy visitors… especially when they come with lots of admiration, a pat on the nose, and perhaps a lump of sugar.
“Let’s be friends.” Boy and foal get acquainted. three years from now this curious colt may win the famed Kentucky Derby.
Handsome yearly racing hopefuls are displayed to prospective buyers just before Lexington’s important annual sales.

A trip “high point” – visit to the statue of Man o’War… the most famous race horse the world has ever produced.

Lexington – Home of The Horse… the Kentucky Blue Grass Region

This brochure, possibly from the 1950s, reads at the top “HIGHWAYS NOS. 25-27-60-68-421 AND INTERSTATE NOS. 64 AND 75 LEADS TO” as an intro to the main title. On the inside panels are 9 photos for Walnut Hall Stuf Yearling, Ashland, Henry Clay’s Home, Woodland Pasture, Castleton’s Wing Commander, Greentree Farm Mansion, Blue Grass Pasture, Spendthrift Farm Mansion, Old Keene Place, and Man O’ War Grave.

Tourism brochure - Lexington - Home of the Horse - the Kentucky Blue grass Region (inside spread panels)

Photo of Man O' War's Grave from Lexington, Kentucky tourism brochure

Scenic – Historic Kentucky – The Blue Grass State – 65 Views

This is nifty booklet measuring 9″ x 6: and containing 65 views of all the scenic and historic wonders of the Blue Grass state. One of the pages on the inside showcasing Lexington includes a photo with the caption, “MAN-O-WAR, “The Wonder Horse” – The one time mighty monarch of the track lies beneath his huge statue on Faraway Farm.” This image looks identical, just cropped and colorized for the booklet, as the one seen on the postcard with the credit “Ektachrome by Helen O’Brien“.

Inside page showing Man O' War Statue at Faraway Farm for Scenic - Historic Kentucky - The Blue Grass State - 65 Views

Back cover for Scenic - Historic Kentucky - The Blue Grass State - 65 Views

Greetings from Kentucky - The Blue Grass State

Explore Kentucky

Here’s a tourism brochure from around 1965. It’s a six panel trifold with “Horse Farm in Bluegrass Section Near Lexington” on the cover. Inside there are many scenes of all the grand sites to see around the state plus a map of Kentucky and a chart for “Parks and Shrines” and “Other Facilities” including state parks. The Man O’War statue at Faraway Farm is featured prominently in one panel.

Visit LEXINGTON – This is the statue of Man O’ War, world’s most famous race horse. There are over 200 horse farms in the Bluegrass near Lexington with all kinds of horses, including Thoroughbreds race horses and American Saddle Horses. You’ll enjoy visiting the horse farms.

Lexington Kentucky – Heart of the Famous Blue Grass Region – 1953

A short history of Lexington, “The Blue Grass Region” and the early settlement of Kentucky prepared especially for America’s school children and grown-ups who are interested in the historic shrines of Lexington and the Blue Grass.

By F.E. SMITH, Lexington, Ky. Eigth Edition, 1953. published by the Lexington Chamber of Commerce.

Originally a double-sides foldout, I have presented the pages here in the correct reading order. The included photos are labeled… Morrrison Chapel, Transylvania College – Memorial Hall, University of Kentucky – “Ashland,” home of Henry Clay, Lexington – Daniel Boone’s Grave at Frankfort – Dixiana Farm Scene. The Man O’ War statue at Faraway Farm is featured on page 5. the paragraph above the image reads “Five miles north of Lexington on Faraway Farm is the grave and heroic sized bronze statue of Man o’ War, the world’s most famous thoroughbred stallion who won 20 races out of 21 starts, winning $249,465 during his racing career.”