The world championships in Thoroughbred racing return to Lexington this November. A Breeders Cup countdown kickoff event took place Thursday downtown. This will be the third time Keeneland has hosted the international event. Breeders Cup CEO Drew Fleming said once again race day seating will be expanded.
“We’re planning to put up over ten million dollars of temporary infrastructure which includes five really large luxury chalets which incorporate about 165,000 additional square feet,” said Fleming
Fleming said a similar enhancement was done in 2015 for the first Breeders Cup at Keeneland.
Keeneland President Shannon Arvin noted the temporary structures will comfortably accommodate an expected crowd of more than 40,000 fans.
The last Breeders’ event was held in 2020 without fans and with much less fanfare than in 2015. Kip Cornett is the Breeders’ Cup Festival Chair. He said this November will hopefully be active.
“A lot of emphasis on the downtown area for sure. That’s where our guests stay. That’s a natural gathering spot for the city. But we’re also going to take advantage of a lot of new entertainment venues that have come online,” Cornett.
Tickets for races on November fourth and fifth go on sale on May ninth.