Keeneland spring meet will allow limited number of ontrack spectators

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Keeneland Racecourse in Lexington will allow a “limited number” of general-admission tickets to be sold for its upcoming spring meet, the track announced on Wednesday.

The ticket packages will allow spectators without racing connections to attend the races at the immensely popular track for the first time since the fall meet of 2019. Last year, Keeneland canceled its spring meet outright due to the emerging COVID-19 threat. For an abbreviated summer meet and for its fall meet, it only allowed horse owners, sponsors, box holders, and racing-club members to attend.

The pre-sold ticket packages available to the general public will include “dinning, grandstand reserve seating, and general admission,” Keeneland said in its announcement. All attendees will be required to wear a face mask and “maintain proper social distancing while on the grounds,” the announcement said.

“The enthusiasm and loyalty of our fans are what make Keeneland so special,” said Shannon Arvin, the track’s president, in a release. “We have missed their presence on race days and we are excited to welcome them, albeit in limited numbers, back to Keeneland.”

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Arvin added that the mask and social-distancing mandates will be “strictly enforced.”

Total COVID-19 positives and the positivity rate in Kentucky has been declining for four straight weeks, and much of the state has been locked in a debilitating winter storm for the past eight days. It’s likely that positives will decline markedly in the next two weeks in the Central Kentucky region due to the inability of many residents to congregate as normal or in violation of masking and social-distancing protocols in place for the past 10 months.

Keeneland will continue to allow horsemen, sponsors, box holders and Club members to attend the races this spring as well, the track said.

Details on the ticket packages available for the spring meet will be announced on March 1, Keeneland said.