Kentucky horsemen John Gaines, Preston Madden, and Dinwiddie Lampton Jr. are among 11 equestrian champions to be inducted into the first class of the Culver Academies Horsemanship Hall of Fame on Sunday in Culver, Indiana.

Among the many notable achievements of Gaines, who owns John R. Gaines Thoroughbreds near Lexington, he was the founder of the Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championship, which was inaugurated in 1984.

Madden, owner of the historic Hamburg Place in Lexington, has spent five decades in the Thoroughbred business. His highlights include campaigning 1961 champion grass horse T.V. Lark and breeding 1988 Horse of the Year and dual classic winner Alysheba.

Lampton, owner of Hardscuffle Farm in Prospect, Kentucky, outside of Louisville, and known for his collection of horse-drawn carriages, is the president of American Life and Accident Co., which purchased the famed Elmendorf Farm in Lexington for $5-million 1997.

Culver's horsemanship department was founded in 1897. The honorees were chosen by a committee of Culver alumni.