Keeneland Opens 2026 Spring Meet with Stunning New Paddock Building

Keeneland will open the 2026 Spring Meet in early April with the debut of a spectacular new Paddock Building, which both nods to the facility’s rich racing history and delivers a fresh hospitality experience for year-round use. Designed by architecture firm Populous, Keeneland tapped Lexington-based designer Matthew Carter, founder of Matthew Carter Interiors, to spearhead interiors, which includes the 1936 Room, the Sycamore Room, the Dogwood Room, the Ivy Room, and a rooftop dining space.

Carter, who primarily works in residential spaces but has collaborated with the racetrack on projects for over ten years, said he used his travels and visits to beautiful gardens, as well as the work of his predecessors, including Billy Baldwin and William Hodgins, and the facility’s history itself for inspiration. “I wanted it to look like someone’s library or living room—but you can’t use the same sort of things you would use in someone’s home,” he told Galerie. “The goal was to make it feel as warm and smart and comfortable as possible, which we do with scale, material, and texture.”

His team made use of limestone and wood paneling, with different tones and shades intentionally chosen for each room. “I’m a big fan of the right kind of color and the right kind of pattern,” says Carter. “There are larger event rooms upstairs that have a significant amount of pattern, some of which we even scaled up to be appropriate for the rooms. You can’t tiptoe and make things too safe.”

Although creating a hospitality space, Carter infused the project with unique touches true to the process he follows with home projects. The team custom-designed all of the carpets throughout the space from scratch to achieve the correct texture and look. And while each room is intentionally distinct in design and selections, there is a cohesive feel to the interiors due to Carter’s thoughtful curating. “Whether it’s a house or a restaurant, there has to be a thread that runs through.” For this project, Carter made use of the iconic “Keeneland Green” color. Rather than opt for an obvious paint or finish in Keeneland Green, he chose unique moments for the color to appear so that it “is not one plus one equals two. It’s about finding things that look great together but don’t match exactly,” whether it be a pillow, a light fixture, wallpaper, or overall tone.

The overall process also considered where the paddock began, which Carter explained had previously been executive offices set within a small building. However, pieces of the newly revamped building feature some touches from its past, including an impressive art collection and sconces.

“I’m a big believer in all projects of not planning every last thing down to the nth degree,” says Carter. “[Keeneland] had these really lovely old horse engravings that we found that we placed below the series of wall sconces in the 1936 Room on the wall paneling—we initially weren’t planning to use them there, but I love the way that turned out.”

The 2026 Spring Meet opens on April 3