The Breeders’ Cup World Championships are coming back to Keeneland
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- Keeneland Race Course will host the 2026 Breeders’ Cup World Championships in Lexington.
- This will be the fourth time that Keeneland hosts the Breeders' Cup.
For the fourth time, horse racing’s world championships are coming to Central Kentucky.
On Wednesday morning, it was announced that the 2026 Breeders’ Cup World Championships would be held at Keeneland Race Course. Next year’s Breeders’ Cup will take place Oct. 30 and 31 at the Lexington track.
Race dates are still pending approval by the Kentucky Horse Racing and Gaming Corporation.
Keeneland was previously the host site for the Breeders’ Cup in 2015, 2020 and 2022, although the 2020 event was staged with limited attendance due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Keeneland exemplifies an unwavering dedication to excellence in thoroughbred racing and is currently making a significant investment to benefit our great sport, making it an ideal venue to host the 2026 Breeders’ Cup World Championships,” Drew Fleming, the president and CEO of Breeders’ Cup Limited, said in a news release. “We look forward to welcoming fans back to the Horse Capital of the World, celebrating the rich history of the Bluegrass and highlighting the tremendous farms that make the area so special as we celebrate the pinnacle of thoroughbred racing.”
The Breeders’ Cup is set to return to Keeneland after the track completes several extensive construction projects. This significant expansion includes the construction of a new, permanent Paddock Building that stretches the length of the existing Paddock and Walking Ring, as well as new dining options and seating areas for patrons.
This endeavor — which is the largest capital project undertaken since Keeneland opened in 1936 and the track’s first major construction event since the Keeneland Library was built in 2002 — is set for completion prior to the 2025 Fall Meet at the track.
The creation of the new, three-level Paddock Building will provide new ticketed experiences for more than 1,000 fans during race meets. A new Jockeys Quarters is also being built within the new Paddock Building. Patrons will be able to watch jockeys walk through a dining room in the Paddock Building, before and after each race.
“Keeneland is honored to host the Breeders’ Cup World Championships in 2026, and we’re thrilled to share this global racing celebration with fans from all over the world and with the Lexington community,” Keeneland president and CEO Shannon Arvin said in the news release. “We are especially excited to host guests in our new Paddock Building with further enhanced hospitality experiences. In addition, we will hold our third annual Championship Sale the Wednesday (Oct. 28, 2026) before Breeders’ Cup, a dynamic way to help kick off the week’s festivities. Keeneland and Breeders’ Cup share a strong commitment to showcasing the very best of thoroughbred racing and we look forward to helping deliver another world-class event.”
Keeneland’s November Breeding Stock Sale will follow next year’s Breeders’ Cup and begin on Nov. 3.
Also on Wednesday, it was announced that the 2027 Breeders’ Cup will be held at the renovated Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. Recent editions of the Belmont Stakes have been contested away from Belmont Park, and at a shorter distance than usual, because of construction at the track.
This year’s Breeders’ Cup will take place Oct. 31 and Nov. 1 at Del Mar in Southern California.
Before that can occur, horse racing’s Triple Crown season will conclude with the Belmont Stakes, which is set for June 7 at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York.
Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty is expected to be in the Belmont field this year. Journalism, the Kentucky Derby favorite and the runner-up in the Run for the Roses, won a dramatic 150th edition of the Preakness Stakes on May 17 at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore.
This story was originally published May 28, 2025 at 11:28 AM.
