Keeneland's Ted Bassett (eBook)

Founded in 1935, Keeneland is widely regarded by horseracing enthusiasts and professionals as one of the world's premier racetracks. Its April and October race meetings and its annual public thoroughbred auctions lure participants from around the world. By far, James E. "Ted" Bassett III is the man whose name is most frequently linked with Keeneland's extraordinary history and success. Bassett's involvement with Keeneland began in 1968, after he served in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II and was director of the Kentucky State Police during the tumultuous mid-1960s. Since 1968, Bassett has served as Keeneland's president, chairman of the board, and trustee. Arguably the most respected figure within the global racing industry, he was also president of the Breeders' Cup during its greatest period of growth. During his life, Bassett has been a close friend and professional associate with heads of state and government officials both domestically and afar -- including Queen Elizabeth II, Ronald Reagan, J. Edgar Hoover, and the Maktoum family of Dubai. He has formed equally close ties with racing legends such as D. Wayne Lukas, Nick Zito, and Pat Day. Written with two-time Eclipse Award winning racing journalist Bill Mooney, Keeneland's Ted Bassett: My Life is essential reading for fans of the Sport of Kings and a valuable resource for historians. It chronicles each definitive period of Bassett's life, from prep school to Keeneland and beyond, illuminating the private details that shaped his public achievements and offering readers a unique, intimate portrait of the man who defined Keeneland and an entire industry.

In the December 30, 1967, edition of the weekly Thoroughbred trade publication, the Blood-Horse, was an announcement that took up one inch of space -- James E. "Ted" Bassett III had been named assistant to the president of the Keeneland Association. It was sandwiched between equally short news items about a handicapping seminar at an East Coast racetrack and a California vacation trip by a horse-owning couple. Bassett's new job, in his own words, "was not earthshaking news." More than four decades later, Ted Bassett is one of the most respected figures within the global Thoroughbred industry. He has served as Keeneland's president, chairman of the board, and trustee, playing a critical role in its ascendency as a premier Thoroughbred track and auction house. Bassett was also president of Breeders' Cup Limited during its greatest period of growth and has been a key architect in the development of the Sport of Kings as we know it today.

Written in collaboration with two-time Eclipse Award--winning journalist Bill Mooney, Keeneland's Ted Bassett: My Life recounts Bassett's extraordinary journey, including his days at Kent School and Yale University, through his U.S. Marine Corps service in the Pacific theater during World War II, and as director of the Kentucky State Police during the turbulent 1960s. He helped found the College of Justice & Safety at Eastern Kentucky University, and his continuing service to the Marine Corps has gained him the highest honors accorded to a civilian. During his forty-plus years with Keeneland, Bassett has hobnobbed with hot walkers in the track kitchen, hosted the first visit by Queen Elizabeth II to a United States track, and participated in many of the most important events in the modern history of horse racing.

With self-effacing humor, characteristic charm, and candor, Bassett describes his association with historic figures such as J. Edgar Hoover and Kentucky governors Albert B. "Happy" Chandler, Edward T. "Ned" Breathitt, and John Y. Brown; and his friendships with racing personalities D. Wayne Lukas, Nick Zito, Ron McAnally, Pat Day, and Joe Hirsch. Bassett shares details about difficult corporate decisions and great racing events that only he can supply, and about the formation of Equibase, the premier data collection agency within the Thoroughbred industry. He tells about his role as an international ambassador for racing, which has made him a highly influential figure on six continents. Bassett often describes his life as a fascinating blur.

That "blur" and all its unique components are brought into sharp focus in a book that is as wide-ranging as it is personal, filled with a gold mine of firsthand stories and historical details. In addition to highlighting Keeneland's reputation as the jewel of the Thoroughbred industry, Bassett chronicles the business of racing and accomplishments of many prominent people in the horse world, and elsewhere, during the twentieth century.