It's Derby Week! 3 of our favorite equestrian-themed homes we've featured over the years

Horses and horse racing aren’t exclusive to Louisville — but the Kentucky Derby is. In celebration of the 150th annual event, here are a few of our favorite Kentucky Derby dwellings we've featured over the years. Each home is filled with history, admirable artwork, and equine embellishments.

Happy Derby!

A place to party

Tonya York's Indian Hills home has seen many a Kentucky Derby party.

“I threw my first Derby party when I was 10, in my parents’ basement,” she said, laughing. “They were at the Derby and I had a Derby party. And then when I was a freshman in college at the age of 17, I went to the infield, which everybody has to do. And then (after several years) my dad … got grandstand seats. So, I went (nearly) every year from the time I was 17. I have not missed a Derby — except (in 2020) when you couldn't go.”

York has come a long way from Kentucky Derby basement bashes. Over the years, she has co-chaired the Mint Jubilee Gala with her sister (which has gone through several name changes but always benefits the James Graham Brown Cancer Center in Louisville); started the annual star-studded Unbridled Eve Derby Gala; and hosted countless soirees at her house.

In the weeks leading up to the big event, York pulls out all her equine and red rose accessories to celebrate the season. A vintage Kentucky Derby welcome flag hangs out front; a faux red rose wreath adorns the front door; Derby pillows decorate her bed and sofa; and countless other sculptures, figurines, and pieces of art pay homage to the "greatest "Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports."

There’s even an autographed picture in her home office, affixed to the wall above her computer monitor.

“That is Secretariat winning the Belmont,” she said of the black-and-white framed photograph. “I love this, and it's signed by (Hall of Fame Jockey) Ron Turcotte. He won by, like, 31 lengths, and the jockey can't even imagine how far back the next horse is. Secretariat was amazing!”

Horse haven

A person’s home is as much a reflection of their personality as the clothing they wear, the food they eat, and the people they spend their time with. This statement certainly holds for Kim Smith’s home in North Oldham country, filled with equine art, accessories, and Kentucky Derby-related décor.

Smith is the founder and executive director of Second Stride, Inc., a local nonprofit organization that provides professional rehabilitation, retraining, and placement of retired thoroughbred racehorses. Her interest and love for all things equine can be seen throughout her Cape Cod-style house.

Through the front doors — which boast double leather horse collars — the entryway features an equine sculpture placed on a piece that Churchill Downs outrider Lee Lockwood once had atop his horse. To the right, a Pegasus centerpiece created by Smith’s mother rests in the middle of the dining table.

In the kitchen, Kentucky Derby glasses are set up on a serving tray; a dishcloth printed with a mint julep recipe lies next to it. Blue placemats with embroidered jockey silks sit under the table settings on the kitchen island.

The biggest equine accessory, however, is the Gallopolooza-style horse on the front lawn. Smith was told that the sculpture was purchased at a Kentucky fundraiser and later transported to Nevada. To get it back to the Bluegrass state, the piece was loaded onto a trailer with several real horses and driven to Smith’s home.

“There was a baby horse (on the trailer), and it got so attached to the trophy … (that) when we took it off, he was hollering because he wanted it to come back,” she said with a laugh.

Smith’s favorite aspect of the home is how much it allows her to feel connected to nature.

“Everywhere you look in this neighborhood, when you look out a window, you’ll see something neat,” she said. “I love Oldham County. … You get the farm feel here without the extra work.”

Raising racers

Legendary horse breeder Warner Jones has raised winners of the Kentucky Derby, Kentucky Oaks, Breeders' Cup and hundreds of other stakes races on Hermitage Farm since taking over the land in 1936. The farm passed through the hands of another owner in 1994, before Laura Lee Brown and Steve Wilson, founders of 21c Museum Hotels, purchased the farm in 2010 to prevent the land from being subdivided.

In addition to maintaining the open green space that is Hermitage Farm, Brown and Wilson have also continued the thoroughbred operation, opened farm-to-table restaurant Barn8, and renovated the main home.

Brown and Wilson’s 21c Hotels are known for being decked out with contemporary art collections, and the décor in their Hermitage Farm house is no different. The couple carefully complemented the home’s 11-foot ceilings and historic features — such as the original flooring and hand-carved mantels — with bold artwork.

The assortment of art and antiques continues into the home’s adjacent stable, though the pieces here — including a photograph of 1953 Kentucky Derby winner Dark Star — are clearly equine-themed.

“The farm has a long history in the thoroughbred industry,” Wilson said, describing how Hermitage operates as a thoroughbred nursery. “We raise foals, and then we wean them and take them to a different barn and raise them until they’re yearlings. Then we take them to Keeneland for sale — and then they begin their racing career with other owners.”

The process cycles, he explained.

“We breed them, they have their babies, we take care of the babies, and then we re-breed the mares, so we (always) have different aged animals on the farm — and we hope they all win the Kentucky Derby.”

Know a house that would make a great Home of the Week? Email writer Lennie Omalza at aloha@lennieomalza.com or Lifestyle Editor Kathryn Gregory at kgregory@gannett.com.

nuts & bolts: A place to party

Owner: Tonya York, who is a small business owner and the president of York Management, Inc. Also in the home is Sebastian, aka “Sabby,” the cat owner of the house.

Home: This is a 3-bed, 2-and-a-half bath, 3,222-square foot, colonial-style home that was built in 1963.

Distinctive elements: Equine elements and red rose accents throughout to celebrate the Kentucky Derby season; a collection of majolica; a variety of original oil paintings with water/ocean scenes throughout; fleur-de-lis in every room; basement bar/den with artwork by Billy Lopa and several Kentucky artists, including Josh Bunch, Kasha, Rodney Brewer, Chris Hauck, and Micki Thomas; artwork in additional rooms and spaces by other Kentucky artists, including Ed Hamilton, Ann Troutman, John Aebi, Herb Bradshaw, and Ann R. Pass; office with desktop computers and workstations for four people; spacious back patio and front porch; remodeled master bedroom outfitted in neutrals and soothing blues and greens.

Applause! Applause! Paulette Jones Interior Design; Israel Chavez for the back patio and yard; Larry Fischer, handyman extraordinaire; B J O’Daniel & Millennium Florals; Barry Wooley Designs; Britt Weatherby for the home’s original renovations; April Fawbush; Deanne Jones, Sonny Fondale for the steps and trim work; Laura’s Painting & More; John Peer Electric; Climax Heating & Cooling; Dave Mikels; Bill Pearse; York Management, Inc.

nuts & bolts: Horse haven

Owner: Kim Smith, founder/executive director of Second Stride Inc., a racehorse safety net & transitioning charity. Also in the home are her husband Mark and their children.

Home: This is a 4-bed, 4-bath, 4,600-square-foot, Cape Cod-style home in a North Oldham neighborhood that was built in 2016.

Distinctive elements: Custom-built Cape Cod ranch home; exterior character with copper covered cupola and copper heron weather vane; triple-copper covered domed dormers; limestone block flanked front porch with copper gas lanterns, and custom stained porch ceilings; double leather horse collar door statements; antique wrought iron horse hitching post; Gallopalooza-style yard horse; two bedrooms with a connected full bath via sliding barn doors; main bedroom with porch access and walk-in closet past the ensuite; bath with soaker tub, walk-in shower, leaded crystal custom window over tub and transom, double sink Carrara marble vanity, and heated tile floor; open floor plan with large wall-length multiple sliding doors along the back side of the home to bring the outdoors in and allow for the country scape view; back covered patios, with built-in gas port; French door paned glass entry to first floor office; 10-foot ceilings with 15-foot beamed great room; limestone and custom wood-trimmed mantle; honed marble/quartz counter tops in kitchen with cast iron farm sink; custom cabinetry and island with lighted glass shelved passthrough; laundry rooms on both levels; finished walk-out basement with 1800\'s hand-hewn beams as drink counter and basement fireplace mantle; shelved storage room and full bath with heated tile floors that connects to in-law suite; full kitchen amenities downstairs, including a hammered copper farm sink with marble/Quartz countertops; three-car garage, with fourth-bay mower/storage/work bench room located off the basement.

Applause! Applause! Aesthetics and design by J Lloyd Design/Janet Rupp; build by TMC/Tim Menard Construction Landscape; design and installation by Bowling Nursery/Kevin Bowling; lighting by Brechers Lighting; original local art by Jamie Corum, Connie Sandusky, Robyn Lyons, Susan Hackworth Hoffman, Yvonne Williams, Phyllis Wood, and the students of Laurel Lammers and Dun Bar.

nuts & bolts: Raising racers

Owners: Laura Lee Brown and Steve Wilson. They are the owners of Hermitage Farm and the founders of 21c Museum Hotels.

Home: This is a 5-bed, 5-bath, 4,000-square foot Federal-style home that was built in 1830. There is an adjacent 1-bed, 1-bath, 600-square-foot smokehouse. Both are rentable for special occasions or nights out on the Hermitage Farm property.

Distinctive elements: Original hardwood floors; 11-foot ceilings; fully functioning fireplaces; kitchen and catering prep area; original contemporary artwork by world-renowned artists, including Chuck Close, Gaela Erwin and John Brooks; smokehouse with loft space.

Applause! Applause! Douglas Riddle of Bittners

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Equestrian-themed homes in Kentucky: Hermitage Farm, Second Stride Inc