The brand new B. Wayne Hughes Visitors Center (Spendthrift Farm)
LEXINGTON, Ky.— Spendthrift Farm, a leader in the Thoroughbred horse racing and breeding industry, will be unveiling its new B. Wayne Hughes Visitors Center during a grand opening on Tuesday, Nov. 1st at 1pm as part of the celebration of Breeders’ Cup week in Lexington, KY.
Mayor Linda Gorton, Senator Damon Thayer, Congressman Andy Barr, among other dignitaries will be in attendance. The event will be for media and invited guests only.
The 7,000 square-foot, two-story visitors center will serve as Spendthrift’s new home for tourism. It is located in the heart of the historic Lexington-based farm, interconnecting Spendthrift’s stallion complex to the main office. The building features a trophy room, gift shop, outdoor & indoor entertainment space and office space, and it showcases the farm’s collection of prized trophies, artifacts, and other memorabilia and history on display.
What: The grand opening of the B. Wayne Hughes Visitors Center, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and speakers including Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton, VisitLex President Mary Quinn Ramer, and Spendthrift Farm owner Eric Gustavson.
When: Tuesday, November 1, 2022 at 1:00 p.m.
Where: Spendthrift Farm, located at 884 Iron Works Pike in Lexington, Kentucky. Media should enter through the automatic gate (with eagles on gate posts) off of Iron Works Pike. Drive about a quarter mile to a split in the road, go left and in a few hundred yards you will come up to the B. Wayne Hughes Visitors Center on the right (by horse statue).
Who: Eric & Tammy Gustavson, owners of Spendthrift Farm; Linda Gorton, Mayor of Lexington; Damon Thayer, Senator representing Kentucky’s 17th district and Majority Leader of the Kentucky Senate; Andy Barr, Congressman representing Kentucky’s 6th district; Mary Quinn Ramer, President of VisitLex; Mark Simendinger, Kentucky Horse Racing Commission Board Member; Mona Lewis Juett, Deputy Commissioner at Kentucky Department of Tourism; Hallie Hardy, Executive Director of Horse Country; Douwe Blumberg, owner of Douwe Studios & sculptor of the Malibu Moon statue.
Why: The vision of its late namesake, the B. Wayne Hughes Visitors Center is the new home for Spendthrift Farm’s continued growth in agritourism, bringing access, education, awareness and entertainment to the public and shining a light on the Thoroughbred industry and Central Kentucky. Established in 1937, Spendthrift is the world’s largest Thoroughbred breeding farm with 27 resident stallions.
Spendthrift Farm Press Release
