As an out of state student, I hadn’t heard of Keeneland before coming to the University of Kentucky. I’ve since learned that Keeneland is a thoroughbred auction house and race track in Lexington. In an effort to get to know my new city, I decided to go to a race meet at Keeneland this past weekend. My sister was visiting so we made a weekend adventure out of it and here’s what we experienced:
We planned on going to the races Sunday, but I had heard from friends and professors that Sunrise Trackside was worth going to. But what was Sunrise Trackside?
Basically, on Saturday mornings, it’s free to go and watch the horses warm up and train on the track. There’s also an all-you-can-eat breakfast in the dining room for $8. It starts at 7 a.m. on Saturday mornings; it was difficult to drag my sister out of bed that early, but I think it was worth it.
When we arrived at Keeneland it was dark and we got a little lost; we definitely looked like tourists and in our confusion we ended up eating at the Track Kitchen, which was not the breakfast offered with Sunrise Trackside. But, it was food, and it was also a dollar cheaper than the Breakfast with the Works at Sunrise Trackside.
After we ate, the lady working at the Track Kitchen gave us directions to the track, so we went over and went right in the grandstands to see the morning workouts. Seeing the horses and workers training was exciting, but it was also frightfully cold.
Thankfully, Keeneland had set up some space heaters. Inside there were activities for kids and later in the morning there was a horse demonstration in the paddock and some guided walking tours. My sister and I were too cold to stay for those, so after watching the horses for about an hour, we left.
If you’re planning on going to Sunrise Trackside, know that you should enter Keeneland through Gate 2 (we entered through Gate 1, which is how we got lost in the first place). It’s family friendly and a good way to familiarize yourself with the area before you go to the races
Also, if you were serious about your wagering and bets, it might be fun to go to Sunrise Trackside and see what horses are performing well.
Before going to the races, we were nervous about the dress code. Whenever you see horse races on television everyone is dressed up, and to some extent that’s applicable at Keeneland.
It’s important to note that different areas of the stands have different levels of dress code; in a box, it might be business casual or above, but for our seats we dressed how we normally would if we were going out. In our seats, denim was permitted, and it said so on the ticket.
We had to change our planned outfits because of the weather; our primary concern was staying warm. I was worried we would be underdressed, but once we got there we were middle of the road and dressed just right for our section.
So if you’re planning on going, read your ticket instructions and ask people who have been before about what you should wear.
Races are held on Friday, Saturday and Sunday during the racing months of October and April. We decided to go on Sunday because the tickets were cheaper and we were hoping it would be less crowded. I bought our tickets online and printed them out myself; it was $10 each for our seats in the General Reserved Seating.
General Reserved Seating is the first level of seating under the overhang, so it’s protected from sun and rain, and the seats have arm and back rests. On Saturday, our seats would have cost $20 each.
It wasn’t crowded when we went, but that could have been because it was a rainy, cold day, but the races continue rain or shine! There were nine races that day; races run every 30 minutes until completion.
Keeneland has a really nice set-up with their screens and graphics so it was easy to follow along with the races. As complete racing novices, we didn’t do any betting, but if you’re interested, there are so many ways to wager and betting experts to help you out.
Even though we didn’t do official betting, we picked our favorite horse for each race; it’s definitely more fun to watch when you’re cheering for someone specific. My sister did purchase the race day guide for $4 and it was helpful explaining the race distances, conditions and horse stats.
Concessions are also available. They’re a bit overpriced, just like you would expect at a football game or amusement park, but they have a nice selection of food like hot dogs, chicken tenders, sandwiches, chili and more. I wanted to try something called Kentucky Burgoo but I didn’t have time, so I guess I’ll save that experience for my next visit.
Wherever you’re seated, take the time to walk around and watch a couple of races from the fence. Being so close to the action is awesome, and if you linger by the fence after the finish, the horses will be walked out and you can see them up close. Additionally, you can walk out to the paddock, where the horses are walked and saddled before the race, and then watch the jockeys mount and process out to the track.
All in all, I enjoyed our visit to Keeneland and I would recommend it to anyone. It was a great way to get to know my new state and community. They have something for all ages, the staff are friendly and the facilities are exceptional. I plan on going again in April and bringing the rest of the family.
Maybe I’ll see you there!