LEXINGTON, Ky. - With a dire forecast for the rest of the week in Kentucky prompting the governor to declare a state of emergency, Keeneland has shifted the first two cards of its spring meet on Friday and Saturday back three days each.
In a release issued Wednesday evening, Keeneland said it will monitor track conditions but plans to run Sunday's card as scheduled. That program will now serve as opening day of the 15-day spring meet, with the Grade 2, $400,000 Beaumont and the $300,000 Palisades as the co-features.
The Friday and Saturday cards will be contested Monday and Tuesday, typically dark days, as drawn. The Monday card will be led by the Grade 1, $750,000 Ashland Stakes, along with the Grade 3, $600,000 Transylvania and the $400,000 Lafayette. The blockbuster five-stakes Blue Grass card on Saturday, has been shifted to Tuesday and includes the Grade 1, $1.25 million Blue Grass; Grade 1, $650,000 Madison; Grade 2, $500,000 Appalachian; Grade 2, $400,000 Shakertown; and Grade 3, $350,000 Commonwealth.
First post for Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday remains 1 p.m.
“The safety of our equine and human participants, as well as of our fans, is at the core of every decision we make at Keeneland,” Keeneland president and CEO Shannon Arvin said in the release. “Our team has spent months preparing for opening weekend, and we recognize the significant impact of rescheduling our two biggest race days. While we have navigated challenging weather in the past, the conditions being forecast for the region are unprecedented for Keeneland.”
Earlier Wednesday, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear declared a state of emergency in advance of a line of strong storms expected to hammer the region overnight Wednesday into Thursday.
"Kentucky, we're under some of the most serious weather threats I've seen," Beshear posted on social media. "We need everyone statewide to take this seriously. Tonight, we expect tornadoes, dangerous winds and hail.
“This is a four-day event, with rain continuing through Saturday. There may be widespread flooding, with impacts felt from the west to the east. I've signed a state of emergency to ensure we are ready to respond."
Lexington is under a flood watch from Wednesday evening through Sunday evening. Chris Bailey, chief meteorologist for local news station WKYT, said that the forecast map he drew up had the highest rainfall numbers in his 27 years of working locally.
The Ashland and Blue Grass offer points to the May 2 Kentucky Oaks and May 3 Kentucky Derby, respectively, on a scale of 100-50-25-15-10. The shift in dates means slightly tighter spacing into the spring classics.
The shift in dates may impact Keeneland's wagering menu for opening weekend. The Blue Grass was to be linked to Saturday's other two major Kentucky Derby preps, the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby and Grade 2 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct, in the “$3 Big 3 Pick 3.” That wager has been canceled.
Additionally, each race day features the popular Keeneland Turf Pick 3, which includes the final three turf races of the afternoon. With the course likely to be waterlogged, turf racing in the first half of next week is no certainty. The Palisades, Transylvania, Appalachian, and Shakertown are all turf stakes.
Keeneland ticket sales have been advance purchase only for the past several meets. Ticket holders for the Sunday card will remain unaffected.
Keeneland will offer free general admission on the Monday and Tuesday cards, with dining and grandstand reserved seating available for purchase. Friday and Saturday purchases for reserved seating, dining reservations, and parking will receive a full refund, while previously purchased general admission tickets are now valid for any race day during the spring meet, including dates that are currently sold out.
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Keeneland’s popular tailgating area, “the Hill,” will be closed for much of the first week of racing due to expected soggy conditions. The Hill is scheduled to open next Friday.
Excluding the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, which scuttled the April meet and caused Keeneland to hold a shortened meet that summer with some of its major events, including the Blue Grass as a prep for the postponed Kentucky Derby, the last time races were canceled at Keeneland was in 2015. On opening day of that spring meet, the final four races of the card, including the Transylvania, were scrapped after heavy rainfall.
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