Keeneland Horseracing

Keeneland Race Course is located in Lexington, Kentucky. Declared a National Historic Landmark, it has two tracks that feature thoroughbred racing. Keeneland Race Course runs two short race meetings a year, lasting about three weeks in the spring (April) and fall (October).

The spring meeting is highlighted by the Blue Grass Stakes, a popular prep race for the Kentucky Derby. The fall meeting on the other hand, is showcased by the Spinster Stakes which has served as a launching pad to success in the Breeders' Cup championship program.

The track boasts one of the richest traditions of any racetrack in America. Since its first meeting in the fall of 1936, Keeneland Race Course has attracted such famous racehorses as Johnstown, Whirlaway, Round Table, Northern Dancer, Forego, Alydar, Spectacular Bid, Alysheba, Bayakoa, and Lure.

Many well-known trainers have saddled horses at Keeneland Race Course, including Ben A. Jones, Henry Forrest, Harry Trotsek, W.C. "Woody" Stephens and D. Wayne Lucas.

Aside from live horseracing, it also offers thoroughbred sales and simulcasting. Keeneland Race Course conducts sales in January, April, July, September and November while simulcast wagering is offered year round.

Keeneland Horseracing Tracks

Keeneland Race Course has two tracks - a dirt and a turf course. The dirt track is a mile and a sixteenth oval while the turf course is a 7-furlong oval. The dirt track has been there since Keeneland Race Course's inaugural season in 1936; the turf course was added in 1985, making Keeneland Race Course the first racetrack in Kentucky to offer grass racing.

Keeneland Race Course offers dirt races at distances from 4½ furlongs to a mile and five-eighths, depending on where the starting gate is placed and whether the chutes are used. The chutes, which are extensions off the main track, allow races to be run which otherwise would have undesirable starting locations.

Most races on the dirt course end at the finish line in front of the grandstand. Races at a mile and a sixteenth, however, start and finish at the sixteenth pole, which is a sixteenth of a mile from the finish of the other dirt races. This finish line is located in front of the clubhouse.

Races over the turf course range from 5½ furlongs to a mile and five-eighths.

Dirt Track

Distance	Horse	Age	Weight	Time	Date
4 1/2 Furlongs	Drafted	2	118 lbs	:50.45	Apr 27, 2016
5 1/2 Furlongs	Amelia's Wild Ride	4	120 lbs	1:02.97	Oct 3, 2015
6 Furlongs	Nashville	3	118 lbs	1:07.89	Nov 7, 2020
6 1/2 Furlongs	Highly Motivated	2	118 lbs	1:14.99	Nov 6, 2020
7 Furlongs	Gamine	3	122 lbs	1:20.20	Nov 7, 2020
About 7 Furlongs	Four Graces	3	118 lbs	1:24.90	Jul 10, 2020
1 Mile	Knicks Go	4	126 lbs	1:33.85	Nov 7, 2020
1 1/16 Miles	Knicks Go	4	121 lbs	1:40.79	Oct 4, 2020
1 1/8 Miles	Noble Bird	5	123 lbs	1:47.75	Oct 29, 2016
1 3/16 Miles	Rapscallion	4	121 lbs	1:55.56	Oct 16, 2014
1 1/4 Miles	Authentic	3	122 lbs	1:59.60	Nov 7, 2020
1 5/8 Miles	Rocketry	6	122 lbs	2:42.57	Nov 6, 2020

Turf Course

Distance	Horse	Age	Weight	Time	Date
5 1/2 Furlongs	Leinster	5	121 lbs	1:00.86	Jul 11, 2020
1 Mile	Uni (GB)	5	124 lbs	1:32.87	Oct 5, 2019
About 1 Mile	Chattahoochee War	3	121 lbs	1:35.28	Apr 8, 2005
1 1/16 Miles	Rushing Fall	5	118 lbs	1:39.02	Jul 11, 2020
1 1/8 Miles	Memories of Silver	3	121 lbs	1:45.81	Oct 5, 1996
About 1 1/8 Miles	On the Acorn (GB)	4	118 lbs	1:48.68	Apr 9, 2005
1 3/16 Miles	Tuesday (IRE)	3	120 lbs	1:51.88	Nov 5, 2022
1 1/2 Miles	Highway Robber	4	122 lbs	2:26.08	Oct 11, 2024

All-Time Total Wins Leaders

Rank	Jockey	Total Keeneland Wins
1	Pat Day	918
2	Julien Leparoux	518
3	Don Brumfield	716
4	Robby Albarado	522
5	John Velazquez	291
6	Corey Lanerie	289
7	Tyler Gaffalione	274
8	Luis Saez	246
9	Brian Hernandez Jr.	240
10	James Graham	225

All-Time Stakes Wins Leaders

Rank	Jockey	Keeneland Stakes Wins
1	Pat Day	95
2	John Velazquez	73
3	Julien Leparoux	67
4	Javier Castellano	54
5	Joel Rosario	43
6	Irad Ortiz Jr.	36
7	Florent Geroux	34
8	Tyler Gaffalione	32
9	Luis Saez	32
10	Jose Ortiz	26

All-Time Stakes Wins Leaders (Owners)

Rank	Owner / Racing Operation	Stakes Wins
1	Claiborne Farm	26
2	William S. Farish	23
3	Calumet Farm	20
4	Augustin Stable	19
5	Juddmonte Farms	18
6	Kenneth L. & Sarah K. Ramsey	15
7	Overbrook Farm	13
—	Allen E. Paulson	13
9	Bwamazon Farm	12
—	John C. Oxley	12
—	Sam-Son Farm	12

All-Time Total Wins Leaders (Trainers)

Rank	Trainer	Total Keeneland Wins
1	G.R. "Rusty" Arnold II	315
2	Bill Mott	314
3	Wesley Ward	300
4	D. Wayne Lukas	296
5	Todd Pletcher	293
6	Kenny McPeek	288
7	Mike Maker	257
8	Brad Cox	211
9	Steve Asmussen	187
10	C.R. "Shug" McGaughey III	173

All-Time Stakes Wins Leaders (Trainers)

Rank	Trainer	Stakes Wins
1	Todd Pletcher	75
2	Bill Mott	53
—	Chad Brown	53
4	D. Wayne Lukas	52
5	Brad Cox	43
6	H. Graham Motion	40
7	Kenny McPeek	35
8	Mark Casse	34
9	Wesley Ward	32
10	C.R. "Shug" McGaughey III	28

Keeneland Race Course Milestones

1935

• Articles of incorporation were filed for Keeneland Association on April 17. Hal Price Headley was the first elected president of the Association.
• Keeneland Association purchased 147 1/2 acres of Fayette County sportsman J.O. "Jack" Keene's property on the Versailles Pike on August 29. The price was $130,000 in cash and $10,000 in preferred stock at par value.

1936

• More than 15,000 people attended an open house at the racetrack on October 11. The open house was held to introduce the public to the new totalizator, the first to be installed in Kentucky.
• Keeneland Race Course held its inaugural card on October 15. Paid attendance for the nine-day fall meeting (Oct. 15-24) totaled 25,337.
• During the Fall meeting, Keeneland Race Course enlarged and extended its grandstand, adding 1,542 seats and increasing the structure's capacity to 3,849.
• During the spring meeting the alpha-numeric message board located at ground level in front of the infield tote board was introduced.
• During the fall meeting, Keeneland Race Course became the first thoroughbred track in America to use the Visumatic Timer (which posted the various fractions and final clocking on the tote board).

1971

• The Blue Grass Stakes marked the first million-dollar day of wagering in Keeneland Race Course's history - $1,052,866.

1984

• Queen Elizabeth II attended the races at Keeneland Race Course on October 11 for the inaugural running of the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup.

1997

• Ending a longtime tradition of no public-address system, Keeneland Race Course uses an announcer to call the races for the first time during the spring meeting.
• Total wagering topped $100 million for the first time during the 16-day spring meeting.

2002

• Keeneland opened a brand-new, state-of-the-art facility for the Keeneland Library on "The Hill" near the sales grounds. That same year, the library was honored with a Special Eclipse Award for its monumental contributions to preserving the history of the thoroughbred industry.

2006

• Breaking from its traditional dirt surface, Keeneland underwent a massive track renovation over the summer to install a synthetic Polytrack surface on its main oval. The surface stayed in place for eight years, hosting iconic performances before the track transitioned back to state-of-the-art dirt in 2014.
• Keeneland became a global technology leader in racing by introducing the Trakus system, which utilized digital radio frequency tags inside the horses' saddle cloths to provide real-time tracking, accurate field positioning, and timing data to fans and broadcasters.

2011

• On April 1, Alice Headley Chandler, daughter of Keeneland's first president, Hal Price Headley, was named as an official Keeneland Director, paving the way for future leadership shifts. Over the decade, leadership structures evolved, culminating in Shannon Bishop Arvin taking office as Keeneland's first female President and CEO in January 2021.

2014

• Responding to shifting industry trends and preferences for the standard American racing surfaces, Keeneland removed the synthetic Polytrack and laid down a high-grade, traditional dirt surface in time for the Fall Meet.

2015

• Keeneland hosted the Breeders' Cup World Championships for the very first time on October 30–31. The event set a single-day attendance record of 50,155 on Saturday, anchored by Triple Crown legend American Pharoah winning the Breeders' Cup Classic in track-record time to complete horse racing's historic, first-ever "Grand Slam."

2020

• Amid the global COVID-19 pandemic, the Spring Meet was canceled for the first time in history, prompting a rare 5-day "Summer Meet" in July. Later that autumn, Keeneland hosted its second Breeders' Cup, running the historic event entirely without spectators. The flawless, quiet track surfaces allowed horses to set five separate track records over the two-day event (including Authentic's 1 1/4-mile mark).

2022

• The Breeders' Cup returned to Lexington for a third time on November 4–5, capped by Horse of the Year Flightline's spectacular performance in the Classic. The event generated a record-breaking global betting handle of $189.1 million over the two days.

2024–2025

• Keeneland broke ground on a massive, multi-million-dollar multi-year capital project designed to expand and redesign its historic Saddling Paddock. The project introduced a newly integrated viewing chalet, state-of-the-art hospitality suites, and enhanced fan experiences while preserving the signature stone-quarried architecture established by Jack Keene.

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