Lexington, KY - Autobiography, narrating the story of one's life, is one of the most difficult of modern literary genres. Contemporary examples are often self-analytical confessionals or celebrity-driven works of little continuing interest.
Add to that the complexity of an author with an enduring relationship to a particular place and include a history of that place within the autobiography, and you have a double challenge: writing, in effect, an autobiography with two main characters. This is not a task to be undertaken lightly.
But done with skill, the results can be remarkable, as delivered by The University Press of Kentucky's new release Keeneland's Ted Bassett: My Life, by James E. "Ted" Bassett III and Bill Mooney. This is autobiography at its finest - superbly written, entertaining and engaging.
Just in time for the spring meet at Keeneland, this is a fascinating and unique look at how one individual has impacted many of the most momentous events in the modern horseracing industry. The histories of Ted Bassett and Keeneland have run together for over 40 years. Bassett served as president, then CEO and is now a director and trustee emeritus. In many ways, it could be argued that Keeneland owes its success to Bassett's efforts, just as Bassett realized many of his own while at Keeneland.
In its essence, this is the story of Lexington's Keeneland and the impact of one man in making it one of the premier Thoroughbred racetracks and auction houses in the world.
Bassett's autobiography includes celebrity, ranging from the movers and shakers of the Lexington social scene, to Queen Elizabeth II, J. Edgar Hoover, Ronald Reagan, and Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai. It also involves an extensive and in-depth history focusing on Keeneland, but encompassing the racing industry, Kentucky, and the entire country during the author's lifetime.
While told in Bassett's voice, the book is written in collaboration with Bill Mooney, an award-winning journalist with deep roots in racing. Currently a contributing editor for the Thoroughbred Times, Mooney has covered racing for the New York Times, the Thoroughbred Record, and Blood-Horse. Clearly, Mooney's expertise played a major part in this carefully researched record of Bassett's accomplishments.
For reasons later examined in the chapter notes near the end of the text, the book is not chronological. Bassett describes the book as "pretty much an informal conversation with the reader. It is as though we are all sitting at the table, with a bottle of wine in front of us, and I'm relating some stories to some friends who, I hope, are finding those tales interesting."
The tale begins with his early years at Keeneland. Unemployed at age 46, Bassett is asked by Louis Lee Haggin II, president of Keeneland at the time, to become his assistant. This was January 1968 and his starting salary was $30,000.
At the time, the track was "the enigma of the racing business." It was the only racetrack in the United States that had three general managers. Within a few months, Bassett became Keeneland's sole general manager.
This became a starting point that in time gave him numerous opportunities, such as president of the Thoroughbred Racing Associations, the Breeders' Cup, and the World Series Racing Championship. He became an ambassador of Thoroughbred racing around the globe. His story of becoming a pivotal player within the Thoroughbred industry is remarkable.
While reared in the Bluegrass, Bassett had little background in the horse industry. He was educated at a private boarding school in New England and at Yale, volunteering for duty as a Marine in World War II. When he returned from the war, he worked in New York City as a newsprint salesman before returning to Kentucky. After a stint as a farmer, he became director of the Kentucky State Police.
If you think to skip this part of the book in order to read about Keeneland - don't. As you read through the chapters on Bassett's background, you slowly gather insights into this man's personality and the components of change that affected both his personality and Keeneland's.
The central theme to the book, Bassett writes, is that life can be interesting and even intriguing, if one accepts the risk of challenges. It is an intricate puzzle that comes together if one has self-confidence and courage. As this book shows, it certainly does for Ted Bassett.