Daniel B.
Yelp
Wow. I didn't know horse races could be so much fun. We had a blast at Keeneland.
Keeneland is a horse racing facility, steeped in tradition, located in Lexington, Kentucky. The track is regarded as one of the best in North America and has been hosting races every April and October since 1936. We visited for a full Saturday of racing last month (October) during the 2016 Fall Meet. There were 10 races from approximately 1pm to 6pm.
General admission tickets were only $5 per person. If you purchase general admission tickets, it's pretty much standing room only. You can go out close to the track, but visibility (depending on your height) may be poor. You can go up into the stands, which are covered, but you can't sit unless you purchase reserved grandstand seats. The place was packed. It was like attending a sold-out college football game.
There are concessions inside, on multiple levels, serving food and alcohol. The food is typical of sporting event concessions -- pretzels, nachos, hot dogs, chips, etc. They do serve burgoo which is a traditional Kentucky stew. Expect to spend about $5-6 per item.
We spent most of our time under the sun close to the track. It's mostly standing room only though there are benches you can sit on to rest. If you sit, you won't be able to see anything since everyone else will be standing. Towards the end of the day, we moved closer to the track as people cleared out. It's neat to be up next to the track, but prepare to get a lot of dirt and dust in your face after the horses zoom by. Keeneland also has an inner track which is grass. The races we watched took place on both the dirt and grass tracks. Along with type of track, the races varied in both length and number of horses.
Of course, a big draw of horse racing is betting and it can get complicated quick. Keeneland has "BETologists" stationed throughout the grounds who are betting experts you can talk to and ask questions. As someone who doesn't regularly gamble and has never officially betted on a horse race before, I thought the ways in which one can bet on a horse race was mind boggling. I kept it simple and bet on horses either to win or made what's called exacta box bets.
With each exacta box ticket, I bet on a single horse "and all" meaning if that horse finished in either 1st or 2nd and any other horse finished in the other position, I would win money. The amount of money won would be based on that horse's odds (so profit was not guaranteed). I made several bets throughout the day and, long story short, profited a whopping $46 when all was said and done. I hit on a $22 exacta box ticket on Malibu Stacy ($1 exacta box on horse 7 and all) who placed 2nd in race 9 at what turned out to be 40-1 odds. That $22 ticket paid out $138. Yep. I'm a high roller.
I went to the gift shop and bought a nice Keeneland RLX golf shirt ($89.50) and hat ($26). The shop was well stocked and well staffed with friendly personnel. There are two places to buy merchandise at Keeneland: (1) the gift shop inside the gates and (2) the tent just outside the gates. The gift shop has more merchandise, but the tent carries some items which the gift shop does not. Outside of the gift shop, there's an amusing hat store. As you know, the hats for the ladies at these events can get rather flamboyant.
You can come dressed to the race however you want, casual or dressed up. We dressed up and had fun with it wearing stuff like brightly colored pants, hats, bow ties, and neckties with horse prints. A lot of the ladies dress up as well. Needless to say, this makes Keeneland a good place to people watch. I'd describe the atmosphere as sort of like a combination between an SEC football game and a golf tournament. There's tailgating in the free grass parking lots too.
Buy a program. One is only a few bucks and is essential to placing bets. It's also chock full of information about Keeneland, how to bet, how to read odds and various boards, etc. You can actually buy Keeneland programs outside of the grounds. We got one of ours at a Thorntons convenience store the day before we attended so we could plan our bets ahead of time. You can also download the Keeneland Race Day app and bet from your phone so you don't have to stand in line. If you bet the old fashioned way (which is what I did) in person, remember to bring plenty of cash. They have ATMs on-site if you forget or run out of money.
Before each race, the horses are paraded out onto the track at a special area in the courtyard outside the grandstands and clubhouse. This is a good opportunity to see the horses and jockeys up close.
Keeneland was my first horse race experience. I attended with guys who have been to both the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes. They said they enjoyed Keeneland better because the focus was more on the horse racing than peripheral stuff like tailgating. Keeneland seems to be purer in that sense.
I highly recommend it. It's a lot of fun.