Keeneland
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| Location | Lexington, Kentucky, United States |
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| Coordinates | 38°2′44″N 84°36′38″W / 38.04556°N 84.61056°WCoordinates: 38°2′44″N 84°36′38″W / 38.04556°N 84.61056°W |
| Owned by | Keeneland Association Inc. |
| Date opened | 1936 |
| Course type | Flat / Thoroughbred |
| Notable races |
Blue Grass Stakes (G1) |
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Keeneland
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A view of Keeneland's grandstand at dawn, taken from the last turn leading into the home stretch
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| Built | 1936 |
| NRHP Reference # | 86003467 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | September 4, 1986 |
| Designated NHL | September 4, 1986 |
| Official website | |
Blue Grass Stakes (G1)
Ashland Stakes (G1)
Turf Mile Stakes (G1)
Breeders' Futurity (G1)
Keeneland includes the Keeneland Racecourse, a Thoroughbred horse racing facility, and a sales complex, both in Lexington, Kentucky. Operated by the Keeneland Association, Inc., it is also known for its reference library.
In 2009, the Horseplayers Association of North America introduced a rating system for 65 Thoroughbred racetracks in North America. Keeneland was ranked #1 of the top ten tracks. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1986.
Keeneland was founded in 1936 as a nonprofit racing–auction entity on 147 acres (0.59 km2) of farmland west of Lexington, which had been owned by Jack Keene, a driving force behind the building of the facility. It has used proceeds from races and its auctions to further the thoroughbred industry as well as to contribute to the surrounding community. The racing side of Keeneland, Keeneland Race Course, has conducted live race meets in April and October since 1936. It added a grass course in 1985. The spring meet contains several preps for the Kentucky Derby, the most notable of which is the Blue Grass Stakes. The fall meet features several Breeders' Cup preps.
Keeneland takes pride in maintaining racing traditions; it was the last track in North America to broadcast race calls over its public-address system, not doing so until 1997. Most of the racing scenes of the 2003 movie Seabiscuit were shot at Keeneland, because its appearance has changed relatively little in the last several decades.
Nonetheless, Keeneland has adopted several innovations. It reshaped the main track and replaced the dirt surface with the proprietary Polytrack surface over the summer of 2006 in time for its fall race meeting. The track was restored to a dirt racing surface during the summer of 2014.
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Wikipedia