Thoroughbred Daily News

Game Winner (Candy Ride {Arg}), the champion 2-year-old male of 2018, has had his first mare confirmed in foal, officials at Lane's End announced Thursday.

The Machmer Hall-owned Tabarin (Congrats) was the first mare reported in foal to the son of Indyan Giving (A.P. Indy). The 9-year-old is a half-sister to SW & GSP Abraham (Distorted Humor); GISP Beat the Benchmark (Speightstown); and to Groton Circle, who produced SW Supreme Aura to the cover of Candy Ride in 2015. Tabarin's third dam includes MGSW & GISP Miss Isella (Silver Charm); GII Arkansas Derby hero Sir Cherokee (Cherokee Run); MSW Guam Typhoon (Distorted Humor); and MGSP Lady Linda (Torrential).

Raced by Gary and Mary West and trained by Bob Baffert, Game Winner was a perfect four-for-four during his championship season, with victories in the GI Del Mar Futurity, GI American Pharoah S. and GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile. He added a five-length score in the 2019 GIII Los Alamitos Derby and was retired with a record of 8-5-2-0 and earnings of $2,027,500.

Game Winner, one of three sons of Candy Ride at Lane's End, stands for a fee of $30,000.

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Del Mar has released its 2021 summer stakes schedule, with purse increases for 21 of its races making the total program worth 30% more than 2020. The GI TVG Pacific Classic will be worth $750,000–an increase of $250,000–when it is run Aug. 21. The purse of the GII Del Mar Mile has increased $150,000 to $300,000. Receiving $100,000 increases are the GII Del Mar H. (up to $300,000) and the July 17 GII San Diego H. (now worth $250,000).

“This is one of the strongest stakes schedules in Del Mar's history,” said Del Mar racing secretary David Jerkens. “We have increased purses virtually across the board. I am really excited to see the level of quality our stakes program will attract, especially being the home of the Breeders' Cup this year.”

The Pacific Classic card will feature five stakes. In addition to the track's signature race, the Aug. 21 card will also feature the GI Del Mar Oaks; the GII Del Mar H.; the GII Del Mar Mile, and the GIII Torrey Pines S.

There will be six Grade I events over the course of the summer–the July 31 $300,000 Bing Crosby S.; the Aug. 1 $300,000 Clement L. Hirsch S.; the Del Mar Oaks and the TVG Pacific Classic, the $300,000 Del Mar Debutante Sept. 5, and the $300,000 Runhappy Del Mar Futurity Sept. 6.

Del Mar, which will host championship weekend in November,  will present five Breeders' Cup “Win and You're In” races: the Bing Crosby S. (guaranteeing admission and entry fees to the $2-million Sprint); Clement L. Hirsch S. ($2-million BC Distaff); the Del Mar H. ($4-million Turf); TVG Pacific Classic ($6-million Classic), and the $200,000 Aug. 28 GII Pat O'Brien S. ($2-million Dirt Mile).

The Del Mar summer meet runs from July 17 through Sept. 6.

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Wagering on U.S. races totaled $840,059,258 in February, a decrease of 6.79% from the $901,272,610 wagered in February 2020, according to figures released Thursday by Equibase. Race days declined from 296 in February 2020 to 219 last month and number of races fell from 2,477 to 1,928 from 2,477. Average wagering per day rose 25.98% from $3,044,840 a year ago to $3,835,887.

U.S. purses fell 19.70% to $62,100,791 during the month, while average purses per day rose 8.53% from $261,272 to $283,565.

During the first two months of the year, wagering on U.S. races is up 1.30% to $1,799,973,370, while average wagering per race day is up 23.74% to $3,797,412. U.S. purses in January and February fell 10.87% to $133,200,888 and average purses per day rose 8.87% to $281,015.

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The first mares bred to 'TDN Rising Star' Complexity (Maclean's Music), winner of the GI Champagne S. at two and the GII Kelso H. at four, have been confirmed in foal. The bay retired to Airdrie Stud last fall. He stands for $12,500, stands and nurses.

“We have had a terrific response to Complexity, and he has been booked full for some time,” said Cormac Breathnach. “He is off to a great start in the shed and we have a lot to look forward to with him.”

A Klaravich Stables runner, Complexity was bred to two mares each on both Feb. 14 and 15, with all four mares scanning in foal.

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Arizona's Turf Paradise Racetrack has reached an agreement with 1/ST TECHNOLOGY's AmTote International for multi-year totalisator services, featuring year-round simulcast wagering on track and an OTB network of 38 locations, a number anticipated to grow in excess of 50 in 2021. 1/ST TECHNOLOGY already services Turf Paradise fixed-odds wagering through its XB NET business. 1/ST TECHNOLOGY will upgrade Turf Paradise's in-venue terminals and totalisator platform.

“We very much look forward to ushering in a new era at Turf Paradise from the wagering technology evolution perspective, in addition to our broader agreement to support Turf Paradise's efforts to distribute its horse racing content and wagering on a global scale now encompassing both fixed-odds and pari-mutuel betting opportunities,” said Keith Johnson, Chief Revenue Officer at 1/ST TECHNOLOGY. “We're confident these milestone developments can reignite horse racing's consumer economy.”

AmTote technology and services host the majority of racetrack operators in North America and process more than $15 billion in pari-mutuel and fixed-odds wagering around the world each year.

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The first session of the 2021 Thoroughbred Owner Conference series, which began with discussion on the business and economics of racehorse ownership, is in the books. More than 340 people attended virtually Mar. 2. The panel was sponsored by Keeneland and moderated by television analyst Caton Bredar, while featuring owners George Bolton and Maggi Moss; Sarah Reeves, attorney and member, Stoll Keenon Ogden; and Jen Shah, tax director, Dean Dorton.

The 10-session virtual series, presented by Bessemer Trust, Dean Dorton Equine, Stoll Keenon Ogden, and Stonestreet Farm, is hosted by The Jockey Club and the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association. The second session will take place Tuesday, Apr. 6.

All sessions are recorded and made available to registered guests. There is no fee, but registration is required. For more information about the series, including the full schedule of panels and registration, please visit ownerview.com/event/conference or contact Gary Falter at gfalter@jockeyclub.com.

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With over 2,000 wins and dozens of graded stakes scores on his resume, Mike Stidham has well established himself as a top trainer in this business. But as of yet, his stable hasn't quite found its breakout star–one that can take him to Breeders' Cup glory and maybe even an Eclipse Award or two. That may have changed with the arrival of Mystic Guide (Ghostzapper) in Stidham's barn two years ago, as the Godolphin blueblood has steadily developed into a budding star, fresh off a jaw-dropping victory in the GIII Razorback H. and headed for an engagement in the G1 Dubai World Cup. Wednesday morning, Stidham joined the TDN Writers' Room presented by Keeneland as the Green Group Guest of the Week to discuss his plans for Mystic Guide, how the Godolphin racing and breeding operation works, the demise of his beloved Arlington Park and more.

“As you can see from his past performances, we took our time with him. We spaced his races,” Stidham said of Mystic Guide's steady progression. “There were a lot of temptations because it had been moved to September to still try to make the Derby. He just always seemed like he was a step or two behind some of the top 3-year-olds last year. So we gave him the time and felt like he had really moved forward late in the year. At that point, again there was temptation to try him in the Breeders' Cup, but we decided to do the right thing and get him ready for his 4-year-old year. We never turned him out, we just lightened up on his training and I felt really confident from a maturity standpoint, mentally and physically, he had gone the right way. So the [Razorback] performance was not surprising.”

Asked about the surging Godolphin racing operation in America and how it operates across several trainers, Stidham commented, “When you look at the stallion power of these horses–Tapit, Hard Spun, Curlin–then you look down and you see mares like Panty Raid, Music Note, it's only a matter of time until they start to do what they're doing. Interestingly enough, the trainers never see the 2-year-olds until they walk into their barn. I know that Jimmy [Bell] makes trips down to Ocala where they're in training, mostly with Eddie Woods, Niall Brennan, David Scanlon, but we don't know anything about what we're getting until we get a list sent to our email. Until they walk into our barn, we've never seen them before. I think they try to somewhat fit horses to the programs that we're running and obviously they've done a great job, because it's working really well.”

Stidham has been a mainstay at Arlington Park in the summer for several years and has won multiple training titles there. But the news is not good for the Chicago-area plant, as it appears Churchill Downs will abandon racing there after 2021. He didn't mince words when asked his feelings about those developments.

“I'm very, very disappointed in the way Churchill has handled Arlington. I think it's total disrespectful to the Illinois horsemen,” he said. “For me, Arlington was like a national park would be for the public, where you cherish it, and for anybody to go in and tear it down and make it into a residential area because it's better for the stockholders shows no respect for the tradition of Arlington or the horsemen who fought for so many years to try to get gaming there to bolster Illinois racing. For them to walk along with the horsemen for all those years acting like they wanted gaming, then finally get it and then just flat turn it down because they got involved with a casino 15 miles away and didn't want the competition, it's just horrible and sad. It's a very sad day in racing to lose Arlington Park.”

Elsewhere in the show, the writers talked to TDN European editor Emma Berry about the Gordon Elliott story, reacted to a big weekend of 3-year-old racing and, in the West Point Thoroughbreds news segment, broke down the implications of the Irad Ortiz, Jr.-Paco Lopez fight. Click here to watch the podcast; click here for the audio-only version.

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DARRS Inc.'s Extravagant Kid (Kiss the Kid), who recently passed the $1-million mark in career earnings, will make his next start in the G1 Al Quoz Sprint (1200 meters on the straight) on the Dubai World Cup undercard at Meydan Racecourse Mar. 27, trainer Brendan Walsh confirmed Wednesday.

A six-time stakes winner and second in the GI Highlander S. in 2019, the 8-year-old ran home gamely to be a close fourth off a very wide trip in last year's GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint and has since rounded out the exacta in three additional black-type events, including the off-turf Colonel Power S. at the Fair Grounds Feb. 13.

“He's never ran a bad race and when he really shows up, he's right there,” said Walsh, whose lone previous World Cup night starter Plus Que Parfait (Point of Entry) won the 2019 G2 UAE Derby. “In the Breeders' Cup…he was only beaten a length or so after a horrendous draw–14 out of 14–and going wide the whole way and lost a ton of ground. He's one of those horses who no matter the company he's in, he holds his own. He's done it on turf and dirt and it's always been in the back of my mind that he'd be a good horse to bring to Dubai. He's getting on in age and I think this is a good time to go.”

Walsh relishes the opportunity to head back to Dubai, where he worked as a track rider for Godolphin for a decade.

“Dubai has a place in my heart and it always will,” the 47-year-old conditioner said. “It will be nice to have a horse who can come out there and compete again. We had a great time last time, but it's always great when you win. They always put on a great show and take care of you. It'll be a pleasure to come back.”

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Veteran jockey Scott Stevens, one of only 35 riders in history to win in excess of 5,000 races, has announced his retirement after beining involved in a Feb. 24 spill at Turf Paradise. Stevens, 60, is the older brother of Hall of Fame rider Gary Stevens.

“He had an unbelievable career and he is my hero,” Gary Stevens wrote on Twitter.

Stevens went down in a turf race after another horse came over on him shortly after the start. He broke two vertebrae and his ribs as a result of the spill. He was told by doctors that he could ride again, but that it would take six months to a year before he would be able to return.

“I just think it's time to retire,” he said. “I have no doubt I could come back and ride, but with the risk I would be taking with an injury like this, it wouldn't be worth it. It's been a great career.”

Stevens broke in in 1976, accepting his first mount as a 15-year-old at Les Bois Park in his native Idaho. Over the years, he established himself as the top rider at Turf Paradise and one of the top riders at Canterbury Downs. He won nine titles at Turf Paradise and three at Canterbury.

When asked what he is most proud of when it comes to his career, he said, “That I was able to do it for so long. I know I didn't always do it at the top tracks, but wherever I rode, I was successful. A lot had to do with my agent and a lot had to do with the owners and trainers who had faith in me and put me on good horses. That made it fun.”

In 2019, he was honored with the George Woolf Award, which is given annually at Santa Anita to a jockey who demonstrates high standards of professional and personal conduct both on and off the track.

“That was really cool winning that award. It was a big thrill,” he said.

Stevens said he has yet to make any plans when it comes to his future.

“I don't know what I will do, but I am sure it will be something to do with the racetrack,” he said. “For now, I just want to get well. I can't do anything. I can't throw a frisbee to the dog. I have to stay as immobile as possible.”

According to Equibase, Stevens had 33,447 mounts and rode 5,049 winners.

“I have been very lucky and I am proud of the way things went,” he said.

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Laurel Park's 19-spring meet will feature a seven-race stakes schedule worth over $750,000 and highlighted by automatic-qualifying races for the GI Preakness S. and GII Black-Eyed Susan S. Co-headlining the stakes program are the $125,000 Federico Tesio S. for 3-year-olds going 1 1/8 miles and the $125,000 Weber City Miss for 3-year-old fillies at about 1 1/16 miles. The Tesio serves as a 'Win and In' qualifier for Triple Crown-nominated horses to the May 15 Preakness and the Weber City Miss is a 'Win and In' event for the May 14 Black-Eyed Susan. Both will be run Apr. 17.

The 19-day spring meet opens Apr. 1 and runs through May 2. Racing will be conducted Thursday through Sunday during the spring meet, with the exception of Easter Sunday, Apr. 4. Post time will be 12:40 p.m., with a special 12:15 p.m. post Kentucky Derby day, May 1.

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5th-Kempton, £38,000, Cond, 3-3, 3yo, 8f (AWT), 1:38.12, st/sl.
HIGHLAND AVENUE (IRE) (c, 3, Dubawi {Ire}–Lumiere {GB} {Hwt. 2yo Filly-Eng & G1SW-Eng, $329,674}, by Shamardal), a Jan. 30 last-out winner over course and distance, employed patient tactics in rear for the most part of a contest carrying points towards a Kentucky Derby invitation. Making eyecatching headway along the far-side rail in the straight, the 4-9 lock gained an edge approaching the eighth pole and was ridden out in the latter stages to deny 200-1 chance Sergeant Tibbs (GB) (Bobby's Kitten) by 1 3/4 lengths. Highland Avenue therefore earns 20 points towards the Kentucky Derby. Kin to a 2-year-old filly by Galileo {Ire}) and a yearling filly by Sea the Stars (Ire), he is the first of three foals and lone performer out of G1 Cheveley Park S. winner Lumiere (GB) (Shamardal), herself a full-sister to GI E.P. Taylor S. victric Sheikha Reika (Fr). Lifetime Record: 3-2-1-0, $39,342.
O/B-Godolphin (IRE); T-Charlie Appleby.

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The Texas Thoroughbred Association has catalogued 122 juveniles for its Texas 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale. The auction will be held Apr. 7 at Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie. The under-tack show will be held Apr. 5.

“After being forced to cancel last year's 2-year-old sale due to COVID-19, we are very pleased to get back on track this year, especially with the excitement from the increased overnight purses in Texas and the strong stakes schedule coming up at Lone Star Park,” said TTA sales director Tim Boyce.

To view the complete catalogue, visit www.ttasales.com.

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Fair Grounds announced a 10% across-the-board purse increase–the third of the New Orleans track's current meeting–Wednesday. The purse increase goes into effect for the final 13 days of the meet, beginning with the Mar. 11 card.

“Our handle has continued to be strong and we are pleased to be able to raise purses for the third time this meet,” Fair Grounds' racing secretary Scott Jones said. “We'd once again like to thank the owners, trainers and fans who have been supporting our day-to-day racing product. $60,000 for a maiden special weight pot is a very competitive number to get to.”

To make up for the weather-related Feb. 11 cancellation, Fair Grounds has added Mar. 24 to the live racing calendar.

In addition, in order to accommodate the NBC broadcast, first post time for the Mar. 20 Louisiana Derby Day card has been pushed back to 11:20 a.m. CT.

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For the first time, the annual Jockeys and Jeans auction raised funds for the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund, including Quarter Horse Industry stallions. Former nine-time Champion Jockey G.R. Carter spearheaded the effort, enlisting Quarter Horse breeders, who spent $31,500 for breeding seasons, while Thoroughbred stallion season buyers paid $36,100.

Powered by volunteers, Jockeys and Jeans, founded by five former riders in late 2014, has raised $1.6 million for about 60 disabled former jockeys who receive a monthly $1,000 stipend from the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund. The annual Jockeys and Jeans fundraising event is held at a separate track each year. The organization's planned event at Churchill Downs last fall had to be canceled due to the pandemic, but the group is planning an event this summer and possibly a virtual event this spring. Both will be announced at a later date.

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Gainesway freshman sires McKinzie (Street Sense) and Spun to Run (Hard Spun), winner of the 2019 GI Breeders Cup Dirt Mile, have their first mares confirmed mares in foal.

McKinzie, a four-time Grade I winner, won graded stakes from age two through five, including the GI Los Alamitos Futurity, GI Pennsylvania Derby, GI Whitney S. and GI Malibu S. In addition to a Breeders' Cup win, Spun to Run also annexed the GIII Smarty Jones S. and was runner up in the GI Cigar Mile and third in the GI Haskell Invitational S.

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Presented virtually the week of Feb. 22, the fourth annual Renaissance Awards, a collaborative effort between the Maryland Horse Breeders Association, Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association and Maryland Jockey Club, was highlighted by Knicks Go (Paynter) earning the title of Maryland Horse of the Year and champion older horse for the 2020 season. Owned by Korea Racing Authority and trained by Brad H. Cox, the grey capped off an impressive year with a victory in the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile at Keeneland in November. He is only the fifth Maryland-bred to win a Breeders' Cup race.

Other Divisional champions:

Champion 2-year-old male: Jaxon Traveler (Munnings).

Bred by Dr. and Mrs. A. Leonard Pineau; owned by West Point Tbreds & Marvin Delfiner; trained by Steven M. Asmussen.

Champion 2-year-old filly: Street Lute (Street Magician).

Bred by Dr. and Mrs. Thomas Bowman and Dr. Brooke Bowman; owned by Lucky 7 Stables; trained by John J. Robb.

Champion 3-year-old male: Field Pass (Lemon Drop Kid).

Bred by Mark Brown Grier; owned by Three Diamonds Farm; trained by Michael J. Maker.

Champion 3-year-old filly and champion turf runner: Sharing (Speightstown).

Bred by Sagamore Farm; owned by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners & Gainesway Stable (Antony Beck); trained by H. Graham Motion.

Champion older female: Never Enough Time (Munnings).

Bred and owned by R. Larry Johnson; trained by Michael J. Trombetta.

Champion sprinter: Laki (Cuba).

Bred by Tom Michaels and Lorna Baker; owned by Hillside Equestrian Meadows; trained by Damon R. Dilodovico.

Also earning an award, Angie Moore, breeder of 2020 Maryland-bred Horse of the Year and champion older male Knicks Go, was crowned the Maryland Breeder of the Year, while Sycamore Hall Thoroughbreds LLC and Hillwood Stable LLC's Love's Reason, dam of 2019 Maryland-bred champion older female Majestic Reason, won Maryland Broodmare of the Year and Northview Stallion Station's Great Notion took home the title of Maryland Stallion of the Year for the fifth consecutive year.

Other award winners for 2020 include Robert Bone, Maryland Owner of the Year; Claudio Gonzalez, Maryland Trainer of the Year; Trevor McCarthy, Maryland Jockey of the Year. Edgar Gallegos was honored as the Pimlico Backstretch Worker of the Year, while Antonio Lopez Salazar earned the title of Laurel Backstretch Employee of the Year, and jockey Victor Carrasco was recognized as the MTHA's Unsung Hero.

To watch the video announcements for each category, visit www.MarylandThoroughbred.com.

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Several changes for the upcoming 2021 racing season at Indiana Grand Racing & Casino were approved by the Indiana Horse Racing Commission at its Tuesday meeting regarding race dates and wagering and takeout rules. Indiana Grand was initially set to hold live racing Saturday, May 1 during GI Kentucky Derby Day. However, due to uncertainty directly related to COVID-19, a request was submitted to the IHRC to reallocate that date to Monday, Nov. 8, 2021, which will become closing day for the 19th season of Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing at Indiana Grand.

The IHRC also approved a rule change that dictates races taken off the turf once the wagering pools have closed for the Pick 4, Pick 5 and Pick 6 will now become “all” wagers. The Pick 6 will now become a scenario where “all” horses in that race will be considered a winner. Formerly, when a horse scratched from a race taken off the turf after the close of the wagering pools, the customer was given a substitute of the post time favorite.

Indiana Grand introduced a lower takeout for the Pick 5 in 2020 at 11.99%, which remains in effect. In addition, the IHRC approved a reduced takeout for the Pick 4 along with the Pick 6 Jackpot wagers to 15% beginning in 2021.

“We are always looking for ways to enhance our betting platforms and with the growing popularity of our multiple-race wagers, and we felt a reduced takeout on these two wagers would be very attractive to our racing customers,” said Eric Halstrom, vice president and general manager of racing. “We've seen a tremendous increase in interest in these types of wagers at Indiana Grand and are excited to make them a better value for our fan base.”

Live racing returns to Indiana Grand Tuesday, Apr. 13. Racing will be conducted at 2:25 p.m. ET Monday through Wednesday with first post on Thursday set at 3:25 p.m.

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After scuffling Friday at Gulfstream Park with Irad Ortiz, Jr., which caused him to be put on probation for the remainder of the meet, Paco Lopez told the TDN Monday he is ready to move on.

That there was a fight between Ortiz and Lopez was first reported by the Daily Racing Form's Mike Welsch. The fight was captured on a video that shows Ortiz landing at least three punches on Lopez following the fourth race Friday at Gulfstream. Lopez did not fight back.

“For me, it's over. I don't want any trouble going forward,” Lopez said.

Ortiz was fined $1,000 and both riders were put on probation. According to the Racing Form, probation means that any future altercation between the two riders would result in “fines and/or suspension and possible expulsion from the grounds.”

The TDN tried to reach Ortiz through his agent Steve Rushing but Rushing did not return a phone call.

The altercation occurred after Ortiz guided Known Agenda (Curlin) to a win over Lopez's mount, Top Gun Tommy (Mineshaft) in the allowance race. Known Agenda won by 11 lengths.

Coming out of the far turn, Known Agenda came over a path and appeared to bother Top Gun Tommy before pulling away from his rival. Lopez lodged an objection but the stewards let the result stand as is.

“If I had fought him back, I'd have a fine, too,” Lopez said. “But I was just sitting down in the chair, waiting for the result at the same time as him. I didn't want to provoke him.”

Lopez has run afoul of the Gulfstream stewards in the past. In 2019, he received a 30-day suspension for careless riding, followed later on in the meet by a 60-day suspension for “continuous careless riding.” He said that was in the back of his mind when the fight was taking place.

“The stewards there are very tough on me,” he said. “They had given me 30 and then 60 days. I know that if I had done to him what he did to me I would have been ruled off from the track.”

Lopez said he doesn't know why Ortiz was so mad at him.

“I was just doing my job,” Lopez said. “I called the stewards. He started screaming at me. I'm not jealous of him. I had a problem. He would have done the same thing.”

Ortiz is the leading rider at the meet with 107 wins. Lopez is in a tie for third with Tyler Gaffalione. Both have 71 winners.

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With the Feb. 25 announcement that restrictions regarding gaming in the state of New Mexico would be loosened, the New Mexico Racing Commission announced Monday that its season is slated to start Apr. 23 at SunRay Park in Farmington, NM.

“We are very excited to get live horse racing going again in the state of New Mexico,” said newly-named Chairman of the New Mexico Racing Commission, Sam Bregman. “We look forward to getting the industry back on track.”

The New Mexico Racing Commission intends to make decisions regarding the SunRay Park purse schedule, condition book, post times, racing officials, and wagering format at its upcoming monthly meeting on Mar. 18.

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Keeneland has released plans to offer fans a limited number of ticket packages for dining, Reserved Grandstand seating and General Admission for the 2021 Spring Meet, to be held Apr. 2-23. All ticket packages were designed in accordance with COVID-19 safety protocols and will be pre-sold online in two phases. Fans are encouraged to visit Keeneland.com/tickets for information on Spring Meet ticket options and the process to purchase.

“Keeneland is eager to welcome fans, although fewer in number, back this spring for what promises to be an exciting race meet,” Keeneland President and CEO Shannon Arvin said. “We have missed our fans as much as they've missed Keeneland, particularly at this time of year as we shake off winter to celebrate the return of spring. While we are still limited in capacity, our team is hard at work creating unique touches that will deliver the exceptional and safe race-day experience our guests expect from Keeneland. And for those fans who can't attend in person, Keeneland will provide ways for you to enjoy your race-day traditions from the comfort of your home.”

Beginning Monday, Mar. 8, fans may apply for the opportunity to purchase a table for six in the fourth-floor Lexington/Kentucky Room or Phoenix Room or up to six Reserved Grandstand seat ticket packages on specific race days.

Fans may purchase General Admission ticket packages online on a first-come, first-served basis starting Wednesday, Mar. 24. A maximum of six tickets may be purchased per order. Reserved Grandstand and General Admission ticket packages will include admission, a race-day program and a concession allowance. Dining ticket packages will include admission, a race-day program and a prix fixe three-course meal.

Keeneland will continue to enforce COVID-19 protocols during the Spring Meet and implement new initiatives with regard to mobile ticketing and cashless payment to further create a safe environment for all guests.

All forms of seating at Keeneland, including dining tables, outdoor boxes, pods of tickets in the Reserved Grandstand area and Grandstand benches, will be kept at a social distance. All individuals will be required to wear a face mask and maintain proper social distancing while on the grounds. Health screenings and temperature checks will resume at all entrance gates for the race meet.

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