Keeneland drawings will allow patrons to reserve tables and grandstand seats

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Keeneland Racecourse in Lexington, Ky., will allow customers to enter drawings to purchase a limited number of tickets during its upcoming spring meet beginning on March 8 at its website, the track announced on Monday.

The drawings will enable winning customers to buy tables reserved for six in either the track’s Lexington/Kentucky room or Phoenix room, both on the fourth floor of the grandstand. Customers will also be able to buy up to six reserved seats in the grandstand.

Keeneland will also begin selling a limited number of general-admission tickets on March 24, on a first-come, first-serve basis. Those sales will also be limited to a maximum of six tickets.

Keeneland, which canceled its spring meet last year, is scheduled to hold live racing from April 2-23. The April 3 date is the blockbuster Blue Grass Stakes card.

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Keeneland did not allow general admission during an abbreviated summer meet last year or during its fall meet, but it did allow patrons with racing connections to attend, including the holders of box seats.

During the spring meet, all fans will be required “to wear a face mask and maintain proper social distancing while on the grounds.” Tickets orders will be allowed to be canceled up to 48 hours prior to race day.

All of the reserved grandstand and general-admission tickets will include a $10 concession card, Keeneland said. Food concession stands will “feature new meal deals for lunch, all aimed to reduce wait times in lines as well as the amount of cash transactions,” the track said.

“We have missed our fans as much as they’ve missed Keeneland, particularly at this time of year as we shake off winter to celebrate the return of spring,” said Shannon Arvin, Keeneland’s president and chief executive. “While we are still limited in capacity, our team is hard at work creating unique touches that will deliver the exceptional and safe race-day experience our guests expect from Keeneland.”

Keeneland is enormously popular among Central Kentucky residents, and live race days are heavily attended by local college students. The live meet is also a destination for tour buses arriving from neighboring states.

While Kentucky health and government officials have encouraged citizens to wear masks and practice social distancing, restaurants and bars in Lexington have been allowed to serve patrons indoors for months, under the guidelines that customers wear masks when not eating or drinking. Those guidelines are rarely enforced by many proprietors.