Keeneland's racetrack initially was built in the early 1930s, when Jack Keene began constructing it as part of his own private racing and training facility.
However, when the Great Depression hit, Keene lost his fortune and was unable to finish his dream. A group of Central Kentucky horsemen purchased the unfinished track and completed its construction to become part of the modern-day Keeneland. Because Keene had intended to use the track in the mornings--not the afternoons--Keeneland's track faces West. Also, he designed the track without the benefit of engineering, instead using a team of mules and a hitch to lay out the track.
Once it was completed in 1936, the track remain relatively unchanged for 70 years. In 2006, Keeneland embarked on a major renovation of its track that included installing a
Polytrack surface.
Polytrack is a unique blend of fibers, recycled rubber and silica sand that is covered with a wax coating. At Keeneland, seven inches of
Polytrack rest on 10 inches of porous macadam and stone that contains a vertical drainage system--another exclusive feature. Water drains through the material rather than horizontally across the surface.
Keeneland’s renovation in the summer of 2006 also included the reconfiguration of the racetrack to widen the turns, lengthen the stretch and create more viewing areas for fans. The main track now features four sweeping and symmetrical turns. Its distance remains unchanged, however, at 1 1/16 miles long.
Other improvements include:
- A new safety rail, which was installed on the inside of the main track, and a new rail on the outside of the turf course;
- A new winner’s circle;
- New marker poles, which feature many elements of Keeneland’s signature gatepost;
- More room for fans as the trackside aprons in the grandstand and the clubhouse lawn were enlarged to create more than 17,000 square feet of additional space for some 3,500 patrons;
- A new trackside rail, which was constructed of stone and wrought iron along the grandstand and clubhouse aprons;
- A state-of-the-art tote board, which comprises five separate sections with more than 1,500 digital LED tiles and provides crisp, clear color video, photos and mutuel graphics.
- More than 15 miles of conduit, which were laid underground to allow Keeneland to take advantage of new high-definition and radio frequency technologies;
- Trakus. Keeneland is the first racetrack in the United States to offer Trakus video race technology. Trakus provides the ability—via sensor chips carried in saddlecloths and antennae positioned around the racetrack—to track each horse in a race electronically and digitally in real time. Information on individual horses is collected and displayed in various viewer-friendly animated forms;
- Improved lighting around the track to increase safety during morning training hours;
- New irrigation and drainage systems on the main track and turf course; and
- Trees, shrubs, and other plantings to beautify the new racetrack.