Keeneland

Amy Adams
Oct 15
4 min read

Crown Jewel of Central Kentucky

Lexington, Kentucky, known as the Horse Capital of the World, is less than a four-hour drive northeast from Williamson County and is home to Keeneland, one of the most scenic and best-loved Thoroughbred racetracks anywhere in the world, while also being an important member of the local community.

Keeneland, located on US 60 across from Blue Grass Airport, covers 1,234 acres of prime Kentucky Bluegrass and is a National Historic Landmark renown beauty, charm and timeless traditions. Keeneland, which opened for racing eighty-nine years ago, holds prestigious race meets in April and October; will host the Breeders’ Cup World Championships for a fourth time in 2026; and is the world’s largest Thoroughbred auction house, having recorded total sales of more than $500 million for its recent September Yearling Sale.

Over seventeen days from October 3rd through 25th, Keeneland will conduct the 2025 Fall Meet, its most lucrative racing season in track history, with the combined value of twenty-two stakes races reaching $10.85 million. The richest event is $1.25 million Coolmore Turf Mile on October 4th during the signature Fall Stars Weekend—a showcase of horses taking aim at the Breeders’ Cup World Championships. Fans will see Thoroughbred racing’s most prominent owners, trainers and jockeys compete.

In advance of its philanthropic mission, Keeneland also will present such popular special events as Make-A-Wish Day, College Scholarship Day Presented by Lane’s End, Kids Club Day Sponsored by Kentucky Children’s Hospital, Heroes Day and Sunrise Trackside.

Racing during the Fall Meet is conducted Wednesdays through Sundays. Gates open at 11am ET, and the first race is at 1pm. The Hill, Keeneland’s popular free tailgating area, is open with amenities on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, weather permitting.

Keeneland tickets usually sell out within minutes of going on sale, but you might get lucky if you check the current availability. All tickets must be purchased in advance via Keeneland’s Official Online Ticket Office at tickets.keeneland.com. Keeneland offers a return policy of up to forty-eight hours in advance of race day. Because ticket inventory is updated automatically, we encourage fans to check our website regularly and sign up to receive notifications when tickets become available.

Keeneland offers so much more, including guided official tours available all year long; an exclusive retail venue called The Keeneland Shop, featuring timeless equestrian-influenced apparel, jewelry, accessories, souvenirs, and more; and a Track Kitchen in the stable area, where Southern-style breakfast is popular among track workers and locals. When the track isn’t racing or holding auctions, Keeneland hosts numerous events of all sizes, including weddings and receptions, cocktail parties, corporate outings and fundraising walk/runs.

You can bet that racing fans will flock to the Fall Meet this October and then spend all winter looking forward to the return of racing for Keeneland’s 2026 Spring Meet on April 3^rd through 24^th. The spring season will have everything that makes Keeneland popular, including two notable races for Thoroughbred racing’s leading three-year-olds who are taking aim on the classics: the Blue Grass Stakes for males and the Central Bank Ashland for fillies. One of the sport’s oldest and most prestigious races, the Blue Grass will be run for the 102nd time next year.

That Keeneland is such a special place is no accident. As founder and first President, Hal Price Headley said in the 1930s, “We want a place where those who love horses can come and picnic with us and thrill to the sport of the Bluegrass. We are not running a race plant to hear the click of the mutuel machines. We want them to come out here to enjoy God’s sunshine, fresh air and to watch horse’s race.”

Keeneland’s Mission

A privately held company with a not-for-profit mission, Keeneland has invested in the horse industry and the Central Kentucky community since it opened in 1936. Meanwhile, Keeneland works tirelessly to protect racing’s greatest asset: the Thoroughbred. Keeneland remains faithful to its founding principles by returning profits to the horse industry in the form of higher prize money; funding equine research, health and safety initiatives for horses and riders, and Thoroughbred aftercare; and by contributing to local charitable and civic organizations through a blend of financial and in-kind sponsorships. Keeneland’s sponsors during race meets collaborate on many of these efforts.

Keeneland Library: A Treasure

Located on Keeneland's 1,234-acre campus is Keeneland Library, a world-renowned public research institution begun in 1939—three years after Keeneland opened for racing—when Keeneland Trustee and Director William Arnold Hanger acquired the 2,300-volume Turf collection of Robert James Turnbull and donated the material to Keeneland. Today, the Library has the world's largest collection of information related to the Thoroughbred, with more than 30,000 books, five million photographic negatives and prints, and millions of newspaper and magazine articles covering all aspects of the equine industry. Thousands of journalists, writers, historians, industry stakeholders, academics and racing fans of all ages perform research at the Library or request information from its staff each year. The Library hosts a lecture series, maintains physical and virtual exhibits, engages in outreach and educational initiatives and provides research and licensing services to community, state and national organizations. The Library's admission is free and is open Monday through Friday from 8:30am to 4:30pm ET.

Tickets must be purchased in advance at tickets.keeneland.com. Learn more at keeneland.com and follow us at @keeneland on Facebook and Instagram.