Keeneland hosts 16th annual Make-A-Wish Day

Lexington, Ky. (WTVQ) — Keeneland hosted its 16th annual Make-A-Wish Day on Thursday.

One Make-A-Wish child, Nikki Benton, was asked to sing the national anthem before the first race.

“It was a lot,” said Benton. “Like I was really glad to be asked to do it and I practiced for a while and it was exciting but it was also really nerve-wracking.”

She was diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma in 2021, at the age of 15, and went through nine months of chemo and two weeks of radiation.

Her wish was to meet the cast of a Broadway musical.

“In August, the first week of August, we got sent to New York and I met the cast of Six,” said Benton. “And then I got to see a couple of other shows, I got to see The Lion King and Back to the Future and Little Shops of Horrors. It was amazing I loved everything about New York.”

For Make A Wish Day children and their families were treated to the VIP experience, even getting to present trophies after each of the day’s 10 races.

Brooklyn Young was diagnosed with a rare kidney condition at birth. She fought for three years before she was able to receive a kidney transplant last summer.

Parents Marlee and Jared say Brooklyn’s wish will be fulfilled next year.

“So Brooklyn’s wish is to go to Disney World and we’re going to do that next year when she’s a little older,” said Brooklyn’s father Jared.

Her parents say Make A Wish has given them so much since Brooklyn was born.

“Make A Wish has been really kind to us,” said Jared. “Brought us out here to Keeneland, partnered us with Gainsway farms and allowed us to go out to the farm and see some of the horses. Brooklyn got to ride on a pony which was really exciting for her. So it’s just given us a lot of opportunities that we’ve not been able to have during the first three years of her life.”

Make A Wish Day at Keeneland has granted more than 110 wishes and raised more than $1.1 million since its start.