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Lexingtonians are always looking for a reason to show off what makes their city special, and the return of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships on November 4 and 5 is a perfect occasion to host a weeklong celebration with a distinctly Southern twist.
Founded in 1984, the Breeders’ Cup World Championships is a horse racing enthusiast’s dream: a two-day, 14-race extravaganza that brings together top Thoroughbreds from around the world and offers more than $31 million in purse money, including the $6 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic.
The year-end championship for horse racing was the brainchild of the late John Gaines, owner of the iconic Gainesway Farm in Lexington. A shrewd businessman who envisioned a culminating championship’s impact on horse racing, Gaines also understood the need for the annual event to move from venue to venue to keep the different racing associations happy.
The first Breeders’ Cup was held at the former Hollywood Park racecourse in California. The Breeders’ Cup came “home” to Lexington for the first time in 2015. Lexington’s Keeneland Racecourse again hosted the event in 2020, although without fans in attendance due to the pandemic. City residents and guests alike look forward to making up for lost time in 2022 and showcasing Kentucky’s central role in the Thoroughbred industry.
Even non-native Kentuckians find it impossible not to be proud of the horses bred, born, raised, raced and sold in the Bluegrass State. “The local community is passionate about racing because they have the opportunity to watch it during Keeneland in April and October,” says Mary Quinn Ramer, president of VisitLEX. “I also think there’s a desire to claim Breeders’ Cup not only as a Lexington corporation but also as a Lexington idea. There’s a real sincerity from the community to embrace the history, legacy and community that began in Lexington.”
Upgrading everything
In 2015, racegoers were hard-pressed to recognize the Keeneland grounds — and 2022 will be no different, said Jim Gluckson, media relations for Breeders’ Cup. Though the track will have the same number of temporary structures it had for the 2015 running of the World Championships, Breeders’ Cup and Keeneland have invested more than $10.5 million to expand seating areas and enhance hospitality options to further elevate the experience for fans and participants in 2022. This includes adding 165,000 square feet of luxury chalets for 7,500 premium dining seats and 1,800 temporary box seats.
Racegoers are expected to hail from all 50 states and 18 countries. Attendance has been capped at 45,000 on both Friday and Saturday, ensuring that all will have an enjoyable, comfortable time.
Keeneland reported that the 2015 Breeders’ Cup had a $65 million impact on the city of Lexington. “We expect the 2022 World Championships to have an incredibly positive impact on the local Lexington economy,” Gluckson said.
In 2015, there was a significant increase in air traffic over Breeders’ Cup weekend, with 450 private jets arriving at Blue Grass Airport. A direct New York-to-Lexington flight is also being reinstated for the weekend, making it even easier for guests to fly into the city.
Whether out-of-town guests drive in or fly, they’re sure to be welcomed appropriately, said Ramer. The city will be, quite literally, swathed in purple and gold — signature colors of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships.
Where they will stay
The 2015 Breeders’ Cup event broke every record regarding hotel occupancy in the city, Ramer said, and 2022 is expected to have an even larger impact.
In the past, Ramer said Lexington might occasionally hit a 95 percent hotel occupancy rate when racing at Keeneland’s fall meet and a University of Kentucky home football game happened on the same weekend. “What was so impressive was the average daily rate at a hotel in 2015 was about $100,” she said. “When we isolated the Breeders’ Cup weekend, we were able to see the [higher] rates the hotels were commanding over that weekend.”
Because of this, hosting the 2022 Breeders’ Cup is expected to have a significant economic impact on the city, its hotels and its short-term housing options. There are 1,123 more hotel rooms available this year than in 2015 (9,062 in total), and single-room or whole-house offerings have also expanded exponentially. There were just 105 short-term rental houses like those listed on Airbnb and VRBO in 2015. Though there is no official tally of these rentals, there are 972 active housing listings in Lexington, according to AirDNA.co — each of which is compliant on their taxes, added Ramer.
An added impetus for guests to stick around? The Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale takes place the Monday after the Breeders’ Cup races and runs through November 16. “Horsemen who normally stay three or four days in a host city extend their stay to take in these world-class sales,” Gluckson said. This year’s catalog includes more than 1,800 broodmares and broodmare prospects and 1,523 weanlings, in addition to horses of racing age, stallions, stallion prospects and shares.
Get ready, Lexington
Racing isn’t the only draw to the two-day event: the Breeders’ Cup Festival is a weeklong celebration surrounding the race meet that begins October 30. Lexington was the first host city to organize a concurrent Breeders’ Cup Festival when it hosted the 2015 event, and it has since become a standing feature. Built around the idea of engaging with and celebrating local business and culture, Lexington’s Breeders’ Cup Festival defines “Southern hospitality”: shops, restaurants and businesses throw open their doors to welcome out-of-town guests with extended hours, specials and recognition of the city’s status as the Horse Capital of the World.
“Spectators from around the world will be able to immerse themselves in the local community by attending the Equine Film Festival, Fashionable Fillies’ boutique shopping event, the Bourbon Showcase, and several live music concerts hosted by the Breeders’ Cup Festival in collaboration with local artists and venues,” said Gluckson.
Each day is chock full of a diverse, free and exciting mix of activities, said Kip Cornett, president of Cornett advertising agency, who is helping to organize the festival. “Our entertainment corridors, especially downtown, should be pretty electric all week,” he said. “Adding in places like Greyline Station, Isaac Murphy Art Garden, Warehouse District and others is expanding our programming footprint.”
Cornett sums up Breeders’ Cup prep best: “Get plenty of rest leading up to Breeders’ Cup Week. There’s plenty to enjoy.”