Anita Madden, hostess of legendary Kentucky Derby soirees, dies at 85

Anita Madden, the Lexington, Ky., socialite who restored a semblance of glamour to historic Hamburg Place with lavish Kentucky Derby parties, died on Thursday night in a nursing facility near her home, according to local news reports. Madden, who had been in declining health for several years, was 85.

A native of Ashland, Ky., Madden and her husband Preston – one of two grandsons of the legendary horseman John Madden, the founder of Hamburg Place – bred 1987 Kentucky Derby winner Alysheba, whom they sold as a yearling for $500,000. But she was most popularly known for the parties she held at Hamburg on the eve of the Kentucky Derby each year, an annual gathering that raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for charities while drawing headlines for its guest list and often outlandish themes.

The Maddens began hosting the party in the early 1960s, and the affairs often lasted well into the next morning. The 1999 party was canceled after Anita Madden’s mother died, and the parties were never hosted again.

Anita and Preston Madden met while both were attending the University of Kentucky in Lexington in the early 1950s. After marrying, they moved into Hamburg Place, which had not been involved significantly in Thoroughbred racing for decades after the deaths of John Madden’s two sons in the 1930s and 1940s.

The couple stood T. V. Lark at the farm in the 1970s, and Anita Madden served on the state racing commission from 1980-1983. The parties she hosted raised funds for a number of Central Kentucky-based charities.

“Authentic, special, and unique in every way, she was intellectually curious and yet she had the common touch,” said Jim Gray, the mayor of Lexington, in a Twitter post. “She infused Lexington with a sense of imagination, she celebrated the unusual, and she welcomed everyone regardless of their station in life. Her life inspired us. Her spirit is irreplaceable.”

Madden is survived by her husband, Preston; a son, Patrick, and his wife; and two grandchildren.

Patrick Madden has developed most of the original Hamburg Place property, and today it is a sprawling mix of homes, shops, and restaurants. The equine graveyard established on the property by John Madden was relocated during the development of the property, and it is today open to the public at its new location.