Keeneland is the Horse Capital of the World
The horse capital of the world wouldn’t be the horse capital of the world without Keeneland.
As the world’s largest Thoroughbred auction house, Keeneland sales “graduates” have accounted for more than half of all winners of the Triple Crown classic races. Keeneland has sold 22 Kentucky Derby winners, 23 Preakness winners and 20 Belmont winners (and still counting), including 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify.
Keeneland hosts four sales each year, which attract buyers and sellers from more than 50 countries. In April and October, Keeneland offers world-class racing. A highlight of the Spring Meet includes the $1 million Toyota Blue Grass stakes race leading up to the Kentucky Derby.
Due to Covid, Keeneland’s 2020 sales, along with the Spring and Fall Meets, were closed to the public with only a limited number of participants and essential personnel permitted to attend. Looking forward to Fall 2022, Keeneland will once again host the Breeders’ Cup World Championships.
In 2019, Keeneland welcomed the inaugural Railbird Festival. The 2020 festival was canceled, but Railbird is hopeful to return to the grounds at Keeneland in August 2021.
If you saw the movie Seabiscuit, it was Lexington’s Keeneland Racecourse that was transformed into Maryland’s Pimlico Race Course for the film. It worked so well, scenes from Secretariat’s 31-length victory at the Belmont Stakes were shot at Keeneland for the 2010 movie, Secretariat.
Founded in 1936, Keeneland’s mission is to continually invest in the industry and to preserve the tradition of Thoroughbred racing. Keeneland was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1986.As a National Historic Landmark, Keeneland features beautifully landscaped grounds that are open to the public.One of Lexington’s best kept breakfast secrets is Keeneland’s Track Kitchen (and you don’t have to be a horseman to get in).
See you at the track!
This article appears on page 42 of the 2021 annual print edition of Beaumont Guide.
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