“Horse Mania” was a public art project of the Lexington Arts & Cultural Council in June of 2000. More than 200 artists responded (with more than 600 total design submissions), which were then reviewed by a jury of gallery owners, artists, and museum curators, who culled the number down to less than 90. At least twenty-two other cities launched similar art projects during the summer of 2000, ranging from pigs in Cincinnati, Gators in Florida and “Mr. Potato Head” in Rhode Island.

“Distillery” featured scenes from the sponsor Bulleit Distilling Company, which was previously-owned by the family of the artist, Anne Hollister Bulleit. Located at Mill and Vine Streets in downtown, the horse’s colorful images depicted the intricate plumbing and machinery characteristics of the distilling plant. Eventually, the horse was loaned to the Kentucky Horse Park (see photo below) and was displayed, prominently, in their visitor's center for decades. In mid-2025, we approached Mr. Carter (President of the Horse Park) and were able to have "Distillery" returned to the family to display, here, as part of our archive.

In December 2000, the horses were auctioned off at Keeneland, raising $750,000 (with some reports reaching $1 million in gross revenue) for the Lexington Arts and Cultural Council and other local causes. The project was so successful it funded some of Lexington's first public murals and became a model for future art initiatives like "Horse Play," which involved local students.

Pushing the return of “Horse Mania” to 2022 allowed this program to coincide with LexArt’s 50th Anniversary and Keeneland’s third hosting of the Breeders’ Cup World Championship – the ultimate celebration of Thoroughbred racing and breeding.