What could make for a better first Saturday in April than going to Keeneland
for world-class Thoroughbred racing in the afternoon and watching the University
of Kentucky men’s basketball team in the Final Four that evening? That
spectacular double-header is on tap for Saturday, and Keeneland is encouraging
fans to wear blue to the track to show their support for the Wildcats.
UK’s game vs. Wisconsin is scheduled to start at approximately 8:50 p.m.
(EDT), giving UK fans plenty of time to enjoy Keeneland that afternoon. Post
time for the first of 10 races on the card is 1:05 p.m. The featured 9TH race
race is the Grade 1, $500,000 Ashland with a post time of 5:13 p.m. Post time
for the 10TH and final race is 5:44 p.m.
Friday’s opener also has a collegiate atmosphere, as the track hosts College
Scholarship Day. Keeneland welcomes students from colleges and universities in
Kentucky and neighboring states. Admission is free with a college ID. Full-time
students can register in the College Zone in the North Terrace to win one of 10
$1,000 scholarships, and prizes from local vendors after each of the day’s
races. The first 2,000 students to register will receive a free T-shirt courtesy
of Kennedy’s Wildcat Den or a Vineyard Vines baseball hat.
In the College Zone, students can enjoy music; free snacks from Qdoba,
Raising Cane’s and Drake’s; photos by TOPS in Lex; and games and prizes from
Orange Leaf. Students also can register for the Drake’s Handicapping Challenge;
one student will win the opportunity to place a $500 bet on the day’s feature
race, the Grade 3, $100,000 Transylvania.
The Hill, Keeneland’s official tailgate lot adjacent to the Keene Barn &
Entertainment Center, features food trucks, a jumbo television screen, wireless
wagering and wagering terminals, race-day programs, a Keeneland Gift Shop kiosk
and free shuttles to the track. BETologists, Keeneland’s wagering experts, will
be available to answer fans’ questions.
Also on Friday, the Keeneland Gift Shop presents a Vineyard Vines trunk show
from 11 a.m.-6 p.m., and a $200,000-guaranteed Pick 4 will be offered on Races
6-9.
Early Saturday morning, Sunrise Trackside sponsored by LEX18, the
Lexington Herald-Leader and Dunkin’ Donuts offers activities for all ages
beginning at 7 a.m. Fans can enjoy Breakfast With the Works, a
Southern-style breakfast and trackside commentary during the morning workouts
with a show and tell with farrier James Guthrie (until 8:30 a.m.); children’s
activities in the Kids Club Corner (7-9 a.m.); a demonstration in the Paddock by
Central Kentucky Riding for Hope (9 a.m.); guided walking tours of Keeneland
(8-10 a.m.); a trackside handicapping seminar (11:30 a.m.); and a Q&A session
with a Keeneland jockey in the paddock (12:05 p.m.). Keeneland Bugler Steve
Buttleman will be on hand to take photos with fans.
In addition to the tailgating on The Hill, Keeneland will also have a Craft
Beer Tent Saturday. Available on the North Terrace patio, it offers a special
selection of craft beers including Country Boy, Kentucky Ale Kolsch, Land Shark,
Shock Top, Sierra Nevada and Sweetwater.
Sunday is Military Day at the Races, presented by Marathon. Keeneland will
honor all active and inactive members of the military and their families with
free general admission with a military ID at any pass gate. The North Terrace
will be transformed into the Military Family Zone with free food, live music,
children’s activities and more.
Keeneland will welcome a special guest, U.S. Army Sgt. Dallas Robinson, for a
meet and greet with fans. Robinson, a Kentuckian, was a member of the 2014 U.S.
Olympic Bobsled Team that competed in Sochi, Russia.
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