Keeneland Adjusts Spring Meet Opening Saturday Schedule In Preparation for Race-Day Afternoon

By Amy Gregory —-

Keeneland Adjusts Spring Meet Opening Saturday Schedule In Preparation for Race-Day Afternoon

LEXINGTON, KY (April 5, 2018) – Due to the threat of inclement weather, Keeneland is adjusting the morning schedule for its Spring Meet opening Saturday, April 7, to allow more time to prepare the facility for the afternoon’s race card. Keeneland will cancel Sunrise Trackside, its morning program for fans held during training hours. Additionally, gates will open Saturday at noon rather than the usual 11 a.m. ET. Post time for the first race is 1:05 p.m.

“This change gives our race track and grounds crews extra time to get ready for the race day in the event of inclement weather,” Keeneland President and CEO Bill Thomason said. “It also enables our fans, especially those traveling from out of town, to plan their day at Keeneland.”

Keeneland had earlier announced that The Hill, the official tailgating lot, will be closed Saturday.

Fans can follow the latest weather updates at Keeneland.com/weather. Any other race-day changes, in the event they should occur, also will be communicated via Keeneland’s social media channels.

Keeneland kicks off its 2018 Spring Meet on Friday, April 6, with a full day of racing highlighted by the $150,000 Kentucky Utilities Transylvania (G3) and College Scholarship Day, during which a record $30,000 in scholarships will be given away to registered college students.

Saturday’s race card offers 11 races, five of which are graded stakes, headlined by the $1 million Toyota Blue Grass (G2) and $500,000 Central Bank Ashland (G1), major preps on the 2018 Roads to the Kentucky Derby (G1) and Kentucky Oaks (G1).

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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 October, 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.or more information contact