LEXINGTON, Ky. – The two-day Breeders’ Cup event scheduled for Nov. 6-7 at Keeneland Racecourse in Lexington, Ky., will be held spectator-free this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, the organization announced on Saturday night, and purse increases that were slated to go into effect this year will no longer be implemented. As a result of the no-spectators announcement, racing will hold all four of its major events spectator-free this year. In June and September, both the Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park in New York and the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville were run without fans, and the Preakness Stakes is scheduled to be run spectator-free at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore on Oct. 3. In a normal year, those three races comprise the sport’s Triple Crown. Breeders’ Cup also announced on Saturday that Keeneland will once again host the Breeders’ Cup event in 2022, which will mark the third time the track has been a Breeders’ Cup host. The track first held the event in 2015. Fred Hertrich, the chairman of the Breeders’ Cup board, which must approve all host sites, said in a release that the selection of Keeneland for the 2022 event was due in large part to the track’s inability to host fans this year. Keeneland is located in the heart of horse country, and its live race dates are major sporting and cultural events. “Lexington’s local community of racing fans, businesses, and members of the Thoroughbred industry are the backbone of our sport, and we believe they deserve a second opportunity, in short order, to experience the event at its full potential,” Hertrich said. Drew Fleming, the president and chief executive officer of Breeders’ Cup, said in an interview that “we owe it to that community to come back to Keeneland as soon as possible.” :: Want to get your Past Performances for free? Click to learn more. Also in the release, Breeders’ Cup said that its purses this year will be offered at the same level offered in 2019, which was a total of $31 million. However, earlier this year, the organization’s board approved a $2 million increase to the Turf, a $1 million increase to the Classic, and a $1 million increase to the Dirt Mile, to make total purses over the two days this year worth $35 million. Those increases will not go ahead as planned. In the interview, Fleming said that the purse increases are planned to go into effect for the 2021 event, which is being held for the second time at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Southern California. The announcement that this year’s event will be held spectator-free comes at a time when Kentucky has failed to make any measurable progress in reducing its number of coronavirus positives. Still, the University of Kentucky football team announced on Thursday that fans will be allowed at its home games this year, though at a sharply reduced capacity and with enforced social-distancing and masking policies in place. The first home game is scheduled for Oct. 3. Breeders’ Cup officials said that the decision to bar spectators was made in consultation with local and state health officials and Ky. Gov. Andrew Beshear. According to the announcement, only “essential personnel and participants” will be allowed on-site, a roster that includes owners of the horses entered in the races, according to an official with the company. “After many months of careful deliberation, planning, and consultation, it has become abundantly clear that this is the right decision in order to proceed with our event while still protecting the collective health of our community,” said Fleming, in the release. In 2015, Breeders’ Cup spent millions of dollars at Keeneland to erect temporary seating and luxury-suite areas on the property, which has a relatively small footprint compared to previous hosts like Santa Anita and Churchill Downs. Breeders’ Cup had similar plans this year, and the construction of the temporary structures was expected to start within weeks. Fleming declined to say how much Breeders’ Cup had budgeted for its prep plans at Keeneland and stressed that the announcement about spectators was not related to those costs. “This was not a financial decision,” Fleming said. “This was the safe thing to do.” Breeders’ Cup said in its announcement that any tickets that had already been sold will be refunded. The organization also said it is working with NBC Sports, which has a partnership with Breeders’ Cup on the television broadcast of the event, “to develop and introduce innovative and enhanced production elements.” Keeneland is scheduled to host its fall meet this year from Oct. 2 to Oct. 24, and the track has not yet announced whether it will allow fans. The track canceled its spring meet earlier this year, but it ran a five-day meet in July in which spectators were not allowed on-site. However, the track did allow owners of stakes horses to attend on days when their horses ran.