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J 0 JACK KEENE Death Takes J 0 Keene Kentucky OwnerBreeder OwnerBreederSuffers Suffers Fatal Heart Attack in Detroit Where Stable Was Racing RacingDETROIT DETROIT Mich May 27 The thor ¬ oughbred sport lost one of its most ardent supporters today when John Oliver Keene master of Keeneland Stud dropped dead from a heart attack at the Detroiter Hotel here The noted Lexington Ky owner and breeder who enjoyed a long and success ¬ ful career on the turf had been in ill health for the past year but came to the Detroit Fair Grounds after the close of the Kentucky season at Churchill Downs with his 10horse stable His death came as a shock for Keene had appeared to be re ¬ gaining some of his stamina and he had been a daily visitor at the Motor City oval since the course opened its 1943 session last Saturday SaturdayKeene Keene best known for his operation of famed Keeneland Stud continued his thor ¬ oughbred breeding activities to the time of his death The nursery which embraces 200 acres in Fayette County near the pres ¬ ent Keeneland Association track is one of the show places in the blue grass sector and 50 mares the most prominent of which is Jeanne Bowdre are presently quartered there The stallions Grand Slam Jean Valjean Silver Horde and In vermark are standing at Keeneland Stud The Keene contingent at the local course are all homebreds several of whom are promising racing prospects prospectsKeene Keene a native of Lexington Ky was 77 years old and he was born on the Keeneland Farm on which now stands part of the Keeneland track The last of the famous Keene family first aw the light of day from the mellowed old man Continued on Page Three Heart Attack Fatal To Jack 0 Keene KeeneWellRTnown WellRTnown Kentucky Owner And Breeder Dies at Detroit DetroitWhere Detroitf f Where Stable Was Racing RacingContinued Continued from Page One Onesion sion on the estate in which the Marquis de Lafayette once was entertained while visiting in Kentucky KentuckyKeene Keene made several fortunes in breeding and racing and lost a like number Com ¬ ing from a famous racing family he en ¬ tered the business at an early age joining the Emery Sales Company a Chicago con ¬ cern engaged in the handling of thorough ¬ breds Such a life did not appeal to the Kentucky turfman and he wanted to be on the tracks with his stock flying the Keene silks orange and black blackJoining Joining his brother Hamilton Keene John Oliver began a partnership in a rac ¬ ing stable and breeding farm which lasted until Hamiltons death a few years ago Keene travelled all over the world with tne thoroughbreds he and Ham bred and campaigned Most of these performers were raised at the Keeneland Stud main ¬ tained by the two brothers brothersStarting Starting in California the Keene brothers amassed considerable working capital and they took their charges to Japan and China Such success followed their inva ¬ sion of the Orient that Jjohn Oliver Keene was summoned by Czar Nicholas of Rus ¬ sia to condition the royal string in 1902 Keene remained in Russia for several years handling the Czars horses during which time he won the Moscow St Peters ¬ burg and Warsaw Stakes for hi employer employerReturning Returning to his beloved Kentucky in 1911 the quite life of the breeding farm palled on him after a short stay and Keene built the Raceland track at Ashland Ky operating it for several years yearsAimed Aimed for Model Breeding Establishment EstablishmentKeenes Keenes dream was to turn the Keene ¬ land Farm into a model breeding establish ¬ ment and to this end he built a 100000 stone and brick barn which is now the Keeneland Race Courses clubhouse He sold a portion of his farm to the Keene ¬ land Association in 1935 for the erection of that organizations popular nonprofit plant plantAs As might be expected the Keeneland track is closely associated with him as it was built on property that he once owned It was from him that the Keeneland Asso ¬ ciation acquired title to it and fulfilled their dream of making it a model non ¬ profit enterprise Keene himself had ex ¬ pended 40000 on the track before ar ¬ rangements were completed whereby the property was transferred to the association With his brother G H Keene he held the contract on Herman Radtke one of the foremost Tiders of another era It was during the winter racing season of 1906 at Hot Springs that Keene is reported to have refused an offer of 25000 by Hunter Raine of Memphis lor the boys papers papersKeene Keene was a partner with the Bomar Stable of Charles B Bohn and Peter A Markey in the stallion Grand Slam who made a name for himself in the first sea ¬ son that he had representatives on the race track His first crop became of racing age last year and included the stake win ¬ ners Devils Thumb and Ogma and the consistent Seven Hearts who this season won the Arkansas Derby In all Grand Slam had 11 winners in his first crop and these earned 107700 placing him second to Bull Dog in the list of leading sires of twoyearold winners in money won wonMany Many famous horses were bred and raised at Keeneland Among the most promineht of these were Grand Slam Irish Lad Luke McLuke Jean Valjean and two of the greatest producing mares the coun ¬ try and thoroughbred game has ever known Jeanne Bowdre and Alice Blue Gown GownKeene Keene was a bachelor He is survived by a sister Mrs Shirley Keller of Lexing ¬ ton and two greatnephews Keene Guer ney Keeneland Farm manager and Wil ¬ liam Stoll of Lexington LexingtonFuneral Funeral arrangements will be announced from Lexington and Keenes remains are to be shipped back to the Blue Grass State late today todaySTICKNEY STICKNEY 111 May 27 News of the death of John O Keene at Detroit shocked horsemen and officials at Hawthorne today Keene was well known by horsemen every ¬ where and he had scores of friends among those taking part in Chicago racing He was a particular friend of C Bruce Head who is in charge of racing for the Lincoln Fields Jockey Club and who when he was racing horses bought a number of thor ¬ oughbreds from the veteran Kentucky breeder and owner ownerNo No horseman in this country had a greater international reputation in racing for he not only bred owned and trained many outstanding thoroughbreds in the United States but also raced stables for European royalty royaltyKeene Keene was one of the founders of the Raceland Jockey Club near Ashland Ky and it was a partx of his estate in Ken ¬ tucky that the Keeneland Racing Associa ¬ tion purchased for its track Some of the buildings and the racing strip Keeneland now uses were constructed by Keene as part of a private training course The part of the farm which Keene retained at the time of his death had been maintained as a thoroughbred breeding nursery
