Breeders’ Cup Back to Keeneland in 2022, Purses Maintained in 2020

[Wandering Eyes]

The Breeders’ Cup will return to Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky. as the host site for the 2022 Breeders’ Cup World Championships, the Breeders’ Cup announced Saturday. Keeneland, which is also scheduled to host this year’s World Championships Nov. 6-7, will hold the 39th Breeders’ Cup Nov. 4-5, 2022. It will be the third time the Breeders’ Cup has been held at Keeneland since 2015. Del Mar will remain the host of the 2021 event.

The announcement of Keeneland as host of the 2022 championships was made in conjunction with two other pieces of news: first, attendance at this year’s event will be limited to the connections of race participants and essential staff, and without fans on-site,  due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The Breeders’ Cup said in a press release that the decision was made following “close, continuous communications with Governor Andy Beshear, Keeneland, local and state government and public health officials and independent medical experts to fully assess the conditions under which major sporting events may expect to operate safely in the coming months.”

Additionally, purse levels will be maintained at the 2019 level, with $31 million in purses and awards. The Longines Classic will again offer a purse of $6 million, while the Longines Turf will be run for $4 million.

In February, prior to the pandemic, the Breeders’ Cup had met and decided to increase purses by a total of $4 million for 2020; that increase will now be postponed to 2021.

“While we are disappointed that we will not be joined by our fans on-site this year, our utmost priority is and always will be to conduct the Breeders’ Cup World Championships in the safest way possible,” said Fred Hertrich, Breeders’ Cup Board Chairman. “We would like to thank Governor Beshear, state and local health officials and public health authorities for their leadership, guidance and insight as we have worked to identify our options and finalize our plans. Lexington’s local community of racing fans, businesses and members of the Thoroughbred industry are the backbone of our sport, and we believe they deserve a second opportunity, in short order, to experience the event at its full potential. As such, we are proud to award Keeneland the 2022 World Championships and look forward to bringing the Breeders’ Cup back to Lexington in just two years’ time.”

“The decision to hold this year’s Breeders’ Cup World Championships without fans in attendance was not made lightly,” said Drew Fleming, President and CEO of Breeders’ Cup. “However, after many months of careful deliberation, planning and consultation, it has become abundantly clear that this is the right decision in order to proceed with our event while still protecting the collective health of our community. Despite many major racing events reducing purses significantly, we are proud to be able to maintain 2019 purse levels to support our nominators and horsemen during this challenging year.”

“While the World Championships will look different this year, Keeneland and Breeders’ Cup remain committed to making the event the best it can be,” said Bill Thomason, Keeneland President and CEO. “We are grateful to continue providing a platform for our athletes and horses to showcase their talent, and we are excited for the event to return in 2022, when fans can experience the full spectacle of Breeders’ Cup in the Bluegrass as we originally intended.”

Fleming said that strict protocols would be in place to protect the health and safety of those on-site, and that the details of the plan would be announced closer to the date of the event. He said that it was impossible to put a number on the total amount of people who would be allowed on-site until they knew how many horses were entered and listened to the guidance of local officials closer to the event. He said that those on the grounds would be, “owners, breeders, trainers, jockeys, those taking care of the horses, and Keeneland and Breeders’ Cup personnel.”

This year’s Classic was to get a $1 million bump to $7 million; the Turf a $2 million boost to $6 million, and the Big Ass Fans Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile a $1 million increase to a total purse of $2 million.

“In February, just before COVID, the board had announced an increase of four million dollars, but given the conditions, we thought it was prudent to postpone that to next year,” Fleming said, noting that other major sporting events had reduced their purses. “Our nominators have been with us since the beginning, and it’s important to support them right now. The first two days of the yearling sales showed there’s not just strength in the market, but strength in the industry. We’re doing this for the industry and while we’re disappointed we’re not able to have fans and just participants, the Breeders’ Cup is in a position of strength and we need to support our breeders and our nominators.”

Fleming said that as much as possible would be done to make the at-home experience as immersive as possible.

“I think it’s important to note that while we won’t be having fans, the event will still feature world-class racing and we’ve had great dialogue with trainers all over the world whose horses compete on the international stage,” he said. “While fans won’t be here in person, we have placed a significant emphasis on the at-home experience working with our partners at NBC Sports to showcase and highlight the events.

“I’m really proud as a company that we are announcing we’ll be coming back to Keeneland in 2022,” he said. “It was the right thing to do for the fans, the Lexington community, and for the Kentucky breeders who have always supported us. We wanted to come back as soon as we could to put on the full show. We will obviously be offering refunds, but people who had tickets for this year’s event will have the first right to buy tickets for 2022.”

The post Breeders’ Cup Back to Keeneland in 2022, Purses Maintained in 2020 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

View the full article