Keeneland Inaugurates New Populous-Designed Paddock Experience for Spring Meet

To mark the start of another year of storied horse racing, Keeneland unveiled its new interior hospitality spaces within its newly constructed Paddock Building for this year’s Spring Meet. The project — developed through a close collaboration between Populous and Keeneland — honors the venue’s storied legacy while incorporating elevated hospitality spaces designed to delight today’s racing fans. 

The all-new Paddock features a variety of exclusive club, bar and event spaces in a fitting Chalet-style design that includes a stunning rooftop with panoramic views of the area’s lush terrain, rolling hills and Kentucky’s historic tobacco barns. Spearheaded by Keeneland, the Populous team collaborated with in-house interior designer Matt Carter to seamlessly integrate new interiors into the historic Keeneland aesthetic. The new spaces capture and preserve the venue’s status as hallowed ground, blending nearly a century of spectatorship, entertainment and horse racing with an unmistakable Southern elegance that has made it one of Kentucky’s treasures.

“We are thrilled to continue our work with one of horse racing’s most sacred spaces to provide design solutions that balance tradition and modernization,” said Mason Paoli, Senior Principal. “For Keeneland, our mission was to weave in the modern upgrades necessary for today’s racegoers without sacrificing any of the irreplaceable history that has come to define it. In close collaboration with Keeneland over the course of many years, our team has reimagined the race day experience to position the venue for its next 90 years.” 

Maintaining connections between old and new elements of the venue, the team established thoughtful circulation through its historic spaces for an unforgettable race-day experience that offers elite visibility into race preparations. Traditional saddling stalls were relocated to the ground level of the new building for closer proximity to the hospitality spaces. Jockeys head to the horses waiting in the paddock lawn directly through the Paddock’s 1936 Club as attendees mingle pre-race.

“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 special event guests and allow us to further showcase the very best of Keeneland’s world-renowned hospitality.” 

The renovation also includes a new operations building offering centralized office space for staff. Host of the 2026 Breeders’ Cup and a major hub of the horse racing ecosystem that reinvests profits back in the industry, Keeneland’s horse sales last year generated more than $830 million, with many of those horses going on to compete in the Kentucky Derby and around the world.

For additional information, a full list of the new hospitality spaces can be found on Keeneland’s website.