Seven retired thoroughbreds and one miniature horse who have been living at Old Friends farm at Kentucky Downs will be moving to Georgetown on Thursday, July 25. The last day visitors can meet the horses at the Simpson County site is Tuesday, July23.
The main Old Friends thoroughbred retirement farm is in Georgetown. Simpson County has been as a satellite location, but it hasn’t drawn enough visitors to make it economically feasible to keep the horses at that site.
One of the staff members at the Simpson County Tourism Commission who has been giving tours of Old Friends farm is Karen Eaton. She said each horse has a story.
“Thornfield is the oldest horse that we have," said Eaton. "He’s 25 years old this year and he’s won over a million dollars in his racing career.”
The other thoroughbreds are Dueling Alex, Balfour, Sergeant Burt, Rumor Has It, Good Lord and Balance of Power. The miniature horse is named Fonzie.
Eaton said members of the tourism staff have been giving the tours of Old Friends farm, telling visitors about the horses and their lives.
“They’ve really become like our pets at work. We’ve really gotten attached to ‘em and we’re really go to miss them when they go back to Georgetown," said Eaton. "They’re going to have excellent care in Georgetown. It’s just going to be that we miss ‘em.”
Kentucky Downs allowed the Old Friends facility to use its property, but was not involved in the decision to shut down the farm for the retired thoroughbreds.
