Five things to know before the 2022 Spring Meet gets underway Friday at Keeneland
The time has come again for Keeneland’s Spring Meet, and the 2022 version will be a record-setting one.
The 15-day meet will run from Friday through April 29, with no racing on Mondays, Tuesdays or Easter Sunday (April 17).
The meet will be highlighted by the 98th running of the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes on Saturday. The Kentucky Derby prep race has returned to a $1 million purse and Grade 1 status and will be televised on NBC.
Overall, the meet will award a record $7.7 million for 19 stakes races.
Here’s five things you need to know about Keeneland’s 2022 Spring Meet.
1. The Blue Grass is the big one
The crown jewel of Keeneland’s Spring Meet — and a race that will significantly shape the Kentucky Derby — will be the Grade 1, $1 million Toyota Blue Grass, which will be held Saturday as the ninth race of the day with a 5:10 p.m. post time and be broadcast on NBC.
The post-position draw for the race was held Wednesday, with Smile Happy being installed as the 9-5 morning-line favorite for Lexington-based trainer Kenny McPeek.
This 1 1/8-mile Blue Grass will be worth 170 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby.
The winner will earn 100 qualifying points, while second place gets 40 points, third place gets 20 and fourth place gets 10.
Twelve horses were entered Wednesday to run in the Blue Grass. Here is the field, in post position order with odds: Commandperformance (12-1), Fenwick (20-1), Trademark (30-1), Zandon (5-2), Volcanic (20-1), Emmanuel (5-1), Golden Glider (20-1), Ethereal Road (15-1), Rattle N Roll (8-1), Smile Happy (9-5), Blackadder (20-1), Grantham (15-1).
Recent winners of the race include 2021 Belmont Stakes winner Essential Quality (2021), Art Collector (2020), Vekoma (2019) and Good Magic (2018).
2. Spring Meet offers record-setting purses
A record $7.7 million will be awarded for the 19 stakes races during the Spring Meet. All 19 stakes races feature increased purses this season.
There will be five Grade 1 stakes races, and all of them have a purse of at least $500,000 — the $600,000 Central Bank Ashland (fillies) on Friday, the $1 million Toyota Blue Grass on Saturday, the $500,000 Madison (fillies and mares) also on Saturday, the $600,000 Maker’s Mark Mile on April 15 and the $500,000 Jenny Wiley on April 16.
The Ashland offers 170 qualifying points on a 100-40-20-10 scale to the top four finishers toward the Kentucky Oaks, which will be run May 6 at Churchill Downs.
Additionally, the purses for some stakes races doubled this year, including the Grade 3 Stonestreet Lexington going from $200,000 to $400,000.
The Stonestreet Lexington, another Kentucky Derby prep race that will be run April 16, awards 34 Kentucky Derby qualifying points. The winner will earn 20.
3. Nearly 20 stakes races lined up
Of the 19 stakes races that will be contested, 10 will be run on grass and nine on dirt. Multiple stakes will be run on six days.
Opening weekend will feature 10 stakes races worth a total of $4.55 million.
This includes three stakes races being contested on Friday, the opening day of the Spring Meet: the Central Bank Ashland, the Grade 3 Kentucky Utilities Transylvania on turf and the Lafayette, a 7-furlong dirt race.
On Saturday, there will be five stakes races worth a combined $2,550,000: the Toyota Blue Grass, the Madison (fillies and mares), the Grade 2 Appalachian (fillies) on turf, the Grade 2 Shakertown on turf and the Grade 3 Commonwealth.
Opening Sunday will have two more stakes races: the Grade 3 Beaumont (fillies) and the Palisades on turf.
The Beaumont offers 17 points as a qualifying race for the Kentucky Oaks, with the winner earning 10.
Two more stakes races will be contested Friday, April 15: the Grade 1 Maker’s Mark Mile and the TVG Limestone (fillies), both on turf.
The three stakes races on Saturday, April 16, will be the Grade 1 Jenny Wiley (fillies and mares) on turf, the Grade 3 Stonestreet Lexington and the Giant’s Causeway (fillies and mares) on turf.
The final four stakes races during the Keeneland Spring Meet will be: the Grade 3 Baird Doubledogdare (fillies and mares) on April 22, the Grade 2 Elkhorn on turf on April 23, the Grade 3 Ben Ali on April 23 and the Grade 3 Bewitch (fillies and mares) on turf on closing day, April 29.
4. The logistics of going to Keeneland
Throughout the Spring Meet, races will begin at 1 p.m. each day except for April 9, which is the day of the Blue Grass, and April 29, which is the final day of the Spring Meet.
On those days, first post will be 12:30 p.m.
Keeneland will begin the April Horses of Racing Age Sale following the final race on April 29.
There will be no racing on Mondays, Tuesdays or on Easter Sunday (April 17). Gates will open to the public at 11 a.m. each race day.
Keeneland has launched a new Patron Experience Guide to help visitors to the track.
All general admission, reserved seat and dining tickets must be pre-purchased online through Keeneland’s online ticket office at tickets.Keeneland.com or on the Keeneland Race Day app.
There is a ticket return policy of up to 48 hours in advance of race day.
General admission tickets are $7 in advance and day-of tickets are $10.
Season passes — good for general admission access throughout the Spring Meet — are available for $40. These passes can be purchased through April 5.
Cash and walk-up purchases on race days will occur based on ticket availability.
Keeneland will again limit daily attendance to about 20,000 fans, as it did last fall.
No tickets or reservations are needed to visit The Hill, the tailgating area at Keeneland. The Hill is open Fridays and Saturdays and will feature a large video board to watch races, wagering and food trucks and live music presented by The Burl. More information can be found at Keeneland.com/tailgating.
Additionally, there are several special events on the calendar for the Spring Meet: College Scholarship Day (Friday), Sunrise Trackside (Saturday, April 16, April 23), jockey autographs (Saturday), Keeneland Kids Club Family Day (Sunday) and Military Day (April 24).
Drive-through wagering at Keeneland will be open every race day at 8 a.m. until the feature race.
5. How to follow along from home
A 30-minute preview show, “Today at Keeneland,” that features handicapping picks will air live at 11:30 a.m. each race day on Keeneland.com, Keeneland Select, Keeneland’s YouTube channel, TVG2, The CW Lexington and WKYT.com.
Live coverage of every Keeneland race will also be available on TVG, and fans can watch all Spring Meet races live for free on Keeneland.com, the Keeneland Race Day App, Keeneland Select and Keeneland’s YouTube channel.
The Blue Grass will receive national television coverage on Saturday, as NBC will televise the race along with the Grade 2 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct Racetrack in New York and the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby at Santa Anita Park in California.
There will also be Spanish-language programming connected to Keeneland’s Spring Meet. More details are available at the Keeneland en Español page on Keeneland.com.
2022 Keeneland Spring Meet stakes schedule
Friday: $600,000, Grade 1 Central Bank Ashland for 3-year-old fillies at 1 1/16 miles.
Friday: $400,000, Grade 3 Kentucky Utilities Transylvania for 3-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles (turf).
Friday: $400,000 Lafayette for 3-year-olds at 7 furlongs.
Saturday: $1 million, Grade 1 Toyota Blue Grass for 3-year-olds at 1 1/8 miles.
Saturday: $500,000, Grade 1 Madison for fillies and mares 4 and older at 7 furlongs.
Saturday: $400,000, Grade 2 Appalachian Presented by Japan Racing Association for 3-year-old fillies at 1 mile (turf).
Saturday: $350,000, Grade 2 Shakertown for 3-year-olds and up at 5½ furlongs (turf).
Saturday: $300,000, Grade 3 Commonwealth for 4-year-olds and up at 7 furlongs.
Sunday: $400,000, Grade 3 Beaumont Presented by Keeneland Select for 3-year-old fillies at 7 furlongs, 184 feet.
Sunday: $200,000, Listed Palisades for 3-year-olds at 5½ furlongs (turf).
April 15: $600,000, Grade 1 Maker’s Mark Mile for 4-year-olds and up at 1 mile (turf).
April 15: $200,000, Listed TVG Limestone Turf Sprint for 3-year-old fillies at 5½ furlongs (turf).
April 16: $500,000, Grade 1 Jenny Wiley for fillies and mares 4 and older at 1 1/16 miles (turf).
April 16: $400,000, Grade 3 Stonestreet Lexington for 3-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles.
April 16: $200,000 Giant’s Causeway for fillies and mares 3 and older at 5 ½ furlongs (turf).
April 22: $300,000, Grade 3 Baird Doubledogdare for fillies and mares 4 and older at 1 1/16 miles.
April 23: $300,000, Grade 3 Ben Ali for 4-year-olds and up at 1 1/8 miles.
April 23: $350,000, Grade 2 Elkhorn for 4-year-olds and up at 1½ miles (turf).
April 29: $300,000, Grade 3 Bewitch for fillies and mares 4 and older at 1½ miles (turf).
This story was originally published April 5, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
