Keeneland and NYRA Create Special Bluegrass/Big Apple Pick 4

Keeneland and New York Racing Association have created a special Bluegrass/Big Apple Pick 4 wager featuring the Toyota Blue Grass and Wood Memorial (G1) on Saturday, April 9. Race fans can wager on four graded stakes races, two each from Keeneland and Aqueduct. The Toyota Blue Grass and Wood Memorial are important prep races for the Kentucky Derby and each offer 100 points to the winner.

 

Also on opening Saturday, Keeneland will host a $300,000-guaranteed All-Stakes Pick 4 Presented by TVG on the Commonwealth (G3), Shakertown (G2), Central Bank Ashland and Toyota Blue Grass, and a $300,000-guaranteed All-Stakes Pick 5 Presented by TVG on the Madison, Commonwealth, Shakertown, Central Bank Ashland and Toyota Blue Grass.

 

The popular Friday Pick 4 Presented by TVG returns this spring. Each Friday during the meet a $200,000-guaranteed Pick 4 will be offered on the final four races of the day.

Racing returns to Keeneland on Friday, April 8, with the start of the 2016 Spring Meet, headlined by the $1 million Toyota Blue Grass (G1) during an opening weekend that features six graded stakes races worth $2.25 million. The Toyota Blue Grass and $500,000 Central Bank Ashland (G1) key a Saturday, April 9 card that features top contenders for the Kentucky Derby (G1) Presented by Yum Brands! and Kentucky Oaks (G1), respectively.

 

In all, Keeneland’s 16-day Spring Meet features 16 stakes races worth $4.225 million. The Spring Meet, to be held April 8-29, will offer racing Wednesdays through Sundays. Gates open at 11 a.m. ET; post time for the first race is 1:05 p.m. ET except for Saturday, April 9 and Saturday, April 16, when first post is 12:35 p.m.

 

In addition to the Toyota Blue Grass and Central Bank Ashland, Keeneland will run three other Grade 1 races: the $300,000 Madison for fillies and mares going seven furlongs on Saturday, April 9; $300,000 Maker’s 46 Mile, one of the country’s premier turf races for older horses on Friday, April 15; and $350,000 Coolmore Jenny Wiley for fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles on Saturday, April 16.

 

The Toyota Blue Grass, for 3-year-olds at 1 1/8 miles, and the Central Bank Ashland, for 3-year-old fillies going 1 1/16 miles, are worth 100 points each to the winners on the Road to the Kentucky Derby and Road to the Kentucky Oaks, respectively. Last year’s Central Bank Ashland winner, Lovely Maria, went on to win the $1 million Kentucky Oaks.

 

Keeneland implemented purse increases for overnight races this spring. Maiden special weight races for 3-year-olds and older horses were raised from $58,000 to $60,000. Purses for 2-year-old maiden races remain $50,000. All claiming races received a $1,000 increase.

TVG will broadcast live from Keeneland each race day, while Keeneland.com provides free live race streaming throughout the meet. The Toyota Blue Grass will be broadcast live on NBC Sports Network on April 9 from 5-7 p.m. ET. A replay of the Central Bank Ashland will be included in the broadcast.

 

Visit Keeneland’s dedicated Toyota Blue Grass weekend microsite, Keeneland.com/bluegrass, for the latest news, profiles of contenders and bios on their connections, video and historical information and charts pertaining to the $1 million race and other graded stakes races during opening weekend.

Keeneland continues to embrace technology as a means to connect with fans by delivering digital wagering tools, photos and video, and news about race-day special events and promotions on Keeneland.com, multiple social media channels and the Race Day App. 

The Keeneland Race Day App, which can be downloaded free in iTunes or Google Play, offers a number of interactive options to make the race day more memorable. Fans will want to take advantage of the App’s new Bet Simulator, which walks through, step-by-step, placing a wager, calculating the costs of your bet and projected simple will-pays, as well as the script to say when placing your bet at the mutuel window.

Among the other features available at your fingertips via the Race Day App: live streaming of Keeneland races and race replays; race entries and results; wagering tools such as Handicappers Consensus (picks from Mike Battaglia, Katie Gensler and others); Live Chat (with Jeremy Plonk of Horse Player NOW and special guests); and Gensler and Plonk’s Twitter feeds that include pre-race analysis; race-day events and special promotions; an interactive map with a GPS-enabled “Share Location with a Friend” feature; and access to mobile betting options FastBet and Keeneland Select.

 

Keeneland’s robust social media initiative expands to include more platforms and content designed to give fans a behind-the-scenes look at racing. Fans can follow at the Spring Meet racing and special event fun via Twitter (@keenelandracing), Facebook (Facebook.com/Keeneland), YouTube (Keenelandfan), Instagram (Instagram.com/Keeneland), Periscope (@keenelandracing) and Snapchat (keenelandracing). 

Fans can top off their race-day look with a hat or fascinator from the Keeneland Shop. From classic to couture, the new Keeneland Milliners Corner offers a variety of styles to complete any outfit. Milliners featured during the Spring Meet include celebrity designer Christine A. Moore; Louisville designer Jenny Pfanensteil of Forme Millinery; and the popular Dorfman Pacific. Milliners Corner is located adjacent to the Walking Ring and open every race day from 9 a.m. until the final race.

Maker’s Mark and Keeneland began a long-standing partnership when the track purchased the distillery’s first case of bourbon in 1958, and this spring the two storied Kentucky brands add another chapter to their history with the introduction of Keeneland Maker’s Mark Private Select Bourbon, the first barrel from Maker’s Mark’s new Private Select bourbon program. The bourbon will be available by the glass at bars and in dining rooms at the track this spring.

This spring marks the bourbon giant’s 20th year of race sponsorship at Keeneland. The Maker’s 46 Mile (G1) is one of the nation’s most prestigious turf races. Formerly run as the Maker’s Mark Mile, the stakes was renamed in 2012 in honor of Maker’s 46 bourbon, the distillery’s first new product in more than 50 years. Maker’s Mark also will celebrate the 20th edition of the commemorative Maker’s Mark bottle program that has raised millions of dollars to benefit deserving causes throughout Central Kentucky.

For the first time, Pappy Van Winkle bourbon, produced by Buffalo Trace Distillery, another member of Keeneland’s race sponsorship family, will be available at the track in the First Floor Paddock Bar.

This spring Keeneland combines world-class racing with a fun-filled special events calendar:

Ø  Tailgating on The Hill – Fridays/Saturdays – Keeneland’s hugely popular tailgate lot, The Hill, adjacent to the Keeneland Entertainment Center, features all the racing action on a jumbo screen, wagering, local food trucks, Keeneland Shop kiosk and free shuttles to the track. On Saturdays, The Hill will showcase local bluegrass bands from 12-4 p.m.

Ø  Sunrise Trackside – Saturday mornings sponsored by LEX18 and Dunkin’ Donuts – Fans can enjoy Breakfast With the Works, a Southern-style breakfast and trackside commentary while horses train on the main track (7-8:30 a.m.); children’s activities in the Kids Club Corner (7-9 a.m.); guided walking tours (8-10:30 a.m.); an equine-related demonstration in the Paddock (9 a.m.); a trackside handicapping seminar (11 a.m.); and a Q&A session with a Keeneland jockey in the Paddock (11:35 p.m.).

Ø  The popular Craft Beer Tent returns on the North Terrace patio on Fridays and Saturdays. The special selection of beers will include Blue Stallion, Country Boy, Fat Tire, Kentucky Ale Race Day IPA, Land Shark, Shock Top, Sierra Nevada and Woodchuck Hard Cider.

Ø  College Scholarship Day – opening Friday, April 8 – Full-time college students receive free general admission and the opportunity to register to win one of ten $1,000 scholarships awarded after each of the day’s races.

Ø  Hall of Fame Jockey Day at Keeneland – April 22 – Hall of Fame jockeys will be honored during special events, autograph signings and appearances at the track. A specially designed poster created by renowned artist Peb will be sold, with all proceeds benefitting The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame and the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund.

Ø  Military Day at the Races Presented by Marathon – April 24 – All active and inactive military members and their families receive free general admission. A Military Family Zone with music, food, children’s activities and more will be held from 12–4 p.m. in the North Terrace.

Ø  Concert on the Hill – closing Friday, April 29 – A free concert immediately after the final race with music from Emerson Drive and Sundy Best. Proceeds from the event benefit the University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Foundation.

                                                                                        Keeneland 2016 Spring Meet at a Glance

Post time: 1:05 p.m. ET except on Saturday, April 9, and Saturday, April 16, when first post is 12:35 p.m. Gates open at 11 a.m. No racing on Mondays and Tuesdays.

Admission: $5. Children 12 and under free.

Parking: Free (shuttles available throughout the grounds).

The Hill (Official Tailgate Lot): Located adjacent to the Keene Barn & Entertainment Center. Enter Gate 1 across from Man o’ War Boulevard or via Gates 4 and 5 off Van Meter Road. 

Simulcasting: Major Thoroughbred tracks in the U.S.

Website: Keeneland.com