There was a popular aphorism making its rounds through social media in the early stages of the Coronavirus pandemic.
“Check on your friends in Lexington; March Madness and Keeneland are cancelled.”
It’s true, Lexington natives experienced a shocking few days early in March when the cancellation of Keeneland’s annual Spring Meet occurred just days after the announcement that there would be no NCAA basketball tournament.
And while racing fans were certainly disappointed that there would be no tailgating on The Hill or a sunny Saturday afternoon shared between 30,000-some attendees on Blue Grass Day, of course the ones who bore the effects of the cancellation were the horsemen and owners pointing their horses towards those few prestigious weeks in April.
Kentucky-based trainer Kenny McPeek, who ranks fourth among Keeneland’s all-time leading trainers by wins, spoke of his initial impression of the an April in Lexington without a Keeneland race meet.
“I’ll admit to being very disappointed that they didn’t have the April meet,” McPeek said. “We had over 50 horses scheduled to run there. It’s unfortunate, but it was the right thing to do.”
The sudden change in the race calendar disrupted the game plan for many trainers, especially those based in Kentucky, but Keeneland’s President and CEO Bill Thomason said that the horsemen with whom he spoke remained optimistic throughout the period of uncertainty for Kentucky racing.
“What I’ve learned in this business is that the horsemen are talented, but they’re also strong and very resilient,” he said. “Whatever environment they’re given, they’re going to make do and make sacrifices.”
In an effort to distribute purse money and continue the tradition of the Spring Meet’s historic graded stakes schedule, a plan for Keeneland to return to racing has been in the works ever since they were forced to cancel in April.
“We wanted to make this happen for our horsemen,” Thomason said. “The graded stakes and the black-type races are so important. We can’t look back in the record books and see those spaces blank for a year. It was unimaginable to think that we would not be able to bring those races.”
On May 27, the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission’s race dates committee approved a plan for a Keeneland Summer Meet. The five-day meet, happening Wednesday, July 8 though Sunday, July 12, will feature 10 graded stakes.
McPeek is just one of the trainers who said he was thrilled at the prospect of racing at Keeneland in July.
“I like the idea of a July meet and I’d like to see them do it every year, to be honest,” he said. “I think it could be something similar to Royal Ascot, with those five great days of racing. Whether or not they’ll contemplate this in the long run, I’m not sure, but right now I’m thrilled about it. It’s quality racing and I’m sure there will be a lot of people interested, whether you’re racing or betting those races.”
The four GI races will consist of the Maker’s Mark Mile, Central Bank Ashland, Coolmore Jenny Wiley, and the Madison. The $600,000 GII Blue Grass S. and the $400,000 Ashland will both run on July 11 with the winner of each receiving 100 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby and the Kentucky Oaks, respectively.
McPeek already has several horses slated for these major races. Swiss Skydiver (Daredevil), who currently sits atop the leaderboard of 2020 Kentucky Oaks Contenders after a third straight graded stakes win in the GII Santa Anita Oaks, will be pointed towards the GI Ashland S. along with stablemate Envoutante (Uncle Mo).
“That’s as far as I’ve thought so far,” McPeek said. “But I’m sure we are going to run a lot of horses here.”
Swiss Skydiver takes the GII Santa Anita Oaks | Benoit
The full condition book came out on June 5, but the scheduling and logistics of this short meet was far from simple. Kentucky’s normal summer schedule includes racing at Churchill Downs, Ellis Park, and Kentucky Downs.
“Ever since we had to make the decision to cancel the April meet, we’ve been looking for a spot in the calendar,” Thomason said. “We’ve been talking to Ellis and Churchill. We want to keep people safe when they come in to Kentucky throughout our entire circuit.”
Thomason said that this coordination of tracks might not have been possible a few months ago. “When we got together earlier this year and agreed on our Lasix phase-out plan, that was kind of a moment for all of us,” he said. “We all found an opportunity to sit down and do the right thing for the industry and for horse racing in Kentucky.”
Following the approval of the Keeneland Summer Meet by the KHRC’s race dates committee, Ellis Park general manager Jeffrey Inman said in a press release, “We are all in this together, and Ellis Park is pleased to work with Keeneland on a plan that benefits our horsemen and Kentucky racing.”
Keeneland also spoke with other major tracks outside of the Commonwealth, and Thomason said the association chose not to bring back a few of the normal April graded stakes races because they did not complement the timetable of other race meets running during their traditional dates.
“We talked with NYRA and our friends at Del Mar to make sure we weren’t stepping on top of anybody around the country. None of us can afford to do that anymore. We’ve got to protect racing in our country.” Thomason said.
With the dates and races now secured, Thomason said he believes this is the time to reset and look forward. “Now we can restart. Our racing in July will build to the Kentucky Derby, which will build to our Fall Stars Weekend and our October meet, and then all of that builds to an exciting Breeders’ Cup that we’re having this fall.”
With a resounding ‘fingers crossed’ from fans hoping for a grandstand filled with people in October and November, for now, Thomason said Keeneland is focusing on how to bring racing to the fans at home in July.
“We’re brokenhearted about not being able to have fans here,” he said. “When you think of the 250,000 people who could not be at the spring meet, at first we thought the reaction might have been a little worse. But the minute we announced that we were getting ready to have a July meet, everything we heard not only from the industry, but from our community was, ‘That’s okay.’ They were just so excited that racing was back.”
The Keeneland marketing department has been working overtime in shifting from traditional media outlets to bringing racing to fans at home.
“People are already planning their parties at home,” Thomason reported. “They’re planning their picnics and their outdoor activities with family, and they’re still going to celebrate the meet. We’re going to be working with all of them to make sure that it’s special.”
Thomason said he sees this as an opportunity to tell stories and give insight from the industry to fans and newcomers who might not have those chances to learn during a normal visit to the track.
“It’s going to be different,” he said. “But out of that, it’s going to give us a chance to try some new things, and bring some new things to our fans and our horsemen. We’ll see what works and what doesn’t, and we’ll come out of this better.”
A full grandstand at Keeneland | Coady
Certainly no one is more aware of these changes than the horsemen. Strict biosecurity measures have been in place at Keeneland ever since it has re-opened for training, and the grounds are on lock down for anyone except those involved in the care and training of the horses.
But Thomason said that everyone has taken these new protocols in stride.
“Everyone is taking it seriously,” he said. “We’re under extreme protocols that will keep our horsemen and grooms safe. Everyone is just happy to be a part of it. We’re so thankful they’re here and we’re working together. It’s been a great atmosphere on the backside.”
He continued, “I’ve been heartened by all the great support that we’ve gotten from everybody in the business, because they get it. They know how serious it is. They want us to get open, and they want us to stay open.”
During the period of downtime with no horses on the backside, Keeneland was at work connecting with the Lexington community as a part of the Nourish Lexington program. Last month, they kicked off a new initiative called Nourish the Backstretch.
“We have been a part of Nourish Lexington, which helps people in our community in need and children who are normally in school and couldn’t get meals during the pandemic,” Thomason said. “But we’ve extended this program to nourish our backside. We’ve made sure our backside was taken care of during this time.”
Thomason said he believes this was a key factor as to why the community responded so well with the April meet cancellation and the spectator-less July meet.
“Keeneland is a part of this community,” he said. “The fabric of this community. The thing that Lexington and this area is known for is the breeding capital of the world. We’re proud that we’re ready to showcase that again- not only to our area, but to our state and our country. We’ve worked really hard to be a part of this community, and this is when it shows.”
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