Anita Madden Dies; Was More Than Just the Parties

Lexington horsewoman Anita Madden, perhaps best known for her extravagant Kentucky Derby Eve parties at her family's Hamburg Place Farm, died Sept. 27. The outgoing wife of Preston Madden was 85.

Madden's parties, which benefited the Boys Ranch, were known around Lexington and throughout the horse industry as flamboyant affairs with plenty of celebrities. The last of her parties was in 1998.

"Her parties were always fabulous and always current...they were newsworthy," said Isabel Yates, a former vice mayor of Lexington. "You always wanted to know what she was going to do this year. She was always dressed in outrageous costumes. She was fabulous."

Lexington mayor Jim Gray said on Twitter: "Authentic, special, and unique in every way, she was intellectually curious and yet she had a common touch. 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."

Beyond the parties, however, Madden had a strong influence on the course of direction for the city of Lexington. In 1977 Madden was appointed by mayor Foster Petit to the Fayette County Planning and Zoning Commission—a position she held for 17 years.

In 1986 the Maddens asked the city of Lexington to rezone almost half of the 1,325-acre Hamburg Place into a major shopping mall and office park. In October 1988 the Urban County Council voted to allow the development of 168 acres of the farm for a regional shopping mall.

That development, which is much larger today, would change the direction of Lexington forever, as Hamburg Pavilion, which runs along I-75 and Winchester Road and was opened in 1997, offers more than one million square feet of retail space and is continuing to be developed.

Tom Martin, senior planner for Lexington/Fayette Urban County Government, said:

"Independent of her role on the planning commission, she was very active in the development of Hamburg. She attended meetings downtown as it proceeded to be developed and plans were being submitted, and zone changes were processed. That's the up front. Anita was very involved on the actual development. Once things were approved by the city, she worked and reviewed landscaping, building elevations and aesthetics, and even tenant mix. And she worked primarily with her son, Patrick.

"They had a standing weekly meeting with her, the staff did, to review what was going on at Hamburg, going down to details as to where to plant trees...there was a lot more depth there than people might realize because of the celebrity aspect of her life.

"In 1998 the Hamburg Pavilion was opening and she got out there with a plywood sign with an arrow on it, waving it around so people could see and come into the businesses," Martin said. "Dressed in her blue jeans...that woman had style.

Born Feb. 3, 1933, Anita K. Myers attended Western Kentucky University for two years before transferring to the University of Kentucky in Lexington. She married Preston West Madden, the grandson of legendary Thoroughbred breeder John Madden, in 1955.

John Madden owned Hamburg Place Stud west of Lexington and is best known as the breeder of five winners of the Kentucky Derby (G1). Preston added one more, having bred 1987 Derby winner, and eventual Hall of Famer Alysheba.

Following Alysheba's score in May 1987, The Blood-Horse reported:

"'I'm very opinionated and strong willed, and so is he," said Mrs. Madden of the marriage. "It's not easy for a male of Preston's generation to have a woman with opinions.

"The couple appears to have sorted out their individual roles. She prefers to let him take the credit, and he prefers to let her take the limelight. Both project an ease and grace."

Mrs. Madden also was appointed to the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (1980-83) and also provided support for Blue Grass Farms Chaplaincy and the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation.

Mrs. Madden is survived by her husband and son.