Keeneland's spring meet begins Friday with the weekend featuring the first of several preps for the Kentucky Derby and Oaks.
Thirteen fillies are entered in Saturday's $500,000 Central Bank Ashland for 3-year-olds awarding 170 points toward the May 2 Oaks at Churchill Downs. Testa Rossi is the 3-1 favorite in the Grade 1 feature that has served as a springboard to victory at the Oaks; 31 winners have come out of this race.
In all, 16 stakes races worth $3.725 million will be run during the 15-day meet, highlighted by the $750,000 Toyota Blue Grass on April 12. The winner of Keeneland's signature Grade I race earns 100 points in the Road to the Kentucky Derby standings, all but guaranteeing a spot in the starting gate on May 3.
Keeneland spokesperson Amy Gregory says the track has taken steps to enhance the fan experience.
"Last fall we introduced the Keeneland Raceday app and it was incredibly popular. It's a way to access information to your fingertips through your smartphone or your tablet. You can get real time entries, results, odds, it has a betting calculator and a built-in GPS feature where if you're on track you can find your friends and locate where you want to meet," Gregory told WUKY.
The meet runs through April 25th.