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Keeneland’s 85th Anniversary Meet Sees Record Handle Of $181 Million

Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky., concluded its 2021 Fall Meet, which celebrated the 85th anniversary of racing at the iconic track, on Saturday with quality racing, wagering options for handicappers of all levels, idyllic fall weather and family-friendly special events that combined to generate a track record all-sources wagering total of $181 million for the season.

Keeneland offered a race meet record of $6 million in stakes purses and an expanded stakes schedule of 22 races this fall to further elevate its racing program throughout the meet. Fans responded enthusiastically.

All-sources wagering (not including whole-card simulcasting at Keeneland) for the 17-day Fall Meet, held Oct. 8-30, totaled $181,009,626, smashing the record of $164,680,229 set during the 2021 Spring Meet and the previous Fall Meet record of $160,207,916 set in 2019. The total represents a 22 percent increase over last fall's $148,229,708.

“We are so appreciative of the tremendous support from our fans, our horsemen, the Central Kentucky community, our horseplayers, and our corporate partners,” Keeneland President and CEO Shannon Arvin said. “Welcoming fans back to Keeneland this fall, along with the return of our special events and tailgating on The Hill, felt like a breath of fresh air after the restrictions of the past year and a half. It was a terrific way to mark our 85th year of racing and to celebrate the important role Keeneland plays in our community and the horse industry.”

Wagering was boosted when on Fall Stars Saturday, Oct. 9, Keeneland established records for Fall Meet single-day all-sources and Pick 5 wagering, besting previous records set on Fall Stars Saturday in 2019 and 2020, respectively. All-sources handle totaled $20,926,640, surpassing the $18,392,756 set in 2019. Wagering on the All-Stakes Pick 5 totaled $1,255,080 to shatter the former Fall Meet record of $868,303 from 2020.

Keeneland introduced a new wager, the Keeneland Turf Pick 3, with a $3 minimum and 15 percent takeout, tying together the final three turf races of each day. The wager was well received by the public, netting a total handle of $1,683,502, or an average of $112,233 per day. The average payout was over $1,300 for a $3 wager.

On-track wagering for the Fall Meet totaled $15,162,221, for an average of $2,477,890.

Memorable Racing Moments and Milestones

Purses at Keeneland this fall remained among the richest in North America, averaging $880,511 per day, up 29 percent over the 2020 Fall Meet. Average starters per race was 8.7.

To enhance the final days of the season, Keeneland scheduled two new $150,000 juvenile stakes, the Myrtlewood and Bowman Mill; revived the Perryville and Bryan Station, both fixtures for 3-year-olds, and scheduled the Grade 3 Rubicon Valley View and Grade 2 Hagyard Fayette to create multiple stakes cards.

Keeneland featured a deep turf schedule with 12 of its 22 stakes held on the grass, headlined by three Grade 1 events: $750,000 Keeneland Turf Mile, $500,000 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Presented by Dixiana, and $400,000 First Lady Presented by UK HealthCare.

The Fall Meet showcased a number of Breeders' Cup-bound horses in 10 Breeders' Cup “Win and You're In” races. Among those winners pre-entered in the Breeders' Cup are Grade 1 Claiborne Breeders' Futurity winner Rattle N Roll (TVG Juvenile Presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance); Grade 1 Darley Alcibiades winner Juju's Map (NetJets Juvenile Fillies); First Lady Presented by UK HealthCare winner Blowout (GB) (FanDuel Mile Presented by PDJF); Indian Summer (L) Presented by Keeneland Select winner Averly Jane (Juvenile Turf Sprint); Grade 2 JPMorgan Chase Jessamine winner California Angel (Juvenile Fillies Turf); Grade 1 Juddmonte Spinster winner Letruska (Distaff); Grade 1 Keeneland Turf Mile winner In Love (BRZ) (Mile) and Grade 2 Stoll Keenon Ogden Phoenix winner Special Reserve (Qatar Racing Sprint).

Another Fall Meet stakes winner pre-entered in the Breeders' Cup is Grade 2 Woodford Presented by TVG winner Golden Pal (Turf Sprint).

“Fans enjoyed a spectacular fall season of racing, and we say a sincere 'thank you' to our owners, trainers, and jockeys for their loyalty and support,” Keeneland Vice President of Racing Gatewood Bell said. “We are proud of the lucrative purse money and expanded racing opportunities offered during the Fall Meet, and look forward to continuing to strengthen the quality of our program.”

This fall, Keeneland also welcomed two new race sponsors. Castle & Key Distillery, one of Central Kentucky's most popular distillery destinations, sponsored the Grade 2 Bourbon, a Breeders' Cup Challenge event won by Tiz the Bomb, who is pre-entered in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf. Rubicon, a Lexington-based software company known as “America's technology company” that provides smart waste and recycling solutions to businesses and governments worldwide, became the new sponsor of the Grade 3 Valley View, won by Navratilova.

Among the racing highlights, two owners – Godolphin and G. Watts Humphrey Jr. – achieved their eighth graded stakes win at Keeneland to each earn a Keeneland Tray as part of the track's Milestone Trophy Program. Both were accomplished with homebreds – Godolphin with Caramel Swirl in the Grade 2 Lexus Raven Run and Humphrey with Navratilova in the Rubicon Valley View.

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Fall Meet Leaders

The nation's top owners, trainers, and jockeys competed at Keeneland this fall, and their participation heightened the excitement surrounding the title races.

Eclipse Award-winning rider Tyler Gaffalione dominated a deep jockey colony with 29 wins to earn his second consecutive, and third overall, Fall Meet title. He was also leading rider during Keeneland's 2020 Summer Meet. Gaffalione's record was enhanced by five days on which he rode three or more winners, and he notched a win aboard Averly Jane in the Indian Summer Presented by Keeneland Select.

Florent Geroux finished second in the standings with 16 wins, highlighted by the Darley Alcibiades with Juju's Map and the Perryville with He'smyhoneybadger.

Among the jockeys to notch stakes wins during the Fall Meet were brothers Brian Hernandez Jr. and Colby Hernandez, Corey Lanerie, Flavien Prat, Joel Rosario, John Velazquez, Irad Ortiz Jr., Julien Leparoux, Rafael Bejarano, and Javier Castellano.

The battle for leading trainer honors between Brad Cox and Wesley Ward was decided in the final race on closing day. Cox prevailed with 14 victories to secure his second consecutive Fall Meet Keeneland title. Cox also earned the title in the 2018 Spring Meet. Cox's stakes wins were the Darley Alcibiades with Juju's Map and the Perryville with He'smyhoneybadger.

Ward, a seven-time leading trainer at Keeneland, won 13 races, including the Woodford Presented by TVG with Golden Pal and Indian Summer Presented by Keeneland Select with Averly Jane, to rank second in the standings.

Chad Brown and Kenny McPeek were among the other trainers to win two graded stakes this fall. Brown took the First Lady Presented by UK HealthCare with Blowout and the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Presented by Dixiana with Shantisara (IRE). McPeek scored with Rattle N Roll in the Claiborne Breeders' Futurity and with Tiz the Bomb in the Castle & Key Bourbon.

Brad Kelley's Calumet Farm and Sheikh Mohammed Al Maktoum's Godolphin tied for leading owner with four wins each. It is the first Keeneland owner title for Calumet under Kelley's ownership and the second for Godolphin, who also won in the 2017 Spring Meet.

Fall Meet Special Events Offer Fun and Philanthropy

Keeneland welcomed the on-site return of its popular special events calendar, which exemplified philanthropic goals in keeping with the track's mission to support the Central Kentucky community and horse industry.

Keeneland partnered with valued race sponsors to support community initiatives. Juddmonte and Keeneland donated $10,000 to the Kentucky Equine Management Internship Program. Lexus and Keeneland contributed $5,000 to The MAP Foundation to benefit the Woodhill Community Center.

Current members of the Keeneland jockey colony joined retired riders for an autograph session on Oct. 9 that raised $6,372 for the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund.

On Make-A-Wish Day, Oct. 14, Keeneland teamed with local Thoroughbred farms and organizations to grant wishes for 10 deserving children, who, along with their families, enjoyed a VIP day at the races. More than $8,000 was raised from fans who placed donations into the “Wishing Well” near the Keeneland Paddock.

The following day, Keeneland hosted College Scholarship Day Presented by Lane's End. Full-time college students were eligible to win one of 10 $2,000 scholarships provided by Keeneland and the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association and one of two $10,000 scholarships provided by Lane's End.

Heroes Day Presented by Rubicon on Oct. 24 honored members of the military and first responders (law enforcement, firefighters, EMTs, and health care workers) and their families with free general admission and access to reserved Grandstand seats. The afternoon featured lunch provided by City BBQ, children's activities, a spectacular flag unfurling on the main track, and special recognitions and remembrances throughout the day. Keeneland and Rubicon donated $5,000 to the Fraternal Order of Firefighters.

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Canterbury Season Concludes With Record Total Handle Of Over $90 Million

Canterbury Park's live horse racing season came to a conclusion Thursday night, producing record wagering figures while returning $15,558,701 in purses, the most ever in a single meet, to horse owners, jockeys and trainers, fueling an industry that supports thousands of jobs across the state. Wagering was robust during the 65-day season, 12 race days more than the pandemic-shortened 2020 meet, with a record total handle of $90,888,787, spurred by an average daily out-of-state handle of $1,267,985, a 3.9 percent rise over last year and a 178.9 percent increase over 2019. The 2021 total surpassed the previous Canterbury Park record of $68.4 million set last year.

With no COVID-19 restrictions in place this season, spectators returned and daily average on-track wagering increasing by 87.1 percent to $130,304, leaving officials at the Shakopee, Minn. racetrack thrilled about the season and optimistic for the future.

“It really was an encouraging racing season,” track president Randy Sampson said. “We maintained wagering levels out of state but most importantly we saw racing fans return to Canterbury Park. Business levels increased throughout the summer which allowed us to continue to bring employees back to work and provide the race-day experience that our guests expect.”

Purse money averaged $239,365 daily, with $7.28 of the more than $15 million total contributed by the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community through a cooperative marketing and purse enhancement agreement reached with Canterbury Park in 2012. SMSC owns and operates nearby Mystic Lake Casino Hotel. More than $6.6 million in purses was paid to owners of horses that were foaled in Minnesota.

“With the support of horse trainers and owners, we presented an excellent racing product which continued to attract wagering across the country,” Vice President of Racing Operations Andrew Offerman said. “We are grateful for the owners, trainers, breeders, patrons and team that contributed to this record season and we celebrate the record purse distribution of more than $15 million dollars in 2021 that will allow industry participants to reinvest their earnings into future racing prospects and support vitals components of Minnesota's agriculture industry.”

Mac Robertson won the Thoroughbred training title for the 14th time with 62 wins. Lindey Wade, riding at Canterbury for the first time, was leading Thoroughbred jockey with 80 wins, 13 more than last year's champion Ry Eikleberry. Lothenbach Stables Inc. was leading thoroughbred owner with 32 wins and $886,904 in purse earnings. Jason Olmstead continued his dominance in the quarter horse ranks, easily winning his seventh consecutive training title. Tom Maher was leading owner and Edwin Escobedo was top quarter horse jockey.

Cinco Star, trained by Robertson, was named Horse of the Meet. The 6-year-old Minnesota bred, owned by John Mentz of Lakeville, won three times this summer including the Blair's Cove and Ralph Strangis Stakes.

Thursday's 13-race card attracted $2,892,591 in wagering. Minister of Soul under jockey Luis Fuentes won the $50,000 Tom Metzen HBPA Sprint Stakes. The 7-year-old is owned and trained by Esteban Martinez.

Robertson capped the season winning the $50,000 Shakopee Juvenile, a race he has now won five consecutive times, with 2-year-old Misyneedsacocktail. The filly was ridden by Luis Negron for owner Jac Mac Stable, LLC.

Canterbury Park's 2021 Horse of the Year and divisional champions:
• Horse of the Year – Cinco Star (owner: John Mentz : trainer: Mac Robertson)
• Sprinter – Clickbait (owner: Hugh Robertson, John Mentz & Jeff Larson : trainer: Mac Robertson)
• Older Filly or Mare – Ready to Runaway (owner: John Mentz : trainer: Mac Robertson)
• Older Horse – Cinco Star (owner: John Mentz : trainer: Mac Robertson)
• Grass Horse – Cinco Star (owner: John Mentz : trainer: Mac Robertson)
• Three-Year-Old Colt or Gelding – Thealligatorhunter (owner: Pete Mattson & Tim Padilla : trainer: Tim Padilla)
• Three-Year-Old Filly – Star of the North (owner: Michael Grossman : trainer: Francisco Bravo)
• Two-Year-Old – Love the Nest (owner: Lothenbach Stables, Inc : trainer: Joel Berndt)
• Claimer – Wild Behavior (owner: Empire Racing Stables : trainer: Robertino Diodoro)
• Quarter Horse – Jess Rocket Man (owner: Lunderborg LLC : trainer: Jason Olmstead)

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Kentucky Downs Closes with Record Handle; Rosario Dominates Rider Standings

The FanDuel Meet at Kentucky Downs wrapped up Sunday with a nearly 24% rise in handle from the same period last year. A total of $74,088,532 was wagered via all-sources handle, up $14,260,088 (or 23.8%) from last year's total of $59,828,444, which was also a record at the time. Sunday's card of 10 races saw a handle of $13,899,277, third-highest at the all-turf track. Saturday's wagering of $20,849,967 on 11 races set a new mark for one day of racing at Kentucky Downs.

The big story of the six-day meet was jockey Joel Rosario's dominance over his fellow riders. He ran away with the leading jockey title, winning five races on the first day's 11-race card (Sept. 5). He won another five on Sept. 6, added just one on Sept. 8, two on Sept. 9, and none on Sept. 11, but finished strong with four on closing day. That gave him 17 wins, good for an astounding 26.5% of all the races at the meet.

Steve Asmussen, Brendan Walsh, and Michael Maker finished in a three-way tie for leading trainer, while Godolphin Stables captured the leading owner title.

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Brown, Saez, Klaravich Win Saratoga Meet Titles; Record Handle Tops $800M

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY–After accepting his fourth H. Allen Jerkens training title late Monday afternoon, Chad Brown spoke to a common theme on the final day of a joyous season following the COVID-19 summer without fans at Saratoga Race Course

“Happy to have everybody back at the meet. That was the big thing,” Brown said. “The most rewarding part of the meet was having everybody back. Last year, win or lose, it just wasn't any fun. I can speak for me and a lot of people around me that it just wasn't any fun. To have everybody back and to see people you haven't seen in two years, family and friends–a lot of times you only see them at Saratoga–that's really been the best part of the meet.”

Despite being challenged by trying weather with rain in July and many hot, humid days in August, the 153rd season of racing was a record-smashing financial success with total handle surpassing $800 million for the first time. America's oldest and most popular racetrack was alive again for 40 days of top-level racing and from the first week, bettors embraced the Saratoga product served up by the New York Racing Association. By the 36th day Sept. 1, the all-sources handle record of $705 million set during the 39-day pre-pandemic meet in 2019 had been surpassed. Even though 45 races were moved off the turf because of wet conditions, the meet ended with all-sources handle of $815,508,063, a 15.6% increase.

“I think it went great,” said NYRA president and CEO David O'Rourke. “Coming out of a year like last year to be able to run the meet–for lack of a better term–in a normal fashion, it was amazing. I think the numbers speak for themselves. The fans came out. The town was packed.”

Jason Fitch, a co-owner of King's Tavern, located across Union Avenue from the main gate, said business was very strong.

“The track this year for King's has been amazing,” Fitch said. “It was, by far, our best season yet. This was our seventh season; well, if you want to count last year.”

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the 2020 season was conducted in front of empty stands. Saratoga as a television event was popular, generating $702 million in all-sources handle, but there was zero excitement on the grounds. That changed this summer, and Saratoga Race Course was very much its old self. NYRA said that the daily average attendance was 26,162 and the total attendance surpassed 1 million for the sixth consecutive season, excluding 2020.

“I think it was a sigh of relief that people came back and were as enthusiastic as they are,” said Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott. “I'm delighted. I couldn't be happier. It was so damn boring last year. I thought I was going to go to sleep at the races. You love to have the fans and the excitement. I do anyway.”

It was a memorable summer at the Spa for trainer Todd Pletcher, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame on Aug. 6, fell sick with COVID-19 despite being vaccinated and ended up second in the standings with 31 wins, 10 behind Brown. Pletcher said he welcomed the return of a familiar, comfortable Saratoga season.

“It's great to see an environment like here where you have a lot of people coming to the races and enthusiastic about it,” he said. “That's one of the great things about Saratoga. It's one of the venues where you still get that on-track attendance. We go back to Belmont and Aqueduct and it's not the same feeling because people aren't there.”

Jockey Luis Saez ended the six-year reign of the Ortiz brothers, Irad and Jose, at Saratoga and earned his first Angel Cordero, Jr. riding title with 64 wins, eight more than Irad, the defending champion. Saez, 29, won 12 stakes, six of them graded, topped by victories in the GI Runhappy Travers S. on Essential Quality (Tapit) and the GI Longines Test S. on Bella Sofia (Awesome Patrio).

“This is a tough spot, so winning this title is everything,” Saez said. “To win the Travers; racing at NYRA is the biggest deal right now, and we're so blessed to be here. It means a lot.”

Saez credited his agent, the former trainer Kiaran McLaughlin, for helping him secure the title.

“You see how tough it is to win a race here. To win 64 races here, it's wonderful,” Saez said. “I'm so thankful to the trainers and thanks to Kiaran, who did a great job. Nothing is impossible. We came here and were patient and rode our horses to win, and we did it. We're so happy to be here.”

Seth Klarman's Klaravich Stables led all owners with 21 wins for its fourth straight title. Klaravich had eight more wins than runner-up Michael Dubb. It was one win shy of the Saratoga single-meet owner record of 22 wins set by Kenneth and Sarah Ramsey in 2013.

Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen became the career leader in wins by a Thoroughbred trainer Aug. 7 with his 9,446th victory in the fifth race on the Whitney Day program. Asmussen finished the Saratoga season in impressive fashion, winning three Grade I races on the final weekend. He won the first running at Saratoga of the GI Jockey Club Gold Cup with Max Player (Honor Code) Saturday, the GI Spinaway S. with Echo Zulu (Gun Runner) Sunday and the GI Hopeful S. with Gunite (Gun Runner) on the closing day card Monday. Asmussen also won two other Grade I races: the Forego with Yaupon (Uncle Mo) and the H. Allen Jerkens with Jackie's Warrior (Maclean's Music).

Jockey Ricardo Santana Jr. had five Grade I victories: four for Asmussen aboard Max Player, Gunite, Echo Zulu and Yaupon, and piloted Maracuja (Honor Code) to an upset win in the Coaching Club American Oaks.

Brad Cox, the 2020 Eclipse Award-winning trainer, finished seventh in the standings with 13 victories, but two of those wins were in Saratoga's highest-profile Grade I races. Cox captured the Whitney with Knicks Go (Paynter) and three weeks later his other gray star, Essential Quality, prevailed in the 152nd Travers. Cox is the third trainer to win both races in the same season.

Brown grew up in nearby Mechanicville and learned the sport at Saratoga. He was the runner-up in the trainer's standings for five years before claiming his first title in 2016. He won again in 2018 with a record 46 wins and repeated in 2019. He won five Saratoga graded stakes in 2021, including three Grade II contests. With five wins from five starters Aug. 25 and three more the next day, Brown climbed to the top of the standings.

“I'm just so appreciative. It's probably one of the most rewarding of the meets we've won because we had a lot of things to overcome,” Brown said. “We had a terrible, terrible virus running through our barn since we arrived from Florida. It really took a lot of horses out of commission. Then we started the meet off slow. A lot of seconds. A lot of rain. By mid-meet it didn't look like we were going to get anywhere near 40 wins.”

Brown said he and his staff stayed focused and success followed.

“Then things just started coming together,” he said. “The weather cleared up. Seconds turned into wins. We had a lot of good fortune with racing luck and you can make up a lot of wins fast if you get on a roll. We certainly did Travers week.”

Fitch said he was taken by a very positive, wholly different vibe this summer at the two businesses he operates with his brothers, King's and the Saratoga City Tavern downtown on Caroline Street.

“It was night and day,” he said. “It's hard to describe it, but I think in previous years everyone was just going through motions. The whole pandemic put a light on what to appreciate in life and I think people just appreciated what we have in our backyard more.”

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