Lexington, Kentucky (LEX 18) — Keeneland is currently undergoing a lot of construction in order to host the Breeders Cup.
Crews are building five temporary structures called huts to more than double the capacity from about 20,000 fans to 45,000 fans.
“If you come to our site, you can’t miss the construction going on here,” said Kara Heissenbuttel, senior director of operations and community relations.
A new stand, called the Log Box, has also been built, with a capacity of 1,500 people.
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“It gives these fans a seat where they can enjoy food and drinks and a spectacular view,” she said. “They could see the horses cross the finish line.”
The fine dining menu they have been working on with the Breeders Cup for three years will also be available.
“If you only have one general ticket, we’ve upgraded all of our concession stands,” she added. “No matter where you are on the Breeders’ Cup game day, you’ll have a culinary experience to match.”
According to Heissenbuttel, Keeneland is very proud to host world-class events.
“It was very important to us to let people from all over the world see where these thoroughbreds were born and raised, to bring them home to race here, and to be able to showcase Lexington,” she said.
It’s not just a victory for Keeneland, it’s a victory for the city, from an economic standpoint.
When Keeneland first hosted the Breeders Cup in 2015, hotel occupancy was about 95 percent, with 96,000 people attending, according to Visit LEX.
To encourage visitors to see all that Lexington has to offer, Marci Krueger-Sidebottom, vice president of sales and service at Visit LEX, said the hotel will be putting up a welcome poster with a QR code linking to “what to do in Lexington.”
In an email to LEX 18, Krueger-Sidebottom wrote: “The additional traffic and awareness of Lexington is amazing because it always increases the number of tourists who really want to revisit and bring family, friends or business meetings. Opportunity.” “Hosting BC also puts Lexington in the spotlight and puts this amazing event on national and international television. That kind of exposure, you can’t ignore nor underestimate its value.”
The Breeders’ Cup will be held from November 4th to 5th. Tickets can be purchased here.
Tickets to the log box and one of the temporary structures, known as the hut, will also be available at the Keeneland Fall Meeting in October.