A Youthful Visit at Stonestreet Farm There is a certain kind of glee one experiences when the heavy cast iron gates of Stonestreet Farm in Lexington swing open. It reminds me of the Wizard of Oz when Dorothy and friends enter the Emerald City. Before you is an oak tree lined drive with manicured grounds. Almost on cue, two groundskeepers roll silently by in a modified golf cart picking up small twigs and limbs. They give a jaunty wave and move on. In the silence, I listen to the birds and the rustle of the leaves. A small group of mares graze in contentment next to the fence. There are gold and purple iris in bloom and blooming clematis is being trained to climb a tree near the entrance. The gate blends in with the iconic Kentucky stone fences. It is serene. The late Jess Jackson established Stonestreet Farm in 2005 when he purchased the 469-acre Buckram Oak Farm in Lexington. It is located where Colonel Edward R. Bradley built the Idle Hour Farm in 1906 and acquired the famous mare La Troienne in 1931. It is now the home of another famous mare, Rachel Alexandra, who was the 2009 Horse of the Year and the winner of numerous races, including the 2009 Preakness Stakes. She was the first filly to win in 85 years. Rachel Alexandra was bred to the 2007 and 2008 Horse of the Year, Curlin, and I was en route to visit her and her colt. Tom Durkin's emotional Preakness call is echoing in my mind. And the filly did it! Rachel Alexandra has defeated the Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird. ... A magnificent victory, an exquisite filly and a thrill to see! I am excited to see her foal that was born on Jan. 22, 2012, and is known affectionately by his barn name "Taco." His official name will be announced later this summer as a result of a Stonestreet Farm contest that received more than 6000 entries. I am greeted by Garry Megibben, the farm manager who has the responsibility of 90 horses and 65 foals. With him are the barn manager Ricky Robinson and two interns, Chelsea Moore and Heidi Rosado. As they ready Rachel and Taco for their turn out in the paddock, Gary and I talked about Rachel's transformation from racehorse to broodmare. "It was an easy transition within one week because her quick intelligence sets her apart," he said. She is still active and likes to run. As Rosado walked Rachel to the paddock, Robinson had his hands full with Taco. "You think of them as your own kids, taking care of them, making sure of them, spending a lot of time with them," he said. You become attached to them each year. As Rachel and Taco start to graze, I look at the two young interns proudly watching their charges. They are both in the Kentucky Equine Management Internship program, which provides opportunities for college students through practical experience, academic studies and networking. Rosado is from the University of Maine and is studying pre-veterinarian courses in animal science. She started riding when she was 3 years old and said, "I can ride better than I can walk." Moore is from Cazenovia College and says with confidence, "This is where I want to be." The two interns go to classes and connect with 24 other interns in the area while they work full time at Stonestreet Farm. They participate in group projects, write research papers, job shadow and volunteer. But never in a million years did they know when they applied for an internship that they would be working with the legendary Rachel Alexandra and Taco. They both expressed surprise and delight when they figured out what farm they would be located at and hoped they would see Rachel. Instead, they are now an active part of Team Rachel. Taco is 300 pounds of rambunctious fun. He is a little pistol of a colt that is constantly bugging his Mom. He reminds me of a kid you might see at the store trying to catch his mom's attention by repeating her name over and over while he circles Rachel. She is very patient with him and follows him with her eyes. She decides to paw at a mud puddle, and he is fascinated with what she is doing. He rears in front of her and tries to distract her. Later, when she is grazing, he turns his attention to me. First he sidles up along the fence line, scoping me out. Then he comes in for a good look and a hello. Once he decides that I am a worthy audience, he slips to the left of the paddock and waits. Just like an actor waiting for the right moment, he gallops by kicking and showing off. When he gets to the end of the fence line, he whirls around to make sure he was noticed. He trots proudly back to his starting point and repeats his performance several times. Taco has a paddock buddy who is the son of Hot Dixie Chick. Moore and Robinson bring them both to the paddock, and Hot Dixie Chick joins Rachel to graze. But Hot Dixie Chick's son Union Jackson, known as Chili, and Taco have other ideas. It's play time, and they both zip around their moms. Taco has two prominent white hind stockings just like his dad. It looks as if he will be a Bay like his mom with a beautiful white star adorning his forehead. Taco and Chili find a never-ending abundance of games to be played while their mom's graze and keep an eye on them. It's easy to ponder the future as you look at the colts playing. I am looking at racing royalty and know that they carry the hopes and dreams of Team Rachel, Stonestreet Farm and a legion of racing fans. As I talk with the interns, I think about the great foundation they are getting as future equine professionals in the world of horse racing. Years from now, they will be talking about how they haltered and groomed the legendary Stonestreet mare Rachel Alexandra and her beloved son Taco. Our young future professionals are just as important to the racing industry as the youngsters playing in the field. It's a good beginning. In a bucket-list moment, Julie June Stewart bought a ticket to the 2008 Belmont. She hasn't stopped going to the races since. That is when she isn't taking on a wildfire, hurricane, volcano or oil spill as the nation's leading expert in disaster airspace coordination. She recently won third place in the 2012 Thoroughbred Times fiction contest with her suicide prevention story "Moses Finds A Jockey."