LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Forget Steeler Nation. In this soft countryside, ripening under the spring sunshine, there's just one allegiance allowed: horses, horses, horses.

As Louisville, 70 miles west of here, prepares for Saturday's Kentucky Derby, laid-back Lexington concentrates on local thoroughbred events, secure in its position as the center of two centuries of equine-related culture. Here, 400 horse farms and more than 250,000 horse lovers cultivate deep bloodlines, natural beauty and patrician instincts. (Even Henry Clay, the 19th century's greatest politician, raised thoroughbreds here.)

And no attraction better expresses the bluegrass region's proud obsession than the Kentucky Horse Park, a 1,200-acre attraction that's part theme park, part temple, and part sports hall of fame.

"We celebrate man's relationship with the horse. We try to honor horses and the contributions they have made," says park spokeswoman Cindy Rullman. The park goes deep -- its museum explicates legends as old as that of the lucky horseshoe, while its Hall of Champions trots out living legends and its Parade of Breeds struts dozens of specimens, to the delight of 900,000 visitors a year. A day among the mares, foals and high-strung competitors in its rolling pastures is a glimpse into the region's deepest passion.

Founded in 1978, the state-owned facility is the resting place of the nation's most famous horse. Man o' War, the beloved champion who died in 1930, is buried here, along with his son War Admiral. But it's not just a memorial park. Bounded by 40 miles of peaceful rail fences, the sprawling center also serves as a venue for more than 50 horse shows each year and is the retirement home of racers like 2003 champion Funny Cide. The 2003 Preakness and Kentucky Derby winner is trotted out daily, to the applause of an admiring, camera-wielding crowd.

The Kentucky Horse Farm also acts as a sort of vocational training center to thoroughbreds confronting a mid-life crisis. Trainers introduce racers to new lines of work, including therapeutic riding for special-needs children.

"Horses are hard-wired to be good at certain things. They're individuals, just like people," says Ms. Rullman. "And within families, you find that some are great athletes, or great artists."

The Horse Park's residents respond to human visitors like long-lost relatives, nuzzling palms and pushing forward eagerly at the sound of crinkled plastic (they expect peppermint candy, a favorite treat). Awaiting their twice-daily stroll in the Parade of Breeds, horses from exotic Friesians, with their frizzed manes and feathered hooves, to rare breeds like the Marwari from India, showcase the infinite variety of the world's horses. While waiting in immaculate stalls, Appaloosas, Connemara ponies, hulking shire horses and palominos eagerly accept caresses.

Stroking the mane of a Welsh Cob named Opie, trainer Kelly Baker burbles, "He's the best little guy -- and a good jumper." Ms. Baker, 32, earned a college degree in equestrian business management and calls her job as entertainment co-coordinator for the breed parade her best job ever.

Cigar, the 1990s racehorse of the decade, might agree. The 19-year-old veteran of the track, with 16 consecutive wins, makes his living these days as the star of the daily Hall of Champions show. At the end of his racing career, he was found to be sterile. That blow to his owners' expectations was cushioned by a $25 million insurance policy. The insurance company donated Cigar to the Horse Park in 2008.

The vast pastures and modern arenas of the Horse Park will leap on to the international stage next year when it hosts the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. First held in Europe in 1990, the quadrennial event comes to North America for the first time next September. The 16-day competition in eight events -- jumping, reining, dressage, eventing, endurances, para-dressage (for riders with disabilities), vaulting and driving -- will draw 600,000 spectators in person, and another 500 million in a worldwide NBC television audience.

With nearly 60 countries expected to compete, the World Equestrian Games will put bluegrass country on the international map. With monarchs from Queen Elizabeth II to the sultan of Dubai expected to enter their finest mounts, the festival will combine genteel people-watching with the equine events.

The city of Lexington hopes to use the spotlight to focus attention not only on its bluegrass roots, but its university-fueled future in eds and meds.

"The horse has leveraged our growth. We have to build on that," says vice mayor Jim Gray.

Already, boosters are sporting lapel pins shaped like a blue horse. It's the symbol of Lexington, both the legendary local horse that sired dozens of Derby competitors and the city that's betting on its bright equine chances.