Final push to Breeders’ Cup begins Friday with the opening of Keeneland’s Fall Meet
The final push toward the 2020 Breeders’ Cup World Championships gets underway Friday with the opening of Keeneland’s 17-day Fall Meet. Racing will be held Wednesdays through Sundays with a first-race post time of 1:05 p.m. each day.
October 24 is the final day of the meet. The Breeders’ Cup World Championships will be held at Keeneland two weeks later on Nov. 6-7.
Because of COVID-19, the general public will not be allowed at the track on race days, but Keeneland is offering a limited selection of guided tours on Mondays and Tuesdays during the meet — more on that in a bit.
A total of 18 stakes races worth $4,775,000 in purses highlight the Fall Meet. The meet kicks of with Keeneland’s traditional Fall Stars Weekend, which will include five Grade 1, four Grade 2 and nine “Win and You’re In” races that will award winners an automatic berth into Breeders’ Cup contests.
Highlights of Fall Stars Weekend include the $350,000 Darley Alcibiades (Friday), the $750,000 Shadwell Turf Mile (Saturday), the $400,000 Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity (Saturday), the $350,000 First Lady (Saturday) and the $400,000 Juddmonte Spinster (Sunday). All are Grade 1 races. The following weekend features the Grade 1, $500,000 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup (Oct. 10).
The stars are out
Entries were revealed this week for some of this weekend’s biggest stakes races.
▪ Crazy Beautiful, a winner of two of her three career starts and trained by Lexington’s Kenny McPeek, is the 5-2 morning-line favorite for Friday’s Grade 1 Darley Alcibiades for 2-year-old fillies.
▪ Uni, a Chad Brown trainee who won last year’s Breeders’ Cup Mile, will try to become the first repeat winner of Keeneland’s Grade 1 First Lady Stakes on Saturday. She’ll take on fellow Brown trainee Newspaperofrecord, a two-time Grade 1 winner. Testing them both will be Beau Recall who beat Newspaperofrecord by a length and a half last time out in the Churchill Distaff Turf Mile.
▪ Essential Quality and King Fury, who both won their career debuts during Kentucky Derby Week at Churchill Downs, headline the field for Saturday’s Grade 1 Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity for 2-year-olds. The winner earns an automatic spot in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile.
▪ Also Saturday, Bowies Hero defends his title in the Grade 1 Shadwell Turf Mile against 10 challengers seeking an automatic berth in the Breeders’ Cup Mile.
▪ On Sunday, 2020 Kentucky Oaks winner Shedaresthedevil is the expected favorite for the Grade 1 Juddmonte Spinster Stakes, which is a “Win and You’re In” event for the Breeders’ Cup Distaff. Champion mare Midnight Bisou, winner of 13 of her 22 career starts including five Grade 1s, was originally targeted for the Spinster as well but was retired from racing Wednesday after being diagnosed with a sesamoid fracture in her right front fetlock. Midnight Bisou, who never finished off the board, retires as the highest-earning dirt mare of all time, with $7,471,520.
Touring Keeneland
Fans can purchase tickets for Morning Works Tours for $20 at Keeneland.com. The hourlong tours, which will be held on Mondays and Tuesdays during the Fall Meet, are limited to 10 people and participants will be required to wear masks and have their temperatures taken.
Tour members must check in by 8:20 a.m. at the Grandstand South Welcome Center. A guide will lead guests through the Keeneland paddock and grounds and explain the history of the track as horses go through their morning workouts.
Betting on races
While spectators won’t be allowed at the track, there are several options available for those who want to wager on the races. Fans can place bets and follow the competition using a desktop computer or smartphone application.
▪ TwinSpires is billed as the “official online wagering home of the Kentucky Derby,” but fans can use the service, which is affiliated with Churchill Downs, to bet on horse races throughout the country. You can sign up by visiting Twinspires.com on your computer or searching for TwinSpires in the app store on your smartphone.
▪ Cable television station TVG also has a website and smartphone app that facilitates wagering. Sign up at TVG.com or search for TVG in the app store.
▪ Another good option is Keeneland Select, which is affiliated with the Lexington racetrack. Sign up at Keeneland.com/select or search for Keeneland Select in the app store.
For the fans
“Keeneland at Home,” which debuted during the track’s abbreviated Summer Meet, is back for the fall.
On race days, fans may visit the Keeneland at Home website for links to the livestream of Keeneland races, free race-day digital programs, food and drink recipes, activities for kids and more.
During the Fall Meet, fans are invited to tag @Keeneland and use the hashtag #KeenelandatHome to share their at-home tailgates and viewing parties on social media.
On Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, fans can begin their race days with “Keeneland at Home Presented UK HealthCare.” This 30-minute “pregame show” will air at 12:15 p.m. on Facebook Live, Keeneland’s YouTube page and on Twitter @KeenelandRacing. Hosted by Christina Blacker and featuring handicapping and daily picks from Ellis Starr, the program will preview the day’s card as well as offer lessons in BETology, cocktail recipes from Buffalo Trace, a preview of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships and more.
Keeneland 2020 Fall Meet
When: Friday through Oct. 24 (no spectators allowed)
Race days: Friday, Saturday and Sunday this weekend, then Wednesday through Sunday thereafter.
First post: 1:05 p.m.
Stakes schedule
Oct. 2: $350,000, Grade 1 Darley Alcibiades for 2-year-old fillies at 1 1/16 miles.
Oct. 2: $200,000, Grade 2 Stoll Keenon Ogden Phoenix for 3-year-olds and up at 6 furlongs.
Oct. 3: $750,000, Grade 1 Shadwell Turf Mile for 3-year-olds and up at 1 mile (turf).
Oct. 3: $400,000, Grade 1 Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity for 2-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles.
Oct. 3: $350,000, Grade 1 First Lady Presented by UK Healthcare for fillies and mares 3 years old and up at 1 mile (turf).
Oct. 3: $200,000, Grade 2 Thoroughbred Club of America for fillies and mares 3 years old and up at 6 furlongs.
Oct. 3: $150,000, Grade 2 Woodford Presented by TVG for 3-year-olds and up at 5 ½ furlongs (turf).
Oct. 4: $400,000, Grade 1 Juddmonte Spinster for fillies and mares 3 years old and up at 1 1/8 miles.
Oct. 4: $200,000, Grade 3 Bourbon for 2-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles (turf).
Oct. 4: $150,000 Indian Summer for 2-year-olds at 5 1/12 furlongs (turf).
Oct. 7: $150,000, Grade 2 JPMorgan Chase Jessamine for 2-year-old fillies at 1 1/16 miles (turf).
Oct. 9: $150,000, Grade 3 Buffalo Trace Franklin County for fillies and mares 3 years old and up at 5 ½ furlongs (turf).
Oct. 10: $500,000, Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Presented by Dixiana for 3-year-old fillies at 1 1/8 miles (turf).
Oct. 10: $200,000, Grade 2 Hagyard Fayette for 3-year-olds and up at 1 1/8 miles.
Oct. 15: $150,000, Grade 3 Sycamore for 3-year-olds and up at 1 ½ miles (turf).
Oct. 16: $150,000, Grade 3 Pin Oak Valley View for 3-year-old fillies at 1 1/16 miles (turf).
Oct. 17: $200,000, Grade 2 Lexus Raven Run for 3-year-old fillies at 7 furlongs.
Oct. 18: $125,000, Grade 3 Rood & Riddle Dowager for fillies and mares 3 years old and up at 1 ½ miles (turf).
This story was originally published October 1, 2020 at 7:51 AM.
