When, where to expect traffic backups near Keeneland as Lexington hosts Breeders’ Cup
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2022 Breeders’ Cup at Keeneland
Click below for more of the Herald-Leader’s and Kentucky.com’s coverage of the 2022 Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington.
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Friday and Saturday’s highly anticipated Breeders’ Cup races are expected to cause significant traffic delays for those traveling to or near Keeneland during the event.
Tens of thousands of people are expected to descend upon Keeneland this weekend, as Friday and Saturday’s events have already sold out at 45,000 seats, according to Lt. Chris Van Brackel with the Lexington Police Department. A normal Keeneland event hosts 25,000 people maximum, Van Brackel said.
“Leave early and be patient with us,” Van Brackel said. “We will be working to get everything in here as quickly as possible and then out at the end of the day, but it’s always balanced.”
Van Brackel said nearly the entire traffic patrol unit will be helping control the traffic for Breeders’ Cup. Van Brackel wanted to warn Lexington drivers of the the different timing of the traffic, which will primarily affect Man o’ War Boulevard and Versailles Road.
During a normal Keeneland event, the races don’t start until the early afternoon, meaning arrival traffic typically isn’t at its heaviest until the late morning. Breeders’ Cup races begin at 10:30 a.m. with gates opening at 9 a.m., meaning a wave of traffic will hit much earlier.
“Especially Friday morning, everybody that is used to coming out Versailles Road to go to the Bluegrass Parkway, go to Frankfort, and not dealing with Keeneland traffic is going to have Keeneland traffic,” Van Brackel said.
During high-traffic times, officers will manually operate the traffic lights near Keeneland to help facilitate traffic, as is normal during a regular event. There will not be any road closures near Keeneland. There will also not be any detours, but police do suggest taking Leestown Road or Old Frankfort Pike as alternate routes to avoid the traffic.
Officers will also be out on the roadway checking peoples’ credentials during the arrival wave, which will create a larger backup than normal.
“This will be a full court-press,” Van Brackel said. “We’re going to have almost all of our traffic units assigned to Breeders’ Cup events so we’ll be out here helping everybody get in and out safely.”
The Breeders’ Cup is a season-ending championship of sorts for thoroughbred racing. There will be multiple championship races spread out among Friday and Saturday, concluded by the The Breeders’ Cup Classic Saturday evening, with the winner taking home $6 million.
This story was originally published November 2, 2022 at 1:17 PM.
