Today is my very favorite day at the racetrack, y’all. It’s Make-a-Wish Day at Keeneland, which celebrates a special group of Wish Kids and raises funds for an additional Wish. (Click here to donate!)

The day’s festivities are sponsored by local thoroughbred horse farms. As guests of honor, 10 wish kids and their families spend the morning touring their sponsor’s property, enjoy a VIP lunch in the Phoenix Room, meet the Keeneland jockeys in the paddock, watch their sponsor’s race from the winner’s circle, and, at the end of each race, the wish kids present the trophy for the race named after their sponsor. Y’all, this gives you such an amazing perspective to see these kids and their families enjoy a day of fun at the track. I’ve had the opportunity to work with Make-a-Wish several times now, and it’s really reinforced how important some days of normalcy and relaxation are for families impacted by life-altering childhood illness. The kids are so cute enjoying the track!

The jockeys are so sweet with the kids. Here’s my sweet friend Mindy Lynn, who’s the attorney for the Jockey Guild, joining in on the fun in the paddock.

Last year, I attended the event with a group of girlfriends!

Please follow along on HerKentucky’s Instagram and Facebook. If you’ll be at the track today, please visit the Wishing Well at the Paddock to donate toward a kid’s wish; if you can’t make it, please consider donating toward a wish.