Shannon Arvin

As an unrelenting stretch of icy winter cold hangs over the Bluegrass, the thought of a sunny spring day of racing at Keeneland with the dogwood trees in bloom sure feels like a welcome reprieve. At the upcoming Spring Meet, Keeneland will celebrate the grand opening of the interior hospitality spaces in the new three-story Paddock Building. To help chase away the winter cold, Keeneland President and CEO Shannon Arvin sat down with TDN to share more details on Keeneland's five new venues before tickets go on sale on Tuesday,...

Keeneland's newly constructed Paddock Building--offering  more than 1,000 new public dining tickets in a variety of venues each race day--will make its debut at the track's 2026 Spring Meet, which opens Apr. 3. "The Paddock Building represents an investment in the Thoroughbred industry and furthers Keeneland's mission to support and grow the sport," said Keeneland President and CEO Shannon Arvin. "It speaks to our confidence in racing's future while creating new, meaningful ways to engage guests year-round. These new venues will enrich the experience for racing fans, sales customers and...

The Sporting Art Auction, a partnership between Cross Gate Gallery of Lexington and Keeneland, concluded its 13th edition by achieving total sales of $2.7 million. The high seller was LeRoy Neiman's Lady Liberty, a signed oil on board that realized $229,125. Held at the Keeneland Sales Pavilion on Nov. 13, the auction drew collectors from seven countries who participated in person and remotely. Of the 206 pieces spanning sporting art, American paintings and sculpture, 90% sold. [caption id="attachment_500218" align="alignleft" width="1155"] Sale topper: Lady Liberty by Leroy Neiman[/caption] "We are thrilled...

The Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale, which continued straight on from the strength of the company's record-setting September Yearling Sale, concluded its eight-day run Tuesday with new highwater marks for average and median and the auction's highest gross since 2007. "This year marked a watershed moment for Keeneland Sales," said Keeneland President and CEO Shannon Arvin. "From a record-shattering September Yearling Sale that topped $500 million in gross sales to the continued momentum into an outstanding November Breeding Stock Sale, the confidence in this marketplace has never been stronger. These...

$3.7-Million Lush Lips Tops Book 1 by Jessica Martini, Christina Bossinakis, & Alan Carasso LEXINGTON, KY - The Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale blitzed through its opening session Tuesday with 17 offerings--including a pair of weanlings--selling for $1 million or more and figures up dramatically from the auction's Book 1 session in 2024. "It was a really strong day," said Keeneland President Shannon Arvin. "The broodmare market was very, very strong. We had 15 who brought $1 million or more, seven of those brought $2 million or more. The weanling...

Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna), the 2024 Horse of the Year and a shoo-in to be inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2031, the first year she will be eligible, has been retired. The news came in the form of a press release sent out by Keeneland, McPeek Racing and Hill 'n' Dale. Additionally, a 20% share in the champion will be offered at the upcoming Keeneland Championship Sale at Del Mar on Oct. 29. The announcement came as no surprise as Thorpedo Anna finished a dull fourth in the...

Keeneland's 2025 Fall Meet is set to be the most lucrative in the track's history when it kicks off Friday, Oct. 3, and will also highlight a re-imagined saddling paddock--among other projects--for the 17-day season, the track announced Friday. The purses for 22 stakes during the course of the meet will be worth a total of $10.85-million, led by the GI Coolmore Turf Mile at $1.25-million that Saturday, Oct. 4 during Fall Stars weekend. It will dually function as a showcase of horses taking aim at the Breeders' Cup World...

The Keeneland September Yearling Sale, which set its record gross with a full six sessions to go, concluded its 12-day run Saturday in Lexington with new highwater marks for, not just gross, but also average, median and total number of million-dollar-plus offerings. "What an incredible September sale," Keeneland President and CEO Shannon Arvin said. "We definitely had reasons to be optimistic going in, but the strength of the results day after day exceeded even our highest expectations. From start to finish, the energy on the grounds never waned. Buyers from...

An Ashview Stud-consigned colt by Liam's Map (hip 3681) became the last of 29 horses to breach the $100,000 threshold during the second of two sessions in Book 5A of the Keeneland September Sale in Lexington Thursday afternoon, selling to bloodstock agent Chad Schumer, agent, for $480,000. And when the dust had settled on the 10th session of the auction, gross receipts had nudged past $500 million, extending the record for the sale. "Surpassing $500 million at the September Sale marks a pivotal moment for our sport--a milestone the entire...

by Jessica Martini, Christina Bossinakis, and Jill Williams LEXINGTON, KY -The only thing that could slow down the momentum of the Keeneland September Yearling Sale was a brief interruption in Wednesday's action when the fire alarms late in the day caused the evacuation of the pavilion. "We joked in the back ring the market was so hot, it set the fire alarms off," Keeneland's Vice President of Sales Tony Lacy said with a chuckle after the dust had settled on another competitive day of bidding at the first of two...

by Jessica Martini, Christina Bossinakis, and Jill Williams LEXINGTON, KY - The Keeneland September Yearling Sale, which opened with a record-setting session Monday, continued with an action-packed second Book 1 session Tuesday, establishing yet another September session record average and median. Twenty horses sold for $1 million or more during the session, led by a colt by Gun Runner and a filly by Flightline who brought matching $2.2 million price tags. "It was a good day at the sale, for sure," said Keeneland President Shannon Arvin. "We built on what...

by Jessica Martini, Christina Bossinakis and Jill Williams LEXINGTON, KY - Led by a $3.3-million son of Gun Runner, the Keeneland September Yearling Sale powered through a record-setting opening session Monday in Lexington. When the dust had settled after the first of two elite Book 1 sessions, 106 yearlings had sold for $69,240,000. The average was $653,208--the highest ever at a single September session--and the median was $537,500. With just 28 horses reported not sold, the buy-back rate was 20.90%. Those figures are ahead of last year's opening session, when...