Countdown to the 2022 Breeders' Cup World Championships at Keeneland Officially Begins in Lexington

The 39th Breeders’ Cup Returns to Keeneland for the Third Time on November 4 and 5

LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 7, 2022) — Today, the Breeders’ Cup, Keeneland, and the City of Lexington begin the official countdown to the 2022 Breeders’ Cup World Championships, as the best horses from around the world are set to compete at historic Keeneland Race Course on Nov. 4 and 5, 2022. President and CEO of Breeders’ Cup Drew Fleming will be joined today by Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton, Keeneland President and CEO Shannon Arvin, Breeders’ Cup Festival Chair Kip Cornett, and Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic winning trainer Brad Cox at Tandy Park for a press conference to highlight upcoming events and share details of this year’s World Championships.

As announced in March, tickets for the 2022 World Championships at Keeneland will go on sale to the public on Monday, May 9, at Noon ET at BreedersCup.com/Tickets. Anticipation and demand for tickets are expected to be high. Fans are encouraged to visit BreedersCup.com/2022 now to sign up to receive the latest ticket information and news.

“We’re excited to officially begin our countdown to the 39th running of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships this fall in our hometown of Lexington,” Breeders’ Cup President and CEO Drew Fleming said. “We’re so grateful to work alongside leaders like Mayor Gorton, our friends at Keeneland, and so many others throughout the Lexington community to ensure that this year’s World Championships and Festival are the best in Breeders’ Cup history.”

“Lexington is excited to step back into the international spotlight as we again host the Breeders’ Cup,” Mayor Linda Gorton said. “This year, the Breeders’ Cup will crown racing’s true champions in the Horse Capital of the World at the best track in the world, Keeneland! Join us for a celebration that our international visitors and our local residents will enjoy.”

“Keeneland is excited to kick off the countdown to Breeders’ Cup this fall, and to share this great international championship with our fans,” Keeneland President and CEO Shannon Arvin said. “The Thoroughbred industry is so important to the Lexington community, and we thank our friends at Breeders’ Cup, Mayor Gorton and leaders throughout the city for their enthusiasm and support. We look forward to welcoming fans and racing participants from around the world to Lexington to celebrate the Breeders’ Cup in a way this event richly deserves.”

This year will mark the third time the World Championships have been held in the Horse Capital of the World following the event’s first running at Keeneland in 2015 and subsequent return in 2020. As the 2020 World Championships were held without fans on site due to COVID-19, Breeders’ Cup is delighted to be coming back to Lexington after two short years to give the local community and loyal fans the opportunity to experience the World Championships at its full potential.

A highlight of the global racing calendar, the Breeders’ Cup World Championships will bring an exciting combination of premier Thoroughbred horse racing, world-class culinary experiences, high fashion, and top entertainment back to Keeneland this fall. To further elevate the experience for all fans and participants, Breeders’ Cup and Keeneland will invest over $10.5 million in the coming months to expand seating areas and enhance hospitality offerings. This investment will add 165,000 square feet of luxury chalets that will provide 7,500 premium dining seats and 1,800 temporary box seats, including:

• Trackside Luxury Chalets, triple-decker and double-decker chalets located trackside with views of the stretch run that are enclosed and climate-controlled, offering a gourmet buffet luncheon, cocktail service to tables, private wagering, and TVs situated throughout the spaces for enhanced viewing.
   
• The Silks Lawn Chalet, a 50,000-square-foot, glassed-in and climate-controlled chalet with reserved seating, private bars, TVs located throughout, dedicated mutuel tellers, and incredible views of the racetrack from the rail along the final turn.
   
• The Saddling Paddock Chalet, which offers premium views of the Championship contenders as they circle the saddling paddock before each race, as well as access to the first and second floors of the Grandstand and the track apron for live racing views.
   
• Temporary Loge Box Seats that will span the apron from the 1/16th pole to the finish line, offering incredible views of the homestretch along with access to both the first and second floors of the Grandstand and dedicated cocktail service to every box.

In accordance with Breeders’ Cup’s longstanding commitment to delivering a curated and intimate fan experience, and to ensure maximum safety and comfort, attendance for the event will be capped at 45,000. Available single-day ticket prices range from $75 to $504 on Friday, and $125 to $689 on Saturday. Two-day packages available for purchase range from $200 to $1,568. All tickets will be sold in advance of the event. No tickets will be sold on event days at the racetrack.

As announced in September 2020, fans who purchased 2020 Breeders’ Cup World Championship tickets had the right to repurchase the same or similar seats as they had previously. The Breeders’ Cup Ticketing office has been in direct communication with 2020 purchasers about how to secure their spot at the 2022 World Championships. 2020 ticket purchasers who have not yet received communication from the Breeders’ Cup Ticketing office should email tickets@breederscup.com or call (859) 514-9428.

The Breeders’ Cup Festival, presented by CHI Health, will begin Sunday, Oct. 30, and continue through Championship Saturday, Nov. 5. Some of the many exciting plans include nightly live music at Tandy Park, culinary tributes to the international racing community at local restaurants, and the return of Horse Mania, featuring over 100 artist-designed, life-size Thoroughbred statues.

“The Festival’s goal is the same as it was in 2015: to put on a world-class week of entertainment worthy of the world championships of Thoroughbred racing,” said Breeders’ Cup Festival Chair Kip Cornett. “There’s no place like Lexington to celebrate the great sport of racing – and the festival will do its part to energize the city for local fans as well as our guests.”

Breeders’ Cup will offer public shuttle service to and from Keeneland at one dedicated off-site Park-and-Ride location on Friday and Saturday. Parking on-site at Keeneland will be limited and only available to those with official pre-paid parking credentials. All parking will have dedicated routing and will be coordinated by on-site parking staff, traffic control staff, and local law enforcement. All traffic and directions will be communicated in real-time through Google Traffic and Waze. Additionally, the Hill will not be available for seating this year and will instead be used to accommodate additional on-site parking. More information is available on our website at BreedersCup.com/Transportation.

The 39th running of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships on Nov. 4 and 5 will be televised live by NBC Sports Group. Stay tuned for additional announcements in the coming months outlining how fans can experience race-day thrills at home, as Breeders’ Cup continues to lead the industry in virtual viewing and engagement offerings in addition to on-site attractions and hospitality.

ABOUT BREEDERS’ CUP

Breeders’ Cup Limited administers the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, Thoroughbred horse racing’s year-end Championships, and the Breeders’ Cup Challenge qualifying series, which provides automatic starting positions into the Championships races. Additionally, the Breeders’ Cup is also a founding member of the Thoroughbred Safety Coalition, an organization composed of industry leaders committed to advancing safety measures in Thoroughbred racing and improving the well-being of equine and human athletes.

The 2022 Breeders’ Cup World Championships, consisting of 14 Championship races with purses and awards totaling more than $31 million, is scheduled to be held on November 4 and 5 at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky. The Championships will be televised live by the NBC Sports Group. Breeders’ Cup press releases appear on the Breeders’ Cup website, breederscup.com. You can also follow the Breeders’ Cup on their social media platforms Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and YouTube.

ABOUT KEENELAND

For more than 80 years, the Keeneland Association has devoted itself to the health and vibrancy of the Thoroughbred industry. The world’s largest Thoroughbred auction house, Keeneland conducts four sales a year, in January, April, September and November, and its sales graduates dominate racing across the globe at every level. In April and October, Keeneland offers some of the highest caliber and richest Thoroughbred racing in the world. Keeneland hosted the Breeders’ Cup World Championships in 2015 and 2020 and will hold the event again on Nov. 4 and 5, 2022. Uniquely structured, Keeneland is a privately held company with a not-for-profit mission that returns its earnings to the industry and the community in the form of higher purses and millions of dollars donated in support of horse industry initiatives and charitable contributions for education, research and health and human services throughout Central Kentucky. Keeneland also maintains the Keeneland Library, a world-renowned public research institution with the mission of preserving information about the Thoroughbred industry. To learn more, visit Keeneland.com.

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