Shannon Arvin Shares Inside Look at Keeneland’s New Paddock Building

[Wandering Eyes]

As an unrelenting stretch of icy winter cold hangs over the Bluegrass, the thought of a sunny spring day of racing at Keeneland with the dogwood trees in bloom sure feels like a welcome reprieve.

At the upcoming Spring Meet, Keeneland will celebrate the grand opening of the interior hospitality spaces in the new three-story Paddock Building. To help chase away the winter cold, Keeneland President and CEO Shannon Arvin sat down with TDN to share more details on Keeneland's five new venues before tickets go on sale on Tuesday, Feb. 17.

“All the rooms are furnished and we're just finalizing, going through a punch list with our contractor and getting everything wrapped up,” Arvin shared.

During the 2025 Fall Meet, Keeneland debuted its renovated Saddling Paddock and Stakes Winner's Circle. The new venues within the Paddock Building will offer views of both locations. Lexington-based designer Matthew Carter, who has had a hand in existing venues at Keeneland like the fifth floor Keeneland Room, led the interior design process for the new building.

Arvin said that maintaining Keeneland's time-honored atmosphere while enhancing the fan experience was a top priority throughout the project.

“We spent a lot of time looking at the history of design at Keeneland, which goes back to the days of Mrs. [Alma] Haggin, who really was in charge of it at the beginning,” she explained. “One of the reasons that it was so important to us that Matt Carter be involved was because I feel like he has really looked at the history and understands what the feel of Keeneland should be, but at the same time can focus on modernizing it and adding in some fun touches.”

For the upcoming meet, access to the Paddock Building will be exclusive to guests with tickets to one of its five spaces. The venues will offer over 1,000 new public dining tickets each race day.

“Part of the reason that we built the Paddock Building was because we didn't have enough supply for the demand, which is an incredible problem to have and we do not take it for granted,” said Arvin. “So we want to be sure that we can fulfill as many requests as we can. We expect that it will be very well received and we're still going to run out of inventory pretty quickly, honestly, but that's 1,000 more people per day we can seat, which is great.”

Ticket pricing for the new spaces range from $100 to $200 based on location, race day and dining package.

Beyond the racing season, Keeneland plans to leverage the Paddock Building during sales to offer more hospitality options to auction attendees.

 

1936 ROOM

1936 Room | Keeneland photo

Location: North end of first floor with access to Paddock Lawn

Seating: Lounge seating and high-top tables

Food and Beverage: All-inclusive passed and stationed hors d'oeuvres, full-service premium open bar

Inside Look:

“The 1936 Room is probably the newest concept for Keeneland, because there's not another room like it at the track. It is the first time we've done an all-inclusive ticket. There will be passed food, as well as food stationed throughout the room, so it's not a sit-down experience. We may pass some cocktails too.”

“The jockeys walk through the room from the Jockeys' Quarters downstairs, which is fun and interactive. Also if you have access to that room, you have access to the north side of the paddock, so you have a spot to go outside.”

“People like to enjoy the races in different ways. Some people like to sit at a table all day while other people like a little more action. They want to be able to mingle and walk around and this definitely gives them the chance to do that.”

Favorite Detail:

“I love the look and feel of all of the rooms, but I do really love this one. The woodwork is beautiful and the lighting is really special.”

 

SYCAMORE ROOM

Sycamore Room | Keeneland photo

Location: South end of first floor adjacent to the Stakes Winner's Circle

Seating: Reserved table service

Food and Beverage: A la carte high-end dining and cocktail service with classic American cuisine

Inside Look:

“This is probably our most upscale room of the five new rooms. There are some private rooms off to the side in the space, which I think people will really enjoy. This room is also on the first floor so you can walk right out to the area outside the walking ring.”

“The menu is à la carte. I laugh because I've actually heard more rumors about the Sycamore Room than I imagined possible. The menu is close to finalized but it's not actually finalized, and for a while people were saying it was going to be a steakhouse. While there will probably be a steak on the menu, it is not a steakhouse. But I do think the food will be delicious and special in there.”

Favorite Detail:

“I love the bar in the Sycamore Room. It might be my favorite bar of the new ones.”

 

DOGWOOD AND IVY ROOMS:

Dogwood Room | Keeneland photo

Location: Second floor overlooking the Paddock

Seating: Reserved table service

Food and Beverage: Buffet-style dining. A la carte snacks and cocktails available for purchase.

Inside Look:

“The Dogwood and Ivy Rooms are similar spaces and are on the second floor. They are both going to have an elevated buffet. You've got the arched windows, which I think are so in keeping with what you think of when you think of Keeneland. The views outside these rooms overlooking the paddock are really special.”

“The Dogwood is bigger than the Ivy Room. The Ivy Room seats 110 people, so it could be a private space or not. It just depends on what the demand is for that day. It was kind of a missing link for us because the Lexington/Kentucky Room is so large and then you go down to the Stakes Lounge at the Lafayette Room, which maybe wasn't large enough sometimes. So the Ivy Room hopefully will fit that need.”

Favorite Detail:

“I actually love the wallpaper in those rooms. You walk in and it's just very striking and I love the way it's hung around the windows.”

 

Rooftop Bar | Keeneland photo

ROOFTOP BAR AND ROOFTOP DINING:

Location: Third floor overlooking the Paddock

Seating: Reserved table service. Rooftop Dining in enclosed premium indoor space. Rooftop Bar in covered outdoor area.

Food and Beverage: A la carte lunch and cocktail service

Inside Look:

“Obviously the best part of the rooftop is the view. I've spent a lot of time staring at the Sycamore tree, but until I saw it from the rooftop, I hadn't seen it quite like you can from that vantage point. It's pretty spectacular.”

“It is an a la carte menu up there too. For the outdoor space, you've got a big bar area–kind of a round bar, which I think people will enjoy–with covered high-top tables surrounding the bar. Inside, you've got a smaller dining room with seating.”

Favorite Detail:

“The view of the paddock is amazing, but it is also pretty neat to see the rest of the campus when you're turned away from the paddock and looking over at the sales pavilion and all the barns.”

 

The Keeneland Spring Meet runs April 3-24, with no racing on Mondays, Tuesdays, or Easter Sunday, April 5. Purchase tickets at Tickets.Keeneland.com.

The post Shannon Arvin Shares Inside Look at Keeneland’s New Paddock Building appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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