Is Keeneland a Good Fit for the Breeders' Cup???
One of my most favorite times of the year is October 30 and 31 because these are the dates of this year's Breeders' Cup races. I know the Kentucky Derby is the grandfather of all horse races, but these two days of the Breeders' Cup are the holy grail to any horse racing fan. But, was Keeneland the best choice of location for the 2015 Breeders' Cup races?
I don’t believe that Keeneland was the best choice the Breeders' Cup decision makers could have made. I share the same sentiments that many other racing fans have expressed before me. The track lacks the seating capacity that the past host tracks have had available. For example, Santa Anita has a grandstand seating capacity of 26,000 seats compared to Keeneland’s seating capacity of 20,000. These 20,000 seats include 7,000 seats that were just added for the Breeders' Cup.
Two other issues concerning Lexington being the host of the Breeders' Cup is the size of the local airport, and the number of hotel rooms available. Lexington is not a major air travel destination, so flights would be limited and extremely expensive. In addition, there would not be an overabundance of hotels to choose from for this weekend.
The last issue that concerns me about Keeneland, is the new track surface. The surface was changed back to dirt, from synthetic, starting last fall. Recently, during a rainy weekend of racing and training there were three horses that were catastrophically injured on the new main track surface. Was it something that just happened or was it an issue with the new surface?
I would be remiss if I didn’t offer some sort of possible solution to the selection process for the Breeders' Cup Championship. It has to come to my attention that the Breeders' Cup Board had discussed, in the past, the possibility of a permanent site for the Breeders' Cup, perhaps in Southern California, or even the building of a permanent site for the Breeders' Cup outside of Las Vegas, Nevada. A permanent home seems to make a great deal of sense, and would solve many issues that the Breeders' Cup Board encounters.
May the finish line always be your friend!
Big Daddy B