Keeneland Wows With 2015 Breeders’ Cup

Thumbs Up For Keeneland’s 2015 Breeders’ Cup

By: Acacia Courtney

Lexington, KY, home of the bluegrass, home of historic Keeneland racetrack, home of the 2015 Breeders’ Cup World Championships.

First run in 1984 at Hollywood Park in Inglewood, CA, the Breeders’ Cup has become one of the premier race events in North America, attracting horses from all over the world with two days of Grade 1 competition collectively worth $26 million. Last year, the Breeders’ Cup was held at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, CA, with a total two-day attendance of 98,319. This year, the 32nd Breeders’ Cup World Championships made its way to Keeneland for the first time in the event’s history. Despite potential concerns about its ability to handle a crowd, Keeneland rose to the occasion and took care of its largest crowd ever – 95,102 over the course of two days.

In order to accommodate such a large number of people, Keeneland made some temporary adjustments, including the addition of extra seating and chalets, parking spots, and the Trophy Lounge at the top of the stretch. While tickets did sell out remarkably fast, Breeders’ Cup more than doubled its ticket revenue from last year. No doubt influenced by the presence of this year’s Triple Crown winner, American Pharoah, many people who would have liked to be at the races were unable to witness them live. For those who were there, however, Keeneland and the Breeders’ Cup worked tirelessly to make sure the experience was a good one.

“I couldn’t be prouder of the Keeneland team who executed operations at the highest levels to provide guests with an incredibly memorable two days of racing,” said Keeneland President and CEO Bill Thomason.

The entire Breeders’ Cup experience, with the parties, the food, and the presence of supermodel Kate Upton, is nothing without the world-class races themselves. A total of 161 horses ran in the 13 Breeders’ Cup races held Friday and Saturday. Liam’s Map, the speedy gray Todd Pletcher trainee, who was originally expected by fans to run in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, was the highlight of the Dirt Mile. Instead of going straight to the front, like he normally did, Liam’s Map got stuck behind horses and struggled for much of his trip. Yet the flashy son of Unbridled’s Song managed to win by 2 ½ lengths, overcoming adversity in admirable fashion. In the Sprint, media darling Runhappy – also a customary front-runner – stalked the leaders, including veteran sprinter Private Zone. In one of the most noteworthy stretch runs of 2015, Runhappy thrilled, winning by ¾-lengths in 1:08.58. Trained, at the time, by the little-known Maria Borell and ridden by Hall of Fame jockey Edgar Prado, Runhappy’s story touched the hearts of many.

Girl power was alive and well as the Irish-bred filly Found (Galileo) beat Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner Golden Horn in the Breeders’ Cup Turf for trainer Aidan O’Brien, and Mark Casse’s Tepin faced the boys for the first time in the Breeders’ Cup Mile, finding herself and her connections in the winners’ circle following the race.

The Mile and the Turf resulted in exciting wins, but these and other Breeders’ Cup turf races came with a bit of concern. Due to a large amount of rain earlier in the week, Keeneland’s loose, sand-based turf was not completely dry come Friday and Saturday. While clearly not a problem for some horses, many of the European connections, who had opted to run their horses at the Breeders’ Cup in search of firmer ground, were instead faced with less than ideal track conditions.

“I was struggling from the top of the straight. I was struggling, and he usually flies,” said jockey Frankie Dettori in regards to the difficulty Golden Horn had on the soft turf.

Perhaps the biggest event of the Breeders’ Cup, the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic gave fans a racing treat of the highest quality. A “grand slam,” they called it. American Pharaoh, the first Triple Crown winner in 37 years, would… read full story by ordering a print copy of Thoroughbred Today magazine