Woodford County Fiscal Court in Versailles, Kentucky voted to approve restaurants, gift shops and special events at horse farms and certain other “landmarks” or “historic structures” in the county.  This change would include thoroughbred farms like Lane’s End, Three Chimneys, Ashford Stud and WinStar which are located in Woodford County. The horse racing world may now come to famous Kentucky breeding farms to eat and shop in addition to viewing breeding stock.  That is, of course, if the farms choose to do so.  Will 2013 Kentucky Derby Tours participants see gift shops and restaurants at the Farms this year? It could be a great idea or as many felt, could cause disruption at the farms.  Woodford Reserve Distillery is located in Woodford County and in addition to tours of the distillery, they offer what was approved in this ordinance.

It was not the farms that “pushed” for the ordinance – it was CastlePost.  If you have been on Kentucky Derby Tours, you have seen the changes to the ‘castle” off the U.S. Highway 60.  CastlePost is a castle near Lexington, Kentucky and part of a 50-acre estate. Construction began in 1969 by its original owners, and the property has had a fire, changed hands underwent a major renovation in 2004. As of 2010, it was for sale again but seems to have been taken off the market. Today it operates as a bed and breakfast and bills itself as Kentucky’s Premiere Luxury Tourist Inn.

Up until now, CastlePost has been open only to overnight guests or to those who attend charity fund-raisers there. Tom Post, the lawyer who owns the castle and developed it into a luxury bed-and-breakfast, has wanted to open the U.S. 60 landmark to more people.

A second and final vote is scheduled for Feb. 12 on the issue, which was the subject of a couple of public hearings late last year.

Magistrates Charles “Bones” Webber, Gary Finnell, Ken Reed, Gerald Dotson, Duncan Gardiner and Jackie Brown voted for the measure. Magistrate Bruce Gill abstained because he had spoken in favor of the measure at a public hearing before the county planning commission.

Magistrate Larry Craig was the only vote against the measure.  Craig said he opposed the text amendments in the county’s planning ordinance because of “vague” definitions. The amendments propose adding to the ordinance the terms “tourist destination” and “tourist destination, expanded.”

“I think it’s a little too vague, because a tourist destination could be Three Chimneys Farm, it could be 90 percent of the horse farms in the county,” Craig said. “I could see if a farm changes hands, someone seeing that as an opportunity to go from less agriculture and to more commercialism.

“If we’re going to preserve agriculture in Woodford County, I think it needs to be a working farm more than a tourist destination,” Craig said.