Keeneland Breeders Cup help

[Horsegal984]

Ok, I have tried my best to figure this out on my own, but to no avail! Hoping someone here can help me sort this all out. My other half is taking me to the Breeders Cup this year and we have been looking at ticket options. Does anyone know what the difference is between the Clubhouse General Admission and the General Admission Print at home options? I’ve included descriptions below straight from their website.
From the pricing difference, I really can’t figure out the difference in seating options. It also makes it sound like there may be seating available for GA but not for Clubhouse? Clubhouse is $325 vs $75 for GA. HALP!!

Clubhouse: Includes access to the 1st floor level of the Clubhouse grounds. Enjoy live racing from the Clubhouse lawn! Concessions, mutuel tellers, bars and restrooms are all in close proximity for fans.
Please Note: Standing room only, there is NO reserved seat with this ticket.

General Admission: General Admission is limited for the Championships, so purchase your general admission ticket in advance and print from the convenience of your own home! Includes access to the 1st floor level of the Grandstand grounds. Enjoy live racing from the track apron! Concessions, bars, mutuel tellers, and restrooms are all in close proximity for fans.
Please Note: There are no reserved seats. Tickets must be purchased in advance – there are NO event day sales at the racetrack.

[LaurieB]

The clubhouse lawn is exactly that–an area of lawn that is fenced off from where the general public is allowed to go. If you are facing the clubhouse from the track, it’s to the right of the tunnel the horses come through. That area is closer to the turn than to the finish line. Occasionally a few chairs and tables are placed out there during a meet, but it doesn’t sound as though that will be the case during BC. The area is quite small. I’m guessing by the pricing that they may not be selling many tickets to it.

The area spoken about for the GA tickets is much larger and there are rows of metal benches on the apron. Yes, it’s a place to sit (if you arrive very early) but you wouldn’t be able to see the track or the horses from a seated position because there will be people standing all around and in front of you. The first floor level of the grandstand has no seating at all. It is covered, however. The apron and the clubhouse lawn are not.

I hope that helps!

[Horsegal984]

LaurieB yes that helps a ton! I could find a decent map showing the difference in where the areas were for comparison.
Do you happen to know if the saddling paddock areas are considered grandstand or clubhouse? Would like to be able to walk over and check that out too.

[LaurieB]

Both the paddock walking rings are on the other side of the grandstand from the track. To get to them from the clubhouse lawn, you would have to walk through the clubhouse.

The first floor of the grandstand is open between the track and the saddling area, so depending on the crowds, you could possibly see it from there. The amount of room around both the walking rings is quite small. Even during a normal meet, it’s heavily congested and hard to move through. I’m not sure how things might be blocked off for BC however.

[findeight]

Tickets for actual seats went on the market this morning (Mon. March 9) at both Keenland and the usual ticket broker sites.

If you want to get one, suggest you get on it now, There aren’t that many actual seats there as opposed to bigger facilities. Apparently they are doing some remodeling over the summer but doubt it will drastically increase actual seating capacity unless they enlarge the grandstand. No idea but doubt they want to drastically change the unique intimacy of this track.

[LaurieB]

@findeight

Tickets for actual seats went on the market this morning (Mon. March 9) at both Keenland and the usual ticket broker sites.

If you want to get one, suggest you get on it now, There aren’t that many actual seats there as opposed to bigger facilities. Apparently they are doing some remodeling over the summer but doubt it will drastically increase actual seating capacity unless they enlarge the grandstand. No idea but doubt they want to drastically change the unique intimacy of this track.

Keeneland doesn’t enlarge the grandstand (they previously hosted the BC in 2015). Instead they erect large, multi-story pavilions in other site around the track. There is currently one sitting beside the paddock (no live view of the track) that was put in place last fall.

Anyone buying BC tickets should make sure that they will see live racing (not on a screen) if that’s important to them.

[findeight]

Good tip, you see “covered” and think grandstand with track view. Not a tent with a bar.

!east they got the major road construction out of the way in 2015, one hopes.

[findeight]

For OP, general admission just gets you into the grounds and track apron. No seat, if it’s not sold out you could sit in the general grandstand but it will be standing room only… Clubhouse is covered with it’s own concessions, tellers, rest rooms, box seats with cocktail service and maybe some reserved seats ( Cant remember), dress code might apply. Mostly sold out.

They are capping attendance at 45k. They got 51k in 2015 but that was with a reigning TC winner running, No tickets at the gate. Parking not included, they are running park and ride busses.

If thinking about going, better hurry, quite a few options are sold out if they are direct track view. And yes, I’m going. Spent more then I wanted for a 2 day package, great reserved seat with Clubhouse access on Friday and a Clubhouse general admission with no seat on Saturday. No parking pass, ride the bus. Shudder to think what the parking pass would cost, they don’t have that many spaces.

They are converting the Sales Pavilion into a seating area and, of course, there are the tent things but thought they were pretty pricey for no live track view, even with a lunch buffet included with some. True, you’d have a dry, warm place to hang out and watch it on TV.

[JJ_sLuckyTrain]

People have probably already gotten their tickets but I will say I had regular GA in 2015 and we found a spot with a great view of the track and could easily walk back and forth to the paddock.

[Texarkana]

@JJ'sLuckyTrain

People have probably already gotten their tickets but I will say I had regular GA in 2015 and we found a spot with a great view of the track and could easily walk back and forth to the paddock.

Me too. And that was the year of American Pharoah. We had the most delightful and comfortable day; possibly the best GA experience I’ve ever had for the major classic races.

[Horsegal984]

Thanks y’all!! We got GA tickets and will be parking and riding the bus as well. Lookin forward to it, now will just be interesting to see what happens with the Derby and Preakness being postponed.

[monalisa]

Hoping it won’t be canceled as I have tickets but betting it will be as normal racing has not been able to take place.

[LaurieB]

@monalisa

Hoping it won’t be canceled as I have tickets but betting it will be as normal racing has not been able to take place.

If we as a country are still cancelling major sporting events nearly eight months from now, we’re going to have much bigger problems than whether or not the BC takes place.

[monalisa]

Yes you are totally correct! But I think it will be cancelled soon.

[findeight]

Why would they cancel an event in November when they postponed two other very major events, attracting hundreds of thousands of in person spectators held within a couple hundred miles of each other and Keeneland to late August? Yes, there’s a chance they won’t go then either but it’s a little early to assume it will cancel at this point in time.