‘The highest level.’ Keeneland increases purses for almost every 2025 Spring Meet race.

The 2025 spring horse racing meet at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington will be the track’s richest April ever.

Keeneland announced Tuesday that it’s increasing the value for 16 of the month’s 19 stakes races, producing a Spring Meet record $9.4 million in purses. That’s an increase of $1.3 million over the 2024 Spring Meet and approaches the track record of $9.85 million set during last year’s Fall Meet.

The Spring Meet’s signature race, the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes for 3-year-olds vying for a spot in the Kentucky Derby, will award $1.25 million, the most in the race’s 101 years and an increase of $250,000 over last year.

The Grade 1 Blue Grass is one of five graded stakes set for April 5, the second day of the Spring Meet, which runs April 4-25. Also that Saturday is the $650,000, Grade 1 Resolute Racing Madison Stakes.

Opening day features the 88th running of the Grade 1 Central Bank Ashland Stakes, a qualifying race for the Kentucky Oaks now worth $750,000, a boost of $150,000 over 2024.

Two additional Grade 1 races are set for later in the meet — the $650,000 Maker’s Mark Mile on April 11 and the $650,000 Jenny Wiley on April 12.

“Keeneland’s Spring Meet is the destination of many of Thoroughbred racing’s biggest names,” said Gatewood Bell, the track’s vice president of racing. “The racing world converges here because they know this is where the best jockeys, trainers and horses will be, and they want to compete at the highest level.”

Contributing to the Spring Meet purse total is $2.25 million available from the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund, pending approval from the Kentucky Horse Racing and Gaming Corporation.

The Blue Grass Stakes offers 200 qualifying points for contestants on the road to the Kentucky Derby, distributed with 100 going to the winner, then 50, 25, 15 and 10 for the next four places.

The 1 ⅛-mile Blue Grass is the first of two Kentucky Derby points races during the Spring Meet. The second, the $400,000, Grade 3 Stonestreet Lexington on April 12, is the final prep race of the qualifying season. Points will run 20-10-6-4-2 for the top five finishers.

The Ashland for 3-year-old fillies is a qualifying race of 1 1/16 miles for the Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs. Points will be distributed on a scale of 100-50-25-15-10.

2025 Keeneland Spring Meet stakes schedule

April 4: $750,000, Grade 1 Central Bank Ashland for 3-year-old fillies at 1 1/16 miles.

April 4: $600,000, Grade 3 Transylvania for 3-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles (turf).

April 4: $400,000, Listed Lafayette for 3-year-olds at 7 furlongs.

April 5: $1.25 million, Grade 1 Toyota Blue Grass for 3-year-olds at 1 1/8 miles.

April 5: $650,000, Grade 1 Resolute Racing Madison for fillies and mares 4 and older at 7 furlongs.

April 5: $500,000, Grade 2 Appalachian Presented by Japan Racing Association for 3-year-old fillies at 1 mile (turf).

April 5: $400,000, Grade 2 Valvoline Global Shakertown for 3-year-olds and up at 5½ furlongs (turf).

April 5: $350,000, Grade 3 Commonwealth for 4-year-olds and up at 7 furlongs.

April 6: $400,000, Grade 2 MiddleGround Capital Beaumont for 3-year-old fillies at 7 furlongs, 184 feet.

April 6: $300,000, Listed Palisades for 3-year-olds at 5½ furlongs (turf).

April 11: $650,000, Grade 1 Maker’s Mark Mile for 4-year-olds and up at 1 mile (turf).

April 11: $300,000, Listed FanDuel Limestone for 3-year-old fillies at 5½ furlongs (turf).

April 12: $650,000, Grade 1 Jenny Wiley for fillies and mares 4 and older at 1 1/16 miles (turf).

April 12: $400,000, Grade 3 Stonestreet Lexington for 3-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles.

April 13: $350,000, Grade 3 Giant’s Causeway for fillies and mares 3 and older at 5 ½ furlongs (turf).

April 18: $350,000, Grade 3 Baird Doubledogdare for fillies and mares 4 and older at 1 1/16 miles.

April 19: $400,000, Grade 2 VisitLEX Elkhorn for 4-year-olds and up at 1½ miles (turf).

April 19: $350,000, Grade 3 Ben Ali for 4-year-olds and up at 1 3/16 miles.

April 25: $350,000, Grade 3 Bewitch for fillies and mares 4 and older at 1½ miles (turf).