One day after the Reds punched their ticket to the World Series, Pete Rose was at Keeneland

The Cincinnati Reds had just come from behind to beat the Philadelphia Phillies 7-6 in three games in the 1976 National League Championship Series.

The next day, a Wednesday, his star player Pete Rose was in Lexington at the Keeneland racetrack.

Yes, the Big Red Machine had a date at Cincinnati's Riverfront Stadium with the eventual American League champion New York Yankees as part of Saturday's World Series, but the man who would become baseball's “Hit King” appeared to be on his way to focus on the eight-race card at Keeneland.

Rose, who died Monday at age 83, famously accepted a lifetime ban from baseball in 1989 because he was accused of betting on games as manager of the Reds. Rose initially denied ever betting on baseball, but later admitted that he had bet on the game and his beloved Reds. The scandal cost him induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Herald-Leader archive photos show Rose watching Thoroughbred horse racing with binoculars from a stand at Keeneland a day after the Reds beat the Phillies. He was joined by a high school friend, Joe Kaiser, then-WLEX-TV sports director Tom Hammond and University of Kentucky basketball player Rick Robey.

Cincinnati Reds third baseman Pete Rose (left) grimaced as he watched the races at Keeneland on October 13, 1976. Rose relaxed before the World Series, attending the races with a high school friend, Joe Kaiser, with binoculars and sharing a box with sportscaster Tom Hammond (back) and University of Kentucky basketball player Rick Robey. The Reds had won the National League Championship Series against Philadelphia the day before. The defending champion Reds would face the New York Yankees in the World Series, becoming the only team to win a full multi-stage postseason. — Cincinnati Reds third baseman Pete Rose (left) grimaced as he watched the races at Keeneland on October 13, 1976. Rose relaxed before the World Series, attending the races with a high school friend, Joe Kaiser, with binoculars and sharing a box with sportscaster Tom Hammond (back) and University of Kentucky basketball player Rick Robey. The Reds had won the National League Championship Series against Philadelphia the day before. The defending champion Reds would face the New York Yankees in the World Series and win the series to become the only team to win a full multi-stage postseason.

Rose was also spotted in the paddock checking out the horses and chatting to fans. With him were Lexington native Doug Flynn, the Reds' utility infielder, Mario Nunez, a friend of Rose's known as “The Cuban,” Hammond and Teri Rubio, a friend of Rose's.