For the first time since the 2019 fall meet, Keeneland is (basically) fully open to fans for their opening Fall Stars Weekend. Patrons must pre-purchase tickets online (first come, first serve) prior to their arrival and attendance is capped at “around 20,000”, whatever that means. Regardless, opening day on Friday felt fairly normal, with plenty of fans, but without the shoulder-to-shoulder congestion that can often develop on nicer days. The first week of the meet is fully loaded with stakes action featuring no less than 10 “Win and You’re In” Breeders’ Cup qualifiers.
In this space, we’ll take a look at Saturday’s 11 race card with 5 graded stakes through a bit of a different lens than we typically do in this space.