Keeneland's New Venues a Step to Promote Racing

In BloodHorse's new "At the Track" monthly column, we will take a look at some of the unique experiences, events, ideas, or facilities racetracks across the country are using to help increase attendance, experiences, wagering, and connections with racing fans new and old. In recent years, a large focus on growing attendance for many of the nation's most famed and historic tracks has been centered on improving hospitality options, especially when it comes to premium dining. New state-of-the-art facilities can be created to help draw attention from those looking for an experience, but unfamiliar with horse racing, to experience the thrill and, hopefully, become returning fans. Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby (G1), has been a leader in this field with constant upgrades to the track's grandstand this century. Pimlico Race Course and Belmont Park, home of the Triple Crown's final two jewels, have been knocked down and are being completely rebuilt to provide more of those same changes. Another venue ready to take its racing experience a step into the future is Keeneland, the historic heart of horse country in Lexington. On April 3, the start of the spring meet, Keeneland will debut its new interior hospitality spaces within its new paddock building. Five new sections—the 1936 Room, Sycamore Room, Dogwood Room, Ivy Room, and The Rooftop—were carefully crafted to help create a more modern experience, while also retaining the unique historical appeal of Keeneland's design. "The paddock building represents an investment in the Thoroughbred industry and furthers Keeneland's mission to support and grow the sport," Keeneland president and CEO Shannon Arvin said in a Jan. 27 press release. "It speaks to our confidence in racing's future while creating new, meaningful ways to engage guests year-round." The building adds more than 1,000 new dining tickets to a venue that is in constant high demand during its prestigious spring and fall seasons, and offers guests unique options and experiences overlooking or alongside the paddock and stakes winner's circle. Keeneland communications manager Meredith Daugherty took BloodHorse on a walk-through of the building March 17 and stated how the goal was to make the building look as though "it's always been here." Famed for its beauty and picturesque scenes, the new stone work along the outside of the building fits seamlessly into the track's original aesthetic. Meanwhile, Lexington-based interior designer Matthew Carter blended timeless Southern elegance with fresh interiors to continue the classy feel that accompanies Keeneland. "It's important for us to maintain the integrity of the design, especially with this having been Jack Keene's home," Daugherty said. "We're known for a certain aesthetic, and we like to have that aesthetic, so it's important that it looks as beautiful as it is functional." But looks are just one part of the puzzle, the other being experiences. Hospitality and backstage access is a growing enhancement in sports all across the globe, especially in the age of social media where these up-close and personal experiences can be directly shared to millions and make your venue a must-see destination in an instant. The 1936 Room on the first floor is designed to provide that type of backstage access to fans. Located directly behind the saddling stalls, the space is free-flowing, designed for movement and mingling. The all-inclusive room features lounge seating, high-top tables, passed heavy hors d'oeuvres and premium bar service in a reception-style setting. Yet, the most unique part comes in the center of the room. Directly beneath the 1936 Room is the jocks' room, and the riders will emerge upstairs and walk through the guests on their way to and from the paddock. "We want to make this sport feel accessible to every generation of fans," Daugherty said. "That's part of our mission, to perpetuate the best of the sport for generations to come. If we can get those people up close and personal, get them to relate to the athletes, talk to the athletes, see them up close—once a child touches a horse or sees a horse—they're a fan for life. We want to make fans out of adults and children alike." Furthermore, the 1936 Room leads to an outdoor viewing section, the Paddock Lawn, for guests to experience the horses up close as they prepare to race. This section is located at the old saddling stalls, which will remain in place and be furnished into a lounge area. Incorporating and repurposing the stalls allows Keeneland to retain the track's history, while also modernizing for the growing demand in hospitality. The majestic nature of horse racing does seem to have almost magical properties when it comes to creating feelings in those who witness it: the beauty of the horses, the thundering of the hooves, the sudden roar from the crowd. In the modern era, most people are not commonly exposed to horse racing in the United States the same way they were a century ago. By utilizing the appeal and demand for top-class hospitality spaces and mixing in direct interaction with the athletes, Keeneland hopes it has a recipe for growing interest in the sport. "Racing is the oldest sport in America, and it used to be the most popular sport. We would like to see it get back on that level," Daugherty said. "The way we can do that is by creating more inclusive spaces for everyone to enjoy the sport as we offer it." While the other new rooms are more traditional dining rather than the open lounge-like setting of the 1936 Room, that intended interactive experience continues. The Sycamore Room on the first floor offers a direct view to the stakes winner's circle and the walking ring the horses parade through on their way to the track, as well as its famed namesake tree. In addition to its open dining area, the Sycamore Room also has rooms along its side that would allow for a quieter session. Keeneland is going to be an epicenter of the industry in 2026, hosting five sales and the Breeders' Cup World Championships in addition to its standard racing meets. All these spaces are targeted for use not just for racing fans, but for those attending the Keeneland sales as the building is just a short walk from the front door of the sales pavilion. The track will also play host to all types of different hospitality events throughout the year. By capturing the attention of those visitors during their events, it can help translate to their desire to experience a race day in a comfortable and now familiar setting. "If guests come for the sales or private events, new venues are always helpful to create loyalty and new fans," Daugherty said. "We want people to come out here and enjoy the grounds, the sport, the racing, the sales, and have fun. There's no better way to do that than offering them more beautiful spaces in which to enjoy themselves." The Ivy Room and Dogwood Room on the second floor have direct overhead views of the stakes winner's circle and paddock, respectively, and were designed in a more traditional style that invokes the familiar feeling of frontside dining options for longtime Keenland visitors. The Rooftop on the third floor offers sweeping views of the paddock and entire Keeneland campus. The floor features a fully enclosed premium indoor dining room and a covered outdoor space anchored by a focal bar and patio seating—a view and experience never before offered at Keeneland. All these additions to Keeneland's premium options mix with the changes made to the saddling paddock and stakes winner's circle that opened for the 2025 fall meet, which had the goal of creating a more open and visible experience with the horses for the general racing fan in attendance. While all tracks across the nation are searching for ways to get fans through the doors, Keeneland is sticking to its strongest assets—its aesthetic and hospitality—that has made it one of the country's most beloved sporting venues, and utilizing those features to introduce new fans to the sport. "It's important for the sport to elevate itself and make it more visible to new fans everywhere," Daugherty said. "We're in a very privileged position to have extreme demand from our fans and people that come year after year and have been loyal. But with our mission to grow the sport for generations to come, we have to be able to create new experiences that allow people from all generations, that have different expectations for sporting events, to have those new experiences here."