Season opens with $1.25 million Toyota Blue Grass and $750,000 Central Bank Ashland
Keeneland Press Release
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Keeneland opens its Spring Meet on Friday, April 4 to launch 15 days of exceptional Thoroughbred racing along with a slate of popular special events for fans of all ages and exciting wagering action for all skill levels of handicappers. The first Saturday of the meet is Toyota Blue Grass Day, traditionally the biggest racing day of the year at Keeneland, with an 11-race card featuring five stakes worth a combined $3.15 million and led by the 101st running of the $1.25 million Toyota Blue Grass (G1). The season overall will present 19 stakes worth a Spring Meet record $9.4 million.
“We can’t wait to usher in spring in the Bluegrass with racing that will showcase budding stars and accomplished veterans alike who represent the most successful owners, trainers and jockeys in Thoroughbred racing – all while offering hospitality that is second to none,” Keeneland President and CEO Shannon Arvin said. “Our Keeneland team is attentive to every detail to ensure the best possible experience for our horsemen, fans, handicappers, corporate partners and others who participate in this beloved Central Kentucky tradition.”
With a $250,000 purse increase this year, the 1 1/8-mile Toyota Blue Grass for 3-year-olds joins the Coolmore Turf Mile (G1) as Keeneland’s two $1.25 million races, which are the richest in track history. The Coolmore Turf Mile reached that amount during the 2024 Fall Meet.
The Toyota Blue Grass and the 88th running of the Central Bank Ashland on opening day, which features an increased purse of $750,000 and is the year’s first Grade 1 event for fillies, are key springtime races on the dirt for 3-year-olds. Both stakes are worth 200 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby and Road to the Kentucky Oaks, respectively, with the winners of each stakes earning 100 qualifying points to the respective classic.
In all, the Spring Meet will offer five Grade 1 stakes: the aforementioned Central Bank Ashland and Toyota Blue Grass as well as the $650,000 Resolute Racing Madison on April 5, the $650,000 Maker’s Mark Mile on April 11 and the $650,000 Jenny Wiley on April 12.
Racing during the Spring Meet will be conducted Wednesdays through Sundays, but Keeneland will be closed for racing on Easter, April 20. Post time for the first race is 1 p.m. ET each day, except April 25 when the first race is at 12:30 p.m. to accommodate the 10-race card that will conclude in time for that evening’s April Selected Horses of Racing Age Sale. The auction is scheduled to begin at approximately 6:30 p.m.
The Spring Meet will mark the final Keeneland season that the three-level Paddock Building, which extends the entire length of the Saddling Paddock and Walking Ring, will be under construction. Scheduled to open this fall, the Paddock Building will provide new ticketed experiences for more than 1,000 fans during race meets, including traditional sit-down dining, new bar concepts and access to a new Paddock Lawn on the north side of the Saddling Paddock. New Jockeys Quarters in the building will give patrons a unique experience when riders walk directly through one of the dining venues before and after each race. The ground floor of the Paddock Building will contain the saddling stalls to provide the safest environment possible for equine and human participants and give fans an unmatched view of pre-race pageantry.
For the latest information about attending the races during the Spring Meet, refer to the Patron Experience Guide at Keeneland.com/welcome.
