Revived Keeneland 2-year-old sale adds horses of racing age

Deadline to enter horses of racing age is March 15

From Keeneland’s publicity department

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Keeneland has expanded the 2019 April Sale, which traditionally features two-year-olds in training, to include horses of racing age.

Roy H, sold at Keeneland’s 2014 2-year-old in training sale, won the Twinspires Breeders’ Cup Sprint for the second straight year. Coady Photography

The April Sale is scheduled for Tuesday, April 9, immediately following the Spring Meet opening weekend that kicks off Thursday, April 4. Headlining the nine stakes that weekend are the $1 million Toyota Blue Grass (G2) and $500,000 Central Bank Ashland (G1), both classic prep races.

“Keeneland’s Spring Meet is a convergence of horsemen heading home from their winter bases,” Keeneland Vice President of Racing and Sales Bob Elliston said. “The addition of a horses of racing age component to the April Sale complements our racing program and offers variety to buyers in town for opening weekend.”

Entry deadline for the online horses of racing age catalog is Friday, March 15. Supplemental entries will be accepted after that deadline.

Entries for the two-year-olds in training catalog closed Saturday, Feb. 1.

Keeneland conducted the April Two-Year-Olds in Training Sale from 1993-2014. The sale has been on hiatus since 2015. At the 2014 April Sale, future champions Lady Eli and Roy H were sold.

Jennie Rees is a communications and advocacy specialist in the horse industry who spent 32 years covering horse racing for The (Louisville) Courier-Journal before taking a corporate buyout. In addition to handling communications for the Kentucky HBPA, Rees is Kentucky Downs’ publicity director, manages in-season racing publicity for Ellis Park and serves as a consultant to the National HBPA. Other projects include the Preakness Stakes, Indiana Grand’s Indiana Derby Week and work for various HBPA affiliates and horsemen’s associations.