For the 150th anniversary of the Kentucky Derby, national horse racing historian and author Jennifer S. Kelly and “Born to Rein” documentary film co-producers Jody L. Lamp and Melody Dobson will give a talk about the Nebraska’s historical links to the thoroughbred horse racing industry, including book excerpts and documentary film clips.

The talk will give people “a deeper appreciation for the individuals who credit their Nebraska upbringing to overcome the insurmountable odds they mastered in America’s oldest sport.”

Author Jennifer S. Kelly, a native of Birmingham, Alabama, writes about the sport’s past and present, seeking to capture the stories that keep people coming back to the racetrack. In 2019, Kelly’s first book, “Sir Barton and the Making of the Triple Crown,” was published by the University Press of Kentucky (UPK). Her newest title “The Foxes of Belair: Gallant Fox, Omaha, and the Quest for the Triple Crown” (2023), also published by UPK, chronicles the lives and careers of the second and third Triple Crown winners, bred and owned by William Woodward and trained by “Sunny Jim” Fitzsimmons.

Prior to co-founding the American Doorstop Project, BORN TO REIN Co-Producer, Melody Dobson served as a Co-National Signature Event Coordinator for The Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Signature Event; Clark on the Yellowstone. Co-Producer Jody Lamp served as Co-National Coordinator for the documentary film – www.greatamericanwheatharvest.com in the capacity of coordinating communications, funding and , event programming. She also served as the liaison for curriculum development on behalf of the documentary and National Ag in the Classroom. Since 2016, Jody Lamp has served as Humanities Nebraska speaker on the Speakers’ Bureau. Currently, she has four Speaker Bureau programs currently listed with Humanities Nebraska, which includes BORN TO REIN. In 2009, Lamp began researching the history and forgotten heritage when Grand Island was Home of the World’s Largest Horse & Mule markets. Dobson and Lamp were encouraged to write a book about their history from the former president of the Nebraska state historical society. In addition, the authors developed stories about Fort Robinson, which connects Nebraska to America’s First Triple Crown Winner – Sir Barton, who served as an U.S. Army Remount stallion.