Keeneland Stays Ahead of Curve in War Against COVID-19

With lush paddocks of green grass and trees filled to bursting with blooms, there are few places more inviting in the spring than the grounds of Keeneland. 

But this season looks a little different. 

Instead of welcoming guests through its gates for a month of live racing, Keeneland was among the first racetracks in the country to cancel its upcoming meet due to the spread of COVID-19. The decision to suspend racing entirely, though heartbreaking to both the staff and racing fans, has allowed the track to create a contained environment in which it is better able to protect employees, horsemen, and horses who call the Lexington track home. 

"It's been a bit gut-wrenching with the sun shining and everything. Our meet would have been coming together perfectly," said Vince Gabbert, Keeneland's vice president and chief operating officer. "As everything began to unfold and it became clear we would not be able to have a race meet, our team immediately went to thinking about what was next, what we needed to do, and how we could mitigate any problems going forward. 

"We've worked hard to make sure we're staying on the front end of it. Many times, not having a problem starts with preventing one in the first place. I think we've done a great job in limiting who and what comes on campus and protecting those that are already here." 

These days, the commute to work for facility employees, vendors, and horsemen requires active participation. With the largest entrance to the campus closed entirely, all cars are funneled through two entrances, where 24-hour security monitors those entering and leaving the grounds. Cars are stopped and approached by a member of Keeneland staff as well as an employee of Mediport—which provides on-site medical services during regular racing seasons—and drivers are asked a series of questions regarding the state of their health. Once the questionnaire is completed, all parties have their temperature taken on their forehead by a non-contact thermometer. If everything checks out, they are issued a colored wristband, which allows Keeneland staff to know that they've been screened for the virus. 

In order to keep a thorough record of individual screenings, wristband colors change each day. Keeneland security staff, along with Mediport personnel, conduct regular, unannounced walk-throughs of all barns and outbuildings to make sure those who live on the property and work on the backstretch are also screened daily, even if they never leave the property. 

"Overall, they've been very receptive," said Phil Gardner, Keeneland's director of security. "They realize this is necessary with everything that is going on, and there has been very little, if any, pushback. We've worked out the kinks and tweaked everything as we've gone along. We're doing all we can think of to maintain checks and balances across the board to make sure people feel comfortable and safe to come here and do their job. That includes Keeneland employees and people who work the backstretch. 

"It's a lot of luck and our little bit of strategy to fill in the gaps, but it's been working. I think Keeneland is doing more than what was expected. They're going above and beyond to make sure every precaution has been taken." 



Backstretch Workers Remain Focused

On the backstretch, life is business as usual—if a bit more quiet. While the barns at Keeneland usually house close to 1,300 horses during a normal race meet, the numbers have capped at close to 600. Trainers who shipped in before the closure of the track were allowed to fill their allotted stalls. Those who had not shipped in have not been allowed to access the grounds. 

"We only have about one-third of the horses we would normally have," said Wayne Mogge, Keeneland's stable manager. "That cuts down on the day-to-day care of the horses. Obviously, when we decided to cancel the meet, our first and biggest priority was the health and safety of our horsemen, staff, and employees. We've consolidated the horsemen that we have on track and spread them among the barns we're utilizing. We're trying to keep things as normal as possible, and we're making exceptions if trainers have horses they're sending to the farm or a filly they want to send to the breeding shed. We allow them to fill that stall with another horse. It all has to run through the stable office so we know which horse is coming in and where it is coming from." 

In addition, for those working in the barns and staying in on-site accommodations, the decrease in staffing has allowed the Keeneland team to assign every stable employee their own room. There have been no positive cases of COVID-19 to date from the Keeneland backstretch.

For trainer Ben Colebrook, the change in stable operations has had relatively little impact on his training schedule. With 41 horses residing on the property and no permanent schedule for a return to racing, Colebrook said his most difficult job has been keeping his horses and his employees on task. 

"We all have to get to work and keep horses in training," Colebrook said. "Anything we can do to keep everyone safe and healthy is a good thing. The security protocols are no problem for training. The only thing with no racing is that we have owners sending horses back to farms, and I'm probably not breezing as much as I usually would. At the same time, we're breezing when we need to just so we can keep them fit. 

"My staff hasn't had any trouble. I've talked to them about being diligent, washing their hands, and if we all keep doing what we're supposed to be doing, we will get through this faster. It's trying times, but in the barns it's different because we have security measures anyway to try and keep infections down in terms of viruses in general. We're constantly spraying with Lysol and disinfecting things. I'm just trying to keep everyone in a job. I haven't laid anyone off yet, and I'm trying to circle the wagons, bring in horses, and I want my staff to get through it with me. Horse trainers are used to challenges. It's that kind of profession, so I think we will get through it. In tough times, the horse industry tends to pull together. Anything anyone can do to help someone in need is a good thing." 

At the barn of Eddie Kenneally, exercise rider and assistant trainer Kelly Wheeler first encountered the change in security protocols when she shipped in from Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots in New Orleans. Fair Grounds has since closed as Louisiana battles one of the highest instances of COVID-19 cases in the country. 

"We just got here a few weeks ago from Fair Grounds. They had some security measures in place, but nothing really like Keeneland," said Wheeler, who has worked with Kenneally for the past five years. "I think Keeneland is doing a really good job. I arrive around 4 a.m., and they ask if you've been out of the country or out of the state and if you've been in contact with anyone who might have been exposed. I told them when I got here that I had come in from Louisiana but that I had no symptoms. 

"It obviously took everyone a bit of adjusting to the new procedures, and we've had to change a few things as far as our help because there is a language barrier and we want them to understand why we're doing everything we're doing. People who work the backside work hard. Even on days they don't feel good, they always want to push through and go to work. But we've really impressed hard on them that if they don't feel good, it's OK to not come. We're just trying to be more mindful of everything we do." 

The stalls may be full of horses, but with only eight other staff members working in the barn, the shedrows are curiously quiet. As for training, Wheeler said working as an exercise rider has made her well suited to the practice of social distancing, although she has gained a newfound awareness in her job. 

"I think you think about things a bit more, like when you take a horse to the gate and you suddenly realize you're in close proximity to each other," Wheeler said. "It's a tough business, and there is so much that we do where we don't realize we're close to people, but as far as riding, I think we're in good shape because we're outside away from other people. Our equipment, it's usually just us that use it, and we're responsible for cleaning our own things." 



Keeneland Crew Stays Productive

With hopes high that racing will resume in the fall, the Keeneland staff continues to find ways to keep spirits high and take advantage of the lack of patrons to both finish and start new projects to improve the track. 

"We haven't changed a whole lot with the main track because we still have 600 horses in training," said Jim Pendergest, the director of racing services. "However, we are able to do things to the turf we wouldn't normally be able to do during the year. We're in prime growing season right now, so we just aerated the track and we're seeding it earlier than we would and taking advantage of a great growing season. We get to be about 30 days ahead of the curve now on getting new grass coming in. We should have one heck of a great turf course for the Breeders' Cup." 

Working indoors, director of building services Justin Frakes and his team have disinfected and sanitized more than 275,000 square feet of surface area to make all the property's buildings safe for visitors. 

"We actually used a fogging system called EverPURE, and it's able to denature mold, bacteria, and viruses," Frakes said. "The coronavirus is actually pretty easy to kill on surfaces, and when this is sprayed, it works for 90 days and continuously kills any virus. I want to keep everyone as safe as possible. Even though we canceled the meet, we want to keep those who are here safe. While no one is here, we can clean pretty much every square inch of the grounds. From a cleaning standpoint, we're like the front lines and we are basically in charge of the health and safety of everyone here." 

Among the most important buildings under Frakes' purview is the track kitchen, which has increased its hours from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. to help provide backstretch residents with food so they have the ability to shelter in place. Though the building no longer allows patrons to eat inside, track kitchen manager Phyllis Keene and her team keep the kitchen running smoothly for any hungry staff member on the grounds.

Marc Therrien, the executive chef and director of Keeneland hospitality, has donated 1,500 pounds of food to FoodChain. In addition, Keeneland is among several local Kentucky organizations behind Nourish Lexington, which hopes to help employ recently displaced workers in the hospitality industry. One hundred percent of the proceeds from online sales from The Keeneland Shop and Keeneland Mercantile during the month of April will be donated to the effort. 

"Our mantra is, 'How can we help our community?'" Therrien said. "We saw this happening, and it happened at the perfect time, if you could say that, before we did our major purchasing. What we did initially was we went through our storeroom to send what we had and what we could give to FoodChain. We also volunteered to do a meal every week, and we will do that every week until this is over.

"Keeneland is a unique place, and they are giving of themselves. Everyone wants to do what they can, and the attitudes have been fantastic. When I ask for volunteers to help with FoodChain, it's not hard to get people to work. We're all in this together." 

"Even without a race meet going on, we want to do what we can to help out where we can," said Gabbert, who explained he had also been in recent discussions with the state to help Keeneland become an on-site testing facility for the virus. "We've had a lot of back-and-forth. We're fortunate that a lot of people reach out to us, and with our relationships on different boards and in the community at large, we're able to have these discussions. 

"Our staff has done a phenomenal job taking the abnormal and treating it as if it were normal. It's been day by day, but our team is really good about executing plans at any level."