Keeneland Welcomes 2018 Spring Race Meet

By Amy Gregory —-

Keeneland Photo

Opening weekend features eight graded stakes, anchored by $1 million Toyota Blue Grass

LEXINGTON, KY (March 30, 2018) – Keeneland’s 2018 Spring Meet, which kicks off Friday, April 6, promises 16 days of spectacular racing highlighted by 16 stakes worth a season-record $4.4 million The meet gets off to a fast start as opening weekend will showcase many of racing’s stars competing in eight graded stakes, led by the $1 million Toyota Blue Grass (G2) and $500,000 Central Bank Ashland (G1), nationally prominent prep races on the 2018 Roads to the Kentucky Derby (G1) and Kentucky Oaks (G1), respectively.

Also featured this Spring are lowered takeout and an Early Pick 5; robust social and digital media that deliver handicapping tools and information to your fingertips; a new “Today at Keeneland” preview show; popular special events that support community initiatives; exciting new brands and returning favorites at The Keeneland Shop and enhanced food and hospitality options, all designed to create the best racing experience possible for our fans.

The Spring Meet runs April 6-27, with racing Wednesdays through Sundays. Gates open at 11 a.m. ET, with post time for the first race set for 1:05 p.m.

Lucrative Purses Attract Racing’s Top Stables

This spring, Keeneland will offer average daily purse money of $731,365, among the highest in North America. The rich purse schedule and idyllic surroundings attract the nation’s top owners, trainers and jockeys, who come to Keeneland to compete with the best in Thoroughbred racing.

Keeneland welcomes Kentucky Utilities as the new sponsor of the $150,000 Transylvania (G3) on opening day. The Transylvania is a 1 1/16-mile race for 3-year-olds over the turf course.

Opening Saturday, April 7, features 11 races, including five graded stakes led by the Toyota Blue Grass for 3-year-olds at 1 1/8 miles and the Central Bank Ashland for 3-year-old fillies at 1 1/16 miles. Each is worth 100 points to the winners on the Roads to the Derby and Oaks, respectively. The post position draw for both classic preps will be held Tuesday, April 3, and will be streamed on Facebook Live @Keeneland.

The Toyota Blue Grass Day undercard comprises the $300,000 Madison (G1), for fillies and mares at 7 furlongs; $200,000 Shakertown (G2), for 3-year-olds and up at 5½ furlongs on the turf; and $250,000 Commonwealth (G3), for 4-year-olds and up over 7 furlongs.

Opening weekend concludes Sunday, April 8, with the upgraded Appalachian (G2) Presented by Japan Racing Association, now worth $200,000 for 3-year-old fillies at a mile on the turf, and the $150,000 Beaumont (G3) Presented by Keeneland Select, for 3-year-old fillies going 7 furlongs, 184 feet, on dirt.

The $300,000 Maker’s 46 Mile (G1), for older horses on the turf, will be held Friday, April 13.

Four stakes highlight the second Saturday of racing, April 14, anchored by the $350,000 Coolmore Jenny Wiley (G1), a 1 1/16-mile race for fillies and mares on the turf, and the $200,000 Stonestreet Lexington (G3), for 3-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles. One of the nation’s final classic preps, the Stonestreet Lexington awards the winner 10 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby. Rounding out the undercard that day are the $200,000 Ben Ali (G3), for older horses racing 1 1/8 miles, and $100,000 Giant’s Causeway (L), a 5½-furlong turf race for fillies and mares.

Older horses are showcased in graded stakes during the final days of the Spring Meet. The $100,000 Hilliard Lyons Doubledogdare (G3), for fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles, is set for Friday, April 20, followed by the $250,000 Dixiana Elkhorn (G2) at 1½ miles on the turf on Saturday, April 21. Closing day, April 27, features the 150,000 Bewitch (G3), for fillies and mares racing 1½ miles on the turf.
New “Today at Keeneland” Show; NBC Coverage

Keeneland will debut its new “Today at Keeneland” show, a 30-minute race-day preview for on-track patrons and simulcast fans that begins at 11:30 a.m. from Wagering Central. Keeneland handicappers Katie Gensler and Jesse Ullery will host “Today at Keeneland” and the live Paddock show throughout the racing afternoon.

NBC Sports Network will carry live coverage of the Toyota Blue Grass, Wood Memorial (G2) at Aqueduct and Santa Anita Derby (G1) from 5:30-7:30 p.m.

TVG returns with its live coverage of Keeneland racing beginning daily at 1 p.m. Races also are streamed live on Keeneland.com.

Lowered Takeout, Early Pick 5 Headline Spring Meet

Keeneland has lowered takeout for the Spring Meet, with pricing on win, place and show wagers decreasing from 17.5 percent to 16 percent and from 22 percent to 19.5 percent on exactas. Takeout for the Pick 5 is 15 percent. Takeout for all other exotic wagers remains at 22 percent.

New this spring is an Early Pick 5 with its own carryover provisions separate from the Late Pick 5.

Other popular wagers include:

$200,000-guaranteed Pick 4 presented by TVG on Fridays: April 6, 13, 20 – final four races.
$300,000-guaranteed All-Stakes Pick 5 – April 7: 6th race through Toyota Blue Grass.
$400,000-guaranteed All-Stakes Pick 4 – April 7: 7th race through Toyota Blue Grass.
$300,000-guaranteed All-Stakes Pick 4 – April 14: 7th race through Coolmore Jenny Wiley.
$300,000-guaranteed Pick 4 – April 21: 7th through 10th races.

New Keeneland.com website; @BetKeeneland Raises Funds for TAA

Keeneland continues to enhance its fan outreach via social and digital media. From the track’s newly remodeled website, Keeneland.com, and its new Handicapping Tools and Tips page, to the popular Toyota Blue Grass Weekend microsite and Keeneland Race Day App, as well as an array of social media channels, Keeneland employs creative means to engage race fans.

Returning this spring is @BetKeeneland on Twitter, an interactive handle that provides horseplayers with real-time handicapping tips and insights while benefiting the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA) through its Handicapper of the Day Series.

Stay connected this spring via:

 Keeneland.com/bluegrass, a microsite dedicated to Toyota Blue Grass Weekend. Fans can find the latest news on opening weekend stakes, profiles of contenders and bios on their connections, video and historical information and race charts.

 Free Keeneland Race Day App offers numerous options to make your race day more memorable. Among the features available at your fingertips: live streaming of Keeneland races and race replays; entries and results; Expert Picks; special events information and a GPS-enabled interactive map of Keeneland. A Bet Simulator shows you each step in placing a wager, calculating the cost of a bet and projected simple will-pays. Race Day App users also receive exclusive access to daily promotions, contests and giveaways.

 Keeneland’s social media channels: Facebook @Keeneland, Instagram @Keeneland and Twitter @KeenelandRacing and @BetKeeneland.

 Bet from anywhere via your phone with theKeeneland Select app.
Novice fans are encouraged to look for Keeneland’s popular BETologists at Wagering Central on the first floor Grandstand or roaming throughout the track to answer any and all handicapping questions. Find them wearing vintage straw fedora hats and “Ask Me How to Bet” buttons.

Experience Keeneland

Keeneland offers opportunities throughout the Spring Meet and beyond for fans to learn about the race track and Thoroughbred industry.

Official Keeneland Tours – During the Spring Meet, guided tours are offered Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays beginning at 8:30 a.m. ET. On Saturdays during Sunrise Trackside, free guided tours begin every 20 minutes from the Paddock and Walking Ring from 7:30-10 a.m. Fans also can receive an insider view of racing on the Behind-the-Scenes Racing Tours and a Backstretch Tour and Day at the Races. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.Keeneland.com/discover/tours.

Sunrise Trackside (Saturday mornings) – Equine athletes and their human connections begin the day well before sunrise. See what they are up to Saturday mornings at Breakfast With the Works, where fans can enjoy a Southern-style breakfast and trackside commentary while horses train on the main track (7-8:30 a.m.). Enjoy children’s activities in the Kids Club Corner (7-9 a.m.); guided walking tours (7:30-10 a.m.); an equine-related demonstration in the Paddock (9 a.m.); and Q&A with a jockey in the Paddock (12:05 p.m.).

The Hill (Fridays and Saturdays) – The ever-popular tailgating on The Hill will take place each Friday and Saturday (weather permitting). The Hill features local food trucks, a jumbo TV for watching all the racing action, wagering, The Keeneland Shop kiosk and complimentary shuttles to the track. On Saturdays, Bluegrass bands perform from noon-4 p.m.

Feature Events Offer Fun and Community Support

College Scholarship Day (Friday, April 6) – College Scholarship Day, which Keeneland holds in partnership with the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association, will give away a record $30,000 thanks to two $10,000 Runhappy Scholarships in addition to ten $1,000 scholarships awarded after each race. Pre-register online by 5 p.m. April 5 to pass the line and enter to win an outdoor box for use April 6. Full-time college students receive free general admission April 6 and can register at the College Zone in the North Terrace, which will have music, free snacks and prize drawings.
Maker’s Mark Commemorative Bottle Signing (Friday, April 13) – Sales of commemorative Maker’s Mark bottles have raised millions to benefit deserving causes in Central Kentucky. Proceeds from sales of the 2018 bottle honoring the 1997-1998 University of Kentucky men’s basketball national championship team benefit UK’s Center for Academic and Tutorial Services (CATS). Fans can have their 2018 commemorative bottle signed at the Keeneland Entertainment Center. All tickets for the bottle signing are free and will be distributed via a new online system on theKeeneland website beginning Monday, April 9, at 8:30 a.m. One ticket entitles the holder to have two 2018 Maker’s Mark commemorative bottles signed.
Maker’s Mark Dipping Station (Friday, April 13) – Fans may have items purchased at The Keeneland Shop dipped in Maker’s Mark’s signature red wax at Wagering Central.

Budweiser Clydesdales (Saturday, April 14) – The famous Budweiser Clydesdales will appear on the track. Take your picture with a Clydesdale at the East Gate on April 11-13.

Military Day at the Races Presented by Marathon (Sunday, April 22) – Keeneland recognizes the men and women who serve our country. All military active duty, reserve and their families will receive free general admission and access to reserved Grandstand seating with military I.D. Military families will join us in the North Terrace from noon-4 p.m. for free food and children’s activities.
10th Anniversary Horses and Hope Pink Day (Thursday, April 26) – Horses and Hope will hold a special celebration and day of racing for breast cancer survivors, with a featured Horses and Hope race to honor breast cancer survivors. Horses and Hope works to increase cancer awareness, education, screening and treatment referral among Kentucky’s horse industry workers.

The Keeneland Shop Features Unique Brands, Commemorative Spring Print

The Keeneland Shop offers unique apparel and hats, home accessories, jewelry, artwork and gifts from such top vendors as Beaufort Bonnett, Peter Millar, Barbour, Draper James, Darren K. Moore, Longchamp Crittenden, Henry Dry Goods and Catstudio. New this Spring is the Brackish Exacta Bow Tie, a handcrafted feather bow tie featuring Keeneland Green and Kentucky Blue.

Lee Wybranski, a noted golf landscape artist, has created a 2018 Commemorative Spring Print for Keeneland. He will be here April 13-14 to sign the print and to paint a Fall Meet companion piece.

Keeneland 2018 Spring Meet at a Glance

Post time: Gates open 11 a.m. ET.
First post: 1:05 p.m.
Admission: $5; children 12 and under free.
Parking: Free in designated lots near the Grandstand and on The Hill, Keeneland’s official tailgate lot, on Fridays and Saturdays (weather permitting).
Website: Keeneland.com. Includes live streaming of all races at no charge.
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For more than 80 years, the Keeneland Association has devoted itself to the health and vibrancy of the Thoroughbred industry. As the world’s largest Thoroughbred auction company, Keeneland conducts sales every January, September and November. Its sales graduates dominate racing across the globe at every level. In April and April, Keeneland offers some of the highest caliber and richest Thoroughbred racing in the world. In 2015, Keeneland hosted the Breeders’ Cup World Championships. Uniquely structured, Keeneland is a private, for-profit corporation that returns its earnings to the industry and the community in the form of higher purses, and it has donated millions of dollars in charitable contributions for education, research and health and human services throughout Central Kentucky. To learn more about Keeneland, visit Keeneland.com.