Keeneland Will Celebrate Its 90th Anniversary with a Spectacular Autumn Meeting

The Lexington racetrack will offer 17 days of racing, 22 stakes, and more than 10.7 million dollars in purses before hosting the Breeders' Cup for the fourth time

LEXINGTON, Kentucky (Special for Turf Diario).– Before once again becoming the epicenter of world horse racing by hosting the Breeders' Cup World Championships, Keeneland will have an additional reason to celebrate during 2026: the historic Lexington venue will celebrate its 90th anniversary with an autumn meeting that will combine tradition, quality, and a strong international projection.

Between October 2 and 24, the racetrack will offer 17 days of racing and a program of 22 stakes with rewards totaling US$ 10,700,000, a proposal that will serve as the ideal prelude to the Breeders' Cup, which will return to be contested there on October 30 and 31.

Founded on land belonging to John Oliver "Jack" Keene and officially opened on October 15, 1936, Keenelandtransformed over the decades into one of the great symbols of global racing activity, as much for its racing as for its auctions.

"This is a very special year for Keeneland," explained Gatewood Bell, vice president of racing for the track. "Celebrating our 90th anniversary allows us to reflect on the rich history of this place and, at the same time, look forward as we prepare to host the Breeders' Cup for the fourth time. With the Fall Stars Weekend and a very strong stakes schedule, fans will be able to enjoy some of the best racing in the world."

The meeting will feature 12 stakes on the turf and 10 on the dirt, backed financially by the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund, which will contribute US$ 2,575,000 to the purses, subject to final approval by state authorities.

As is tradition, the action will kick off with the spectacular Fall Stars Weekend, which between October 2 and 4 will assemble 11 stakes worth US$ 6,350,000. Eight of those competitions will form part of the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series - Win and You're In program, granting automatic qualification to the Breeders' Cup finals.

The opening will include the Alcibiades Stakes (G1), the Phoenix Stakes (G2), and the Jessamine Stakes (G2T), while on Saturday the 3rd, events of immense relevance will be contested, such as the Turf Mile Stakes (G1T), the Breeders' Futurity (G1), the First Lady Stakes (G1T), the Woodford Stakes (G2T), and the Thoroughbred Club of America Stakes (G2), whose distance was extended from 1200 to approximately 1300 meters.

On Sunday the 4th, two more direct qualifiers for the Breeders' Cup will arrive with the Spinster Stakes (G1) and the Bourbon Stakes (G2T), accompanied by an Indian Summer Stakes (G3T) that was promoted from listed status and also received a US$ 50,000 increase in its purse.

Stakes activity will continue throughout the meeting with events of great tradition such as the Sycamore Stakes (G2T), the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Stakes (G1T), the Franklin Stakes (G2T), the Raven Run Stakes (G2), the Perryville Stakes (G3), the Dowager Stakes (G3T), the Valley View Stakes (G2T), the Myrtlewood Stakes, and the Fayette Stakes (G3).

Among the most important novelties on the calendar appears the Bryan Station Stakes, which starting this year will rise to the level of G2 on the turf, further reinforcing a schedule that aims to gather the top figures of North American and international horse racing.

Ninety years after that 1936 inauguration, Keeneland will once again place itself at the center of the world stage, first celebrating its extraordinary history and then hosting a new edition of the Breeders' Cup, the event that will mark the closing of the major season in the United States.