The Red Mile announced it will host the complete 2027 Breeders Crown finals, bringing all 12 of harness racing's world championship events to Lexington for the first time in the track's history. The finals are set for October 22 and 23, 2027, with eliminations scheduled for October 15 and 16, 2027, at the historic track known for its red clay oval.
A Press Conference Decades in the Making
The announcement was formally unveiled at a press conference at The Red Mile, attended by Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton along with local dignitaries, community leaders and harness racing industry officials, according to The News Tribune. The Breeders Crown was created by the Hambletonian Society in 1984 to establish a year-end championship in each major harness racing division, and it has since grown into one of the sport's most prestigious and consequential events, drawing leading competitors and racing fans from North America and beyond, per the same report. Since its founding, the 12-race championship series has distributed more than $239 million in total purse money across 478 individual events, according to U.S. Trotting News.
Joe Costa, president and CEO of The Red Mile, said hosting the Breeders Crown is significant for the track, for Lexington and for harness racing's future in Kentucky, per the News Tribune report. He added that The Red Mile is committed to delivering a first-class championship experience, noting that Lexington has a deep appreciation for championship equine competition. John Campbell, president and CEO of the Hambletonian Society, said all 12 Breeders Crown divisions will be contested at The Red Mile for the first time, a milestone for a track that had previously hosted only two divisional championships.
A Track Built on Private Investment and Grit
The Red Mile is owned by a private partnership that includes Winbak Farm's Joe Thomson, Brittany Farms' George Segal, and the Antonacci family of Lindy Farms; as of 2025, the group had owned the track for about 25 years and absorbed years of operational losses to keep harness racing alive there, according to Harness Racing Update. That long-term commitment was bolstered in 2014, when The Red Mile partnered with Keeneland Association to develop a $30 million gaming and simulcast facility featuring 1,000 historical horse racing terminals, which was scheduled to open in September 2015, per the Northern Kentucky Tribune.
The ownership group's commercial reach extends beyond live racing. Its members have an interest in the Lexington Selected Yearling Sale company, whose sale grossed more than $60 million annually for four consecutive years through 2025 during the track's fall Grand Circuit meet, the same Harness Racing Update account notes. Founded on September 28, 1875, and sponsored by the Kentucky Trotting Horse Breeders Association, The Red Mile is the world's second-oldest harness racing track and the oldest active horse racing venue in Lexington, according to Wikipedia.
The Series Moves Through Racing's Top Markets
The Breeders Crown rotates annually among major North American tracks. Woodbine Mohawk Park in Ontario hosted the 2025 finals, and Eldorado Scioto Downs in Ohio is hosting the 2026 event before the series moves to Lexington in 2027, according to the Daily Racing Form. The 2027 Breeders Crown series will bring its championship divisions to The Red Mile.
The series' move to Kentucky brings harness racing's championship showcase to Lexington.
Lexington's Deep Ties to the Sport
Lexington is known as the Horse Capital of the World, and Kentucky has a strong horse-breeding industry. The Red Mile's 2027 Breeders Crown will take place in this horse-country setting.
The Red Mile's own signature race, the Kentucky Futurity, is the third leg of harness racing's Trotting Triple Crown. The 134th running of the Kentucky Futurity will headline the track's Saturday, October 3, 2026 program, part of this year's Grand Circuit racing set for October 1-3 and October 8-10, with first post at 1 p.m. local time each day, per the News Tribune. The 2026 live racing season is underway, but the Grand Circuit meet is still ahead. The meet precedes the Breeders Crown's 2027 arrival at The Red Mile.
What Comes Next
Planning for the 2027 Breeders Crown is now underway, and organizers say they will announce ticket, hospitality, sponsorship and full event schedule details as they become available, according to the News Tribune report. For a facility that spent two decades absorbing losses to stay in business, landing all 12 divisions of harness racing's premier championship marks a validation of that investment — and a chance for Lexington to show off its horse-country credentials on the sport's biggest stage.
