What the Red Mile is today
The track takes its name from the one-mile oval of red clay that the horses race over. It opened on September 28, 1875 under the Kentucky Trotting Horse Breeders Association and is the oldest racetrack in Lexington. The grounds also hold a two-story clubhouse, the Tattersalls area used for horse sales, a park and the landmark round barn.
For most of its history the Red Mile depended on harness wagering alone. That changed in September 2015, when a gaming room built with Keeneland opened inside the remodeled grandstand. It makes the property a racino in the Kentucky sense: a working racetrack paired with historical horse racing machines rather than a licensed casino.
Red Mile racing schedule and the Grand Circuit
The 2026 meet ran from July 26 to October 10. Through the summer, cards went to post on Sunday evenings at 5:05 p.m. and on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons at 1 p.m. Admission and race-day details are posted by the track before each meet opens. The horse racing schedule page tracks dates across other states.
The meet builds toward six Grand Circuit afternoons, held in 2026 from October 1 to 3 and October 8 to 10. Bluegrass Stakes divisions for two- and three-year-olds, the International Stallion Stakes, the Tattersalls Pace, the Glen Garnsey Memorial and the Allerage Open Trot and Pace fill those cards, all with a 1 p.m. first post.
The Kentucky Futurity
The Futurity is a leg of the Trotting Triple Crown for three-year-old trotters. Its 134th running was moved to Saturday, October 3, one week earlier than usual, so that it opened the Grand Circuit. The meet also lines up with the Lexington Selected Yearling Sale, which brings owners and breeders to town for the same week.
Inside the gaming room: is the Red Mile a casino?
Kentucky law allows no slot machines or table games, so every terminal on the floor is an HHR machine. Opening day in 2015 brought 902 of them; by 2023 the operator was citing more than 950. A spin settles a bet on an anonymized past race, and the payout comes from a pari-mutuel pool.
To the player, the machines resemble standard video reels, with bonus rounds and progressive jackpots. The Red Mile and Keeneland split the gaming revenue on a 50-50 basis, a deal both partners presented as a way to fund better purses and racing. Players who treat it as entertainment should set a budget before sitting down and stick to it.
Simulcasting, Keeneland and sports wagering
In July 2015 Keeneland moved its year-round simulcast operation to the Red Mile, making the track Lexington’s main off-track betting room for thoroughbred, harness and quarter horse signals. Keeneland still opens its own windows during its April and October meets and on Kentucky Derby and Oaks days, but the rest of the calendar runs through the Red Mile.
Kentucky legalized sports wagering in 2023. That May, Caesars announced agreements with Keeneland and Red Mile Gaming & Racing covering mobile access and planned retail sportsbook space in Central Kentucky. The same track also hosted the first quarter horse meet of the Sandy Ridge license in April 2023, before that operation moved east to Boyd County.
Concerts, motorcycles and other events at the Red Mile
The infield and grandstand are used well beyond race days. American Flat Track motorcycle racing has visited during the off-season since 2017. In 2023 the Railbird music festival filled the infield over two days, with Zach Bryan and Tyler Childers among 32 acts and around 40,000 people each day, according to published estimates.
The clubhouse and Tattersalls are rented out for weddings, parties and horse sales, so the property can be busy on days without racing. The Breeders Crown, harness racing’s championship series, is scheduled for the Red Mile in 2027, returning to Lexington after divisions were run there in 1984 and 1987.
Getting to the Red Mile and nearby racinos
The track sits a short drive south of downtown Lexington. When the gaming room opened, the main entrance was set near the intersection of South Broadway and Red Mile Road, close to the round barn, with parking in front of the facility. The 21-and-over rule applies on the gaming floor, while live racing is open to families.
Kentucky’s other racing and gaming sites are spread across the state. Turfway Park in Florence, about an hour north, runs thoroughbreds from December through March on a synthetic surface. Sandy’s Racing & Gaming near Ashland opened its quarter horse track beside the gaming hall in August 2026. The Kentucky page lists every licensed track and satellite gaming hall.