Kentucky Utilities to Sponsor Keeneland’s Grade 3 Transylvania

By Amy Gregory —-

LEXINGTON, KY (March 20, 2018) – Keeneland today announced that Lexington-based Kentucky Utilities Company has been named the signature sponsor of the $150,000 Transylvania (G3), to be held opening day of the 2018 Spring Meet, Friday, April 6.

“Kentucky Utilities is respected throughout the Commonwealth as a business and civic leader, and we are proud to welcome them to the Keeneland family,” Keeneland Vice President of Racing and Sales Bob Elliston said. “We value their partnership in support of Keeneland and Thoroughbred racing.”

The Transylvania, a 1 1/16-mile turf race for 3-year-olds, is the much-anticipated kickoff of Keeneland’s Spring Meet. Inaugurated in 1989, the stakes has been won by such noted grass horses as Shakhimat, Jack Milton, Silver Max, Air Support, Marcavelly, Shy Tom and Canadian Horse of the Year Izvestia. The Transylvania takes its name from Lexington’s Transylvania University, founded in 1780.

“Keeneland is one of the most iconic tourist attractions in Kentucky, and we’re pleased to partner with them to help promote economic development in the Commonwealth,” said Chris Whelan, vice president of Corporate Communications for LG&E and KU Energy. “Much of our community support goes to helping education, the environment and our most vulnerable customers. However, we also believe it’s important to invest in the communities we serve and the attractions that Kentucky has to offer.”

As part of the sponsorship, KU and Keeneland are making a matching donation to God’s Pantry Food Bank of Lexington, a nonprofit committed to reducing hunger in Kentucky.

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Kentucky Utilities Company, part of the PPL Corporation (NYSE: PPL) family of companies, is a regulated utility that serves 553,000 customers in 77 Kentucky counties and five counties in Virginia that are serviced by Old Dominion Power Company, the name under which KU operates in Virginia. It has consistently ranked among the best companies for customer service in the United States. More information is available at www.lge-ku.com and www.pplweb.com.
For more than 80 years, the Keeneland Association has devoted itself to the health and vibrancy of the Thoroughbred industry. As the world’s largest Thoroughbred auction company, Keeneland conducts sales every January, September and November. Its sales graduates dominate racing across the globe at every level. In April and October, Keeneland offers some of the highest caliber and richest Thoroughbred racing in the world. In 2015, Keeneland hosted the Breeders’ Cup World Championships. Uniquely structured, Keeneland is a private, for-profit corporation that returns its earnings to the industry and the community in the form of higher purses, and it has donated millions of dollars in charitable contributions for education, research and health and human services throughout Central Kentucky. More information is available at Keeneland.com.