Legacy Equine Academy

Growing up near Third Street in Lexington, Ron Mack spent much of his childhood playing football with friends on what was once the infield of the Kentucky Association racetrack, but he didn't realize that they were throwing a football on hallowed ground until years later. After playing football for the University of Kentucky and then building a career in commercial banking in Atlanta, Mack returned to Lexington in 2014 and began digging into the history of horse racing and the Kentucky Association. What Mack learned through his research led to...

Legacy Equine Academy (LEA) and Lexington's Spy Coast Farm have entered into a three-year, multi-faceted partnership for students interested in equestrian and agricultural studies. Spy Coast, which specializes in the breeding and development of performance horses, will provide funding, access to industry events, and career training for LEA student leaders, in addition to the use of Spy Coast's breeding, development, and education center. LEA gives African American and racially diverse middle and high school students the opportunity to learn horsemanship, as well as providing industry-related internships, co-ops, and college scholarships.

Officials at the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters (NTWAB), which consists of more than 180 professional racing journalists, announced Wednesday a pledge of $5,000 to Legacy Equine Academy, a Lexington-based program that gives racially diverse middle and high school students the opportunity to learn horsemanship through exposure to farms and the racing industry. "The NTWAB officers and board voted unanimously in the spring and gained the support of its general membership at our meeting prior to the Kentucky Derby to make a significant, one-time donation to a group that benefits...