Kentucky Horse Country

The Kentucky Derby, run each year on the first Saturday in May, has been called the most exciting two minutes in sports. However, Kentucky has enough equine attractions to thrill any horse-lover year-round. Louisville, site of the Derby's Churchill Downs, and Lexington, home to farms where racing champions are born and trained, are ideal getaway destinations for animal-loving kids and their parents. In the surrounding countryside, uncrowded highways meander through rolling landscapes lush with central Kentucky's famed bluegrass. Plus, budget-friendly hotels and dining options abound. My husband and I and our son, Austin, age 11, are recent transplants to Louisville. We set out not long ago to spend three days exploring legendary racetracks, swanky horse farms, and locales featured in favorite pony-centric films such as "Dreamer" and "Seabiscuit." Here's what we saw and did.