Tracks & Racing
Melinda Vest:
I started in the horse industry like most women, as a little girl who so badly wanted a horse. When I graduated High School in Louisville, I convinced my parents to let me attend KEEP at the Kentucky Horse Park. KEEP at that time was the Kentucky Equine Education PROGRAM, a college type program that taught every aspect of horsemanship.
From there, I got a job at Keeneland galloping horses. I did this for 5 years. My friends and associates convinced me to ride races. I went on to become a jockey at Churchill Downs for 10 years.
As time went by, I wanted a family and to settle down. I came to Turfway Park and talked to the owners who I knew in racing. I was hired as the Program Coordinator at Turfway Park and have been so for 22 years.
This is my life and racing is my extended family. I live in Verona with my husband and two children, we have made our life here. Never having horses of my own, I now have several Thoroughbred broodmares and a retired race horse. This is my life and this is MY industry.