Their names are familiar — Ortíz, Espínoza, Prado, Velázquez — while others may be less so, but all build the backbone of a sport, the men and women whose dedication to the horse make each day at the races possible.

The Keeneland Library’s newest exhibit, “Raíces: The Making of Latino Legacies in Racing,” honors the deep connection between the sport and these Latino professionals who have brought their experience and expertise with equine athletes to the United States for more than a century and helped build racing as we know it.

Raíces: The Making of Latino Legacies in Racing exhibit (Keelneland Library photo)

Comprised of a series of panels with photographs and biographical vignettes plus an audio presentation in Spanish and a forthcoming book, “Raíces” — roots in Spanish — echoes the library’s previous exhibit, “The Heart of the Turf,” which highlighted the many contributions African Americans have made over the last two centuries. The title evokes the multi-generational nature of the sport at all levels, from breeding to riding to caring for these athletes. “Raíces – or roots – are emblematic of legacies sowed and sustained in the industry since the 1800s,” said Roda Ferraro, director of Keeneland Library. “Individual agency over time is a core theme of the exhibit, and the inclusion of ‘making’ in the title is meant to convey that agency.”

Though many fans may be most familiar with the mid-20^th century arrival of jockeys like Manny Ycaza, Braulio Baeza, and others, the Latino connection to American racing dates back to the 19^th century, which the exhibit shares, tracing the contributions of Latino equine professionals from the Caribbean and Central and South America.

From these regions came jockeys, trainers, breeders, and others who brought their knowledge and experience to America, populations that the exhibit wanted to celebrate, with “a deliberate focus on crafting narratives that consider the totality of contributions at every level of the sport and embedding those stories in broader social, historical, and economic contexts,” Ferraro said.

Raíces: The Making of Latino Legacies in Racing exhibit (Keelneland Library photo)

The exhibit does this through photographs that came from a deep dive of the library’s own prodigious collections as well as from media professionals from multiple countries. Additionally, Alex Solis, Ramón Domínguez, and Baeza loaned awards and memorabilia from their personal collections to display alongside the Keeneland Library’s own pieces, each selected to engage visitors and share the stories of the generations of Latinos who have been an integral part of American horse racing.

To create “Raíces,” Ferraro worked with a team of historians, journalists, and translators and compiled a list of important Latino figures in the sport, names recognizable to fans who experience racing in English and Spanish. As this year also marks the 250^th anniversary of the city of Lexington, the library was able to apply and receive a grant along with a sponsorship from Susan Naylor/Safari North LLC to fund this effort.

These funds allowed the curatorial team of Ferraro and Dr. Elisabeth Gabrielle Kuenzli, associate professor of history at the University of South Carolina, to bring in content creators from six different countries, ensuring that a broad range of the sport’s Latino professionals are represented. The 100 men and women “Raíces” covers includes jockeys Ismael “Milo” Valenzuela, Angel Cordero Jr., Laffit Pincay Jr., Jose Ortiz, Irad Ortiz Jr., Junior Alvarado, Javier Castellano, Dominguez, Baeza, and others; trainers Laz Barrera, Gustavo Delgado, Fausto Gutíerrez, Paulo Lobo, and Ignacio Correas; breeders Carlos Heller Solari and Bernardo Álvarez-Calderón; journalists Carlos Morales and Juan Carlos Feijoó González; and many more.

The Making of Latino Legacies in Racing (Keelneland Library photo)

In addition to the exhibit and the forthcoming book, available in December, the Keeneland Library also plans to support “Raíces” through tours for people of all ages; programs for the sport’s stakeholders; and eventually a road trip through Kentucky and beyond, which will come with educational and outreach programs at host sites. What first “The Heart of the Turf” and now “Raíces” illustrate is the library’s continued emphasis on sharing the untold or overlooked stories from the sport as they endeavor “to showcase the longstanding impacts of men and women from across the Americas at every level of the sport over time,” Ferraro said.

This exhibit connects the contributions of our Latino neighbors from across the Americas and beyond with moments familiar to their experience of the sport: Mexico’s Victor Espínoza’s 2015 Triple Crown win with American Pharoah; Peruvian Edgar Prado’s relationship with 2006 Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro; Cuba’s Frank “Pancho” Martín and Sham, a 1973 Triple Crown rival to Secretariat. “Raíces” is a chance to recognize and celebrate the men and women who have given so much of themselves to these equine athletes and the sport we all cherish.

For Hall of Fame jockey  Domínguez, “ ‘Raíces: The Making of Latino Legacies in Racing’ is such a wonderful way to recognize how Latinos have greatly helped shape horse racing in North America. It has been an honor to be one of the people featured in the exhibit and equally rewarding to have been part of the teamwork that helped its creation.”

“This exhibition adds a long deserved recognition to the Latinos and their role in the horse racing history in America, as, no matter their country of origin, nor their role in the industry,” Carlos Morales of Agentes 305, also featured in “Raíces,” said of Keeneland’s newest display. “Latinos are a must in the mix of this industry and an engine to move this forward. I feel humble and grateful for this recognition from this exhibition and the committee that helped to select the Latinos that would be part of it. Seeing myself alongside so many great names of the Latino community in horse racing, many of those that I have admired so much, is something quite special and unique.”

To experience this vital history, visit the Keeneland Library in Lexington, Ky. Step inside and engage with the stories of “Raíces,” available in both English and Spanish, and learn more about these sport shapers and their many contributions to the sport today.