Keeneland's Fall Meet will offer 17 graded stakes races worth $5.275 million, the track announced Monday. Opening weekend of the Fall Meet, touted as Fall Stars Weekend, will be highlighted by nine graded stakes worth a total of $3.7 million. Grade Is scheduled for the weekend are the Oct. 7 $400,000 GI Darley Alcibiades S., Oct. 8 $1-million GI Shadwell Turf Mile, Oct. 8 $500,000 GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity, Oct. 8 $400,000 GI First Lady S. and Oct. 9 $500,000 GI Spinster S.
“The Fall Meet is the hallmark of quality, beginning with Fall Stars Weekend that features five of the season's six Grade I races,” said Keeneland Racing Secretary Ben Huffman. “Many stars bound for the Breeders' Cup will compete here, prepping in a Breeders' Cup Challenge race or another of the Fall Meet's lucrative stakes, making Keeneland a key racing destination.”
The meet's final Grade I event will be the Oct. 15 $500,000
GI Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Presented by Lane's End.
Two Fall stakes, the Stoll Keenon Ogden Phoenix and Buffalo Trace Franklin County, were upgraded for 2016 by the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association. The Stoll Keenon Ogden Phoenix was upgraded from Grade III to Grade II and will be held Oct. 7. The previous two winners of the Stoll Keenon Ogden Phoenix–Work All Week (City Zip) in 2014 and Runhappy (Super Saver) in 2015–went on to win the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint. The Buffalo Trace Franklin County, to be run Oct. 14, was upgraded from a listed stakes to a Grade III event.
Keeneland, which hosted last year's Breeders' Cup championships, will also offer eight stakes which are 'Win and You're In' events for this year's championships at Santa Anita.
“The Breeders' Cup sparked attention and showcased Keeneland to a global audience,” Keeneland President and CEO Bill Thomason said. “The momentum generated by that championship event continues to positively impact our business, contributing to strong gains during our recent Spring Meet and attracting horsemen and visitors from all corners of the world.”
Keeneland's Fall Meet runs from Oct. 7-29.
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