Keeneland spring stakes will get a trim in purses

Keeneland Racecourse in Lexington, Ky., plans to run its full complement of spring stakes this year, according to a schedule distributed by the track on Tuesday, but several of the track’s most high-profile races will take purse cuts due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on its operations.

Keeneland’s signature Kentucky Derby prep, the Grade 2 Blue Grass Stakes, will have a purse of $800,000 this year, down from $1 million in years prior to 2020, when the pandemic forced the cancellation of the spring meet and the rescheduling of some spring stakes to a novel summer meet. In addition, two Grade 1 races – the Ashland and the Maker’s Mark Mile – will have their purses trimmed $100,000 each compared to 2019 levels. A number of other stakes had their purses cut by $50,000.

In all this year, Keeneland has scheduled 18 stakes for the April 2-April 23 spring meet, with a total of $4.1 million in purses. Prior to cancelling the spring meet last year, the track had scheduled the same 18 stakes, but with total purses of $4.8 million.

Shannon Arvin, the president and chief executive of the track, said in the announcement that Keeneland has not yet determined its attendance plans for the meet. For the fall meet last year, Keeneland allowed owners of horses entered to race that day to attend, along with box owners and representatives of sponsors. The track did not offer any general admission.

“With the cancellation of last year’s spring meet because of the pandemic, it is critical to the Thoroughbred industry that we are able to offer our full slate of April stakes on their traditional dates,” Arvin said. She added that the track will announce “ticketing options” for the spring meet “in the next few weeks.”

Unlike most tracks in the U.S., Keeneland derives a significant portion of its revenue from its on-track business. In addition, the company uses revenues from its auction business to bolster purses at the track, and auction revenues in 2020 were down substantially due to the impact of the pandemic.

After the spring meet was canceled, Keeneland received approval to run a five-day meet in early July, and it ran 10 of the stakes races scheduled for the spring meet during that stand. The purses for those stakes races were also reduced compared to years prior, with the Blue Grass being run for $600,000.

As has been the case at the spring meet for the past decade, the first Saturday, April 3, will feature a blockbuster card of stakes races, capped by the Blue Grass. Also that day will be the Grade 1 Ashland and the Grade 1 Madison; the Grade 2 Appalachian and the Grade 2 Shakertown; and the Grade 3 Commonwealth. The April 3 date is four weeks out from the May 1 Kentucky Derby card at Churchill Downs.

The Maker’s Mark is scheduled for April 9, a Friday. The April 10 card will feature four stakes: the Grade 1 Jenny Wiley; the Grade 3 Lexington and the Grade 3 Ben Ali; and the listed Giant’s Causeway.

Racing is scheduled for Wednesday through Sunday, although the track will not hold a live racing card on April 4, Easter Sunday.