Enthusiasm builds for Keeneland opening weekend
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Things were pretty quiet Monday at Keeneland, but just you wait. More horses and far more people will be here to open the fall meet, one that begins Friday with the traditional three-day FallStars Weekend.
Spotty rain was in the forecast in the days preceding a 10-race Friday card for which a diminishing chance of showers is predicted, but otherwise, it should be a mostly sunny and glorious start to a 17-day meet that runs through Oct. 30. Saturday will be huge, given a stakes-laden card that serves as the first half of a “Bluegrass doubleheader” ahead of the LSU-Kentucky night game at nearby Kroger Field, always a popular arrangement with fans here and beyond.
Unlike the last three Keeneland meets affected by pandemic restrictions, ontrack fans will be back in larger numbers. Officials said in a press release last week that attendance will be limited to about 20,000 – and that policy will come under scrutiny right away. With all ticketing being processed online on a first-come, first-serve basis, a search of the track’s website early Monday showed that general admission is already sold out for Friday and Saturday.
The all-time Keeneland attendance record for a non-Breeders’ Cup day is 40,617, set April 14, 2012.
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Whether watching here or through other means, fans will see some seriously good horse racing. The 10-race FallStars schedule kicks off Friday with the Grade 1 Alcibiades and Grade 2 Phoenix, followed Saturday by five stakes – the Grade 1 Keeneland Turf Mile, Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity, Grade 1 First Lady, Grade 2 Thoroughbred Club of America, and Grade 2 Woodford. The last three Sunday are the Grade 1 Spinster, Grade 2 Bourbon, and Indian Summer. All but the Woodford are Win and You’re In events toward the Nov. 5-6 Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar.
“It’s quiet now,” Keeneland vice president of racing Gatewood Bell said while trackside early Monday, “but stalls are filling up by the day. There’ll be plenty of really exciting action here this weekend.”
In all, there are 22 stakes on the fall schedule, including several new tweaks. Two new stakes for 2-year-olds, the Oct. 29 Myrtlewood and Oct. 30 Bowman Mill, have been added, while the Oct. 23 Perryville and Oct. 30 Bryan Station are back from hiatus.
Stakes purses are projected at a record $6 million, while overnight purses also will be at an all-time high. Including bonuses for Kentucky-breds, maiden-specials will be worth as much as $84,000, while allowances start at $86,000.