Loradale
View homesListing data updated August 7, 2026
About the Neighborhood
Living in Donerail
Donerail is horse country in the truest sense — large rural plots, many running from 10 to 60 acres, on land the horse industry protects because the space is its livelihood. When Lexington expanded its urban service boundary by 2,800 acres in 2023, Donerail was deliberately left out.
That exclusion is the single most important fact about buying here. The land cannot be subdivided, which means what you see is what will be there — an unusually strong guarantee in a growing county.
The name comes from a small settlement on the Fayette-Scott County line that served as a flag station on the Queen and Crescent Railway. If the name sounds familiar from the racetrack, that is backwards: the horse was named after this place.
The name comes from a small settlement on the Fayette-Scott County line that served as a flag station on the Queen and Crescent Railway. If the name sounds familiar from the racetrack, that is backwards: the horse was named after this place.
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Neighborhood guide
Inside Donerail
- Almost everyone has this the wrong way round.
Donerail was first a small settlement on the Fayette-Scott County line — a flag station on the Queen and Crescent Railway, the kind of stop where a train halted only if someone signaled it. Thomas P. Hayes, a Lexington horseman, named a bay colt after it.
That colt was foaled in 1910 at Glen-Helen Farm near Lexington, out of a mare named Algie M, and bred, owned and trained by Hayes himself. - On May 10, 1913, Donerail won the Kentucky Derby at odds of 91-1.
He remains the longest-odds winner in the history of the race, more than a century later. Under jockey Roscoe Goose he surged in the final stretch and finished in 2:04.80, setting a Derby record in the process.
It is a genuinely great piece of Kentucky lore, and it started with a railway flag stop on the county line you would be buying into. - Plot sizes: large rural parcels, many running from 10 to 60 acres.
Subdivision: the land here cannot be subdivided.
2023 boundary expansion: when the city expanded its urban service area by 2,800 acres, Donerail was deliberately excluded.
Setting: the Fayette-Scott County line, in working horse country.
Neighborhood-level figures above are as-published by homes.com's Lexington local guide (extracted 2026-06-01, re-verified 2026-08-01) and describe the housing stock, not current asking prices. What is for sale today, and what it costs, is the live count and median at the top of this page. - In 2023 Lexington expanded its urban service boundary by 2,800 acres. Donerail was left untouched, on purpose.
The horse industry protects this land fiercely, because open space is not scenery to it — it is the means of production. For a buyer, that alignment of interests is worth more than any covenant. The people with the most money and the most political weight in this county want this land to stay exactly as it is. - Everywhere else I tell buyers not to pay for a view, because farmland at the edge of a growing city can be rezoned and built.
Donerail is the exception worth naming. Because the land cannot be subdivided and sits outside the service boundary, the open country around a property here is far more secure than it would be almost anywhere else in Fayette County. That security is a real part of what you are buying. - Ten to sixty acres is not a big yard. It is land, and it comes with its own economics.
Financing works differently — many lenders treat significant acreage as a land loan or a farm loan rather than a standard residential mortgage, with different terms and down payment expectations. Get that conversation started with a lender who does agricultural lending before you fall for a property, not after. - Kentucky has an agricultural-use assessment that can materially affect property taxes on qualifying land.
Whether a specific parcel currently carries it, whether it would continue under your ownership, and what use requirements attach are questions for the Fayette County Property Valuation Administrator. Do not assume the seller's tax bill is the one you will get — verify it for your intended use. - This is the part that separates a rural purchase from a city one, and none of it is optional.
Water: well or public? On a well, test yield and quality and get the age and condition of the pump and pressure tank.
Waste: septic or sewer? On septic, have the tank located, pumped and inspected, and establish the drain field's age and condition — replacement is a major expense.
Access: who maintains the road you live on? A private or shared drive comes with an obligation, and sometimes a written agreement you should read before closing.
Utilities: confirm internet service at the specific address rather than the general area, and establish whether heat is propane, electric or something else.
Boundaries: on acreage, a current survey is worth the money. Fence lines and deed lines disagree more often than people expect. - Plenty of buyers out here want to keep horses, and the property either supports that or it does not.
Look at existing fencing type and condition — good horse fence is expensive and bad fence is a hazard. Check barn condition, water availability in the fields, run-in shelter, and how the land drains, since standing water creates real problems. And be realistic about acreage per horse and about who does the work every single day. - Donerail suits buyers who want genuine acreage in protected horse country and are comfortable with the realities — a rural commute, well and septic, and land that needs managing.
Horse people obviously. Buyers who want permanence in what surrounds them. Anyone trading a large house on a small lot for a modest house on real land. It suits buyers who want convenience, walkability or low maintenance considerably less well.
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Schools in Donerail
Donerail is served by Fayette County Public Schools, with assignments made by address. Rural addresses can have less obvious school assignments, so before committing to a home let's confirm its exact elementary, middle, and high school together using the FCPS SchoolSite Locator.
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Donerail Home-Buying FAQ
The other way around. Donerail was first a small settlement on the Fayette-Scott County line that served as a flag station on the Queen and Crescent Railway. Lexington horseman Thomas P. Hayes named his 1910 colt after the place.
The horse named for it won the 1913 Kentucky Derby on May 10 at odds of 91-1 — still the longest-odds winner in Derby history. Ridden by Roscoe Goose, he finished in 2:04.80, a Derby record at the time.
Large. Because the land here cannot be subdivided, the area is defined by rural plots with many running from 10 to 60 acres.
It is unusually well protected. The land cannot be subdivided, and when Lexington expanded its urban service boundary by 2,800 acres in 2023, Donerail was deliberately left untouched. The horse industry protects this land because open space is its livelihood — which makes the surroundings here far more secure than typical farmland at a city's edge.
Donerail is in the Fayette County Public Schools district. Lexington school zones do not follow neighborhood boundaries and they get redrawn, so I verify the assignment for the specific address through the FCPS SchoolSite Locator rather than quoting a neighborhood-level answer. Send me the address you're considering and I'll pull the current zone.
Often yes. Many lenders treat significant acreage as a land or farm loan rather than a standard residential mortgage, with different terms and down-payment expectations. Start that conversation with a lender who does agricultural lending before you find a property.
Water and waste first — well yield and quality, or septic tank and drain field condition. Then who maintains your road, whether there is a shared-access agreement, internet availability at the specific address, and heating fuel. On acreage, get a current survey; fence lines and deed lines disagree more often than people expect.
Check fencing type and condition, barn condition, water availability in the fields, run-in shelter and how the land drains. Good horse fence is expensive and bad fence is a hazard. Be realistic about acreage per horse and about the daily work involved.
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