Romantic Visit to Keeneland's September Yearling Sale

Spend a romantic fall day exploring the beauty of Keeneland at the September Yearling Sale. We love this unique autumn activity in Lexington, KY.

Here at Romantic Lexington, we love finding magical moments in our city. The Keeneland September Yearling Sale is the perfect example of a romantic escape right on the edge of our little town. This annual event, which begins and runs through 2 weeks in the month of September, is our favorite fall tradition! Below you will find photos and explanations of the global marketplace event to ensure you feel comfortable and informed attending! If you are wondering what to wear, check out our fashion guide here!

Whether you have been around horses your whole life, or you are just looking for a unique activity to experience, the Keeneland September Yearling Sale should be on your list of "must do fall activities" every year! Visiting the expansive and beautiful grounds of the race track alone is amazing... but all the yummy food and the excellent people watching creates a memorable and perfect date! Check out our discoveries below...

---

Start With Morning Workouts

Keeneland runs Morning Workouts every morning from 5:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. It is so fun to watch the horses train and experience the culture that comes with the prestige racing. This is a wonderful activity (even by itself!) but if you plan to go before the September Sale, we recommend attending from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. Check out their website here before planning a visit because they stick to a strict schedule and there are breaks in the workout window. Head into the main building and follow signs to the rack track... you can stand right against the fence or find a bench to sit on and watch. Some of the riders will even let you pet the horses if they feel like it!

---

Grab a Beverage from the Cafe

We really enjoyed all the food offerings at the September Yearling Sale... but especially the cafe! Keeneland has complimentary offerings of water bottles, a coffee/tea station, and sometimes even a goodie back of trail-mix! The cafe had a great selection ranging from lattes to macchiatos to even a flat white at really reasonable prices! The surrounding area was a great place to sit down and get ourselves acclimated to the grandeur of everything before the sale stated. We also used this time to study our sale booklet! Different days correspond to different book numbers... make sure you have the correctly numbered selection!

The cafe also offered pastries and other goodies but we were too full from our breakfast to try them out... they did look divine!! We are already planning our next trip back... I will have to try something when we return!

---

Check Out the Horses!

Keeneland is truly unlike any other venue I have attended. There are very few signs and you have access to walk almost anywhere... within reason of course! We were so surprised at how close you could get to the horses that were on their way to auction. There were lots of people working to ensure everything went smoothly... so we made sure to stay out of their way and just enjoy the general splendor of the annual fall event. I enjoyed the beauty of the animals and it was so fun to see different qualities that made them unique. You could definitely see their personalities as they were walking!

Our best advice is to be aware of your surroundings. So many people are working (with the horses or on their phones/tablets) that it would be easy to get in the way of a person... or a horse! So keep your eyes peeled and look both ways before crossing any pathway intersections and you will be good to go!

---

More Drinks and Food!

We finished our time at the Yearling Sale with a refreshing drink (with local Kentucky gin!) and a few selections from the hot food lunchroom. We tried the pizza and the sea salt french fries... which were both amazing. Honestly, my favorite part was all the sauce and dipping options available. You have to try the ranch dressing if you like dill... I am still dreaming about it!

There were so many food and drink options it felt impossible to try them all... but from our experience everything is tasty, well seasoned, and reasonably priced... which makes for a great experience. We liked to get a few things to share so we could both try more options without getting too full!

---

Final Thoughts...

Keeneland is such a magical place to spend time together... and you can make the experience whatever you want it to be! You can attend without spending more than the money it takes for gasoline... or you can spend less then $10.00 on a coffees and pasties... or you can spend over $450,000 if you want to leave with a horse! While it was very flexible for all budgets... we felt somewhat out of place at times which made for some discomfort. We got a few stares when we didn't know where to go which felt rude. overall it was lovely... but good to remember the wholistic feeling... Our final ratings are in:

Title: Keeneland September Yearling Sale

Dates: 2 weeks in September (dates updated yearly)

Price: $0.00 - $120.00

Comfortability: 3/5

Romanticness: 4/5

This event is truly a wonderful place to be and experience together... so no matter your background or horse skills, the Keeneland September Yearling Sale is a must do!!

With love,

Romantic Lexington