Buttleman succeeds Sallee as Keeneland bugler

Keeneland announced Tuesday that George "Bucky" Sallee, bugler at the

historic race track for more than 50 years, will retire to become Bugler

Emeritus beginning this fall. Noted trumpeter Steve Buttleman has been named

Keeneland's new track bugler.

"Bucky is a Keeneland icon," Keeneland President and CEO Bill Thomason said.

"He is a favorite among fans of all ages, having generously shared his time and

musical talent with so many people during his storied career. Bucky is a very

special member of the Keeneland family, and a wonderful ambassador for racing."

The public is invited to join Keeneland in honoring Bucky on opening day of

the fall race meeting, October 4. Gates open at 11 a.m. (EDT); post time for the

first race is 1:05 p.m. Special commemorations are planned prior to the first

race, and Bucky will sign autographs during the afternoon. Fans will be able to

share their memories of Bucky online, or drop a letter in the "Bucky Mailbox,"

which will be located adjacent to the paddock on opening day.

"Being a part of the Keeneland family has opened a lot of doors for me during

my career," Sallee said. "I've watched race fans literally grow up from kids to

adults with their own children. It's been a lot of fun."

A native of Lexington, Kentucky, Bucky began taking trumpet lessons at age 7,

and majored in music at the University of Kentucky. He became a renowned

musician, playing trumpet and tenor sax in the 1950s and early 1960s with such

notable bands as Little Enis and the Fabulous Table Toppers, and Lexington's

legendary jazz musician Clarence "Duke" Madison. During his career, Bucky has

performed with a number of headliners, including Jerry Lee Lewis, Boots

Randolph, Charlie Daniels, Fats Domino and Pee Wee King.

In the early 1960s, Frank Atkins, the club pro at Picadome Golf Course who

moonlighted at Keeneland during the race meets, asked Bucky to help him by

filling in as track bugler. Since then, Bucky has performed his signature "Boots

and Saddles" for the post parade and "Assembly" at post time, missing only one

day when his wife died on a Saturday in the early 1970s. She was buried on a

Tuesday, when there was no racing, and Bucky returned to work on Wednesday.

He reached a career milestone on October 9, 2002, when he made his 10,000th

call to the post at Keeneland.

Steve Buttleman, of Louisville, Kentucky, brings nearly 20 years of

experience as a bugler to Keeneland, having performed the call to the post at

some of the nation's most prominent racetracks, including Churchill Downs,

Belmont Park and Oaklawn Park.

"Steve embodies so much of what Keeneland is about," Thomason said. "He has a

passion for racing and an enthusiasm to share that passion with fans. His No. 1

goal is to make their experience at Keeneland a memorable one."

Buttleman, a native of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, began playing cornet in the fifth

grade, and earned a degree in trumpet from the University of Louisville School

of Music, where he studied under noted trumpet professor Leon Rapier. Buttleman

is active in the community, playing at civic and charity events around the

state, including Lexington's Junior League Charity Horse Show. He also takes

part in outreach tours to promote local tourism, and performed at the 2000 and

2004 presidential inaugural balls in Washington, D.C.

"I am honored to become Keeneland's new bugler," Buttleman said. "I have the

utmost respect for Bucky and everything he has given to Keeneland, the Lexington

community, and the Thoroughbred industry. I look forward to carrying on Bucky's

traditions and his role as an ambassador for racing."

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