Keeneland Announces Spring Stakes Schedule Worth $8.05M

Keeneland will award a season-record $8.05 million for 19 stakes during its 2023 spring meet, which will cover 15 days from April 7-28. Leading the schedule are the $1 million Blue Grass Stakes (G1) and $600,000 Ashland Stakes (G1), both major targets of the nation's top 3-year-olds.

Keeneland has increased the purses of two top-level stakes for older females—the Madison Stakes (G1) and the Jenny Wiley Stakes (G1T)—by $100,000 apiece to $600,000 and has raised the purses of three listed stakes—the Limestone Stakes, the Giant's Causeway Stakes, and the Palisades Stakes—by $50,000 each to $250,000. Fifteen stakes are graded, with the Beaumont Stakes (G2) upgraded for 2023.

Contributing to the spring meet stakes purses is a total of $1.5 million available from the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund, pending approval from the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission.

Purses in Kentucky have soared in recent years due in part to revenues generated from historical horse racing gaming.

"Keeneland enjoyed arguably its most successful racing year ever in 2022, thanks to a stellar lineup of equine stars and racing stables competing for record purses and the historic wagering that followed at the spring and fall meets, and the popularity of hosting our third Breeders' Cup World Championships," said Gatewood Bell, Keeneland vice president of racing. "We are grateful for the interest in Keeneland racing from our horsemen, horseplayers, and fans, and their enthusiasm creates momentum for the future. We are excited to further strengthen this year's spring meet stakes schedule, so purses of all grade 1 races are at least $600,000, while all grade 2 races are a minimum of $350,000, and all grade 3 events are a minimum of $300,000."

VIEW: 2023 Keeneland Spring Meet Stakes Schedule

Post time for the first race each day during the Spring Meet is 1 p.m. ET. Keeneland will be closed for racing on Easter Sunday, April 9.

In addition to being important springtime races for talented sophomores, the Blue Grass and Ashland both are worth 200 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby and Road to the Kentucky Oaks. The winners of each stakes will earn 100 qualifying points toward those respective races. The $400,000 Lexington Stakes (G3), for 3-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles, is the final prep on the Road to the Kentucky Derby and will award a total of 40 qualifying points, with the winner receiving 20. It is slated for April 15.

The Ashland, at 1 1/16 miles for fillies, anchors the card for the April 7 opening day of the spring meet for the second consecutive year and is the richest of three stakes for sophomores that day. The other stakes, which are worth $400,000 each, are the Transylvania Stakes (G3T), a 1 1/16-mile turf race, and the Lafayette Stakes, a seven-furlong dirt race.

Because of Easter Sunday, Keeneland moved two stakes for 3-year-olds from that day to April 16. They are the $400,000 Beaumont Stakes for 3-year-old fillies over the unique Beard Course distance on dirt of seven furlongs and 184 feet; and the $250,000 Palisades Stakes at 5 1/2 furlongs on grass. The Beaumont is worth 20 points on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks, with the winner collecting 10 points.