Competition to select national anthem singer for Prelude to the Cup

Winner to be selected by online voting

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Aug. 27, 2015) — The winner of a singing competition called the Star Spangled Stakes will perform the National Anthem at Prelude to the Cup on Oct. 29 at Keeneland, track officials announced today.

To enter the competition, interested particpants must submit a 90-second video of them singing an a capella song. From that group, 30 performers will be selected for call-backs at the Keeneland Entertainment Center on Sept. 11, where they will perform the National Anthem before a panel of judges.

The panel will select 10 finalists to perform the anthem live during the Keeneland Fall Meet, to be held Oct. 2-24. Video of each finalist also will be featured on Keeneland.com, where fans can watch the performances and vote for their favorite singer.

The winner will be announced on closing day of the Fall Meet.

Prelude to the Cup is the nine-race card that precedes the Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Keeneland on Oct. 30-31. The singer and five guests will enjoy a VIP Prelude to the Cup experience with Loge Box seating, on-site parking, food vouchers, programs and a Breeders’ Cup merchandise package.

“Keeneland is excited to present the Star Spangled Stakes competition,” Keeneland president and CEO Bill Thomason said. “The opportunity to showcase Central Kentucky’s talent in a unique way during the Fall Meet and at Prelude to the Cup, and have a little fun while doing it, felt like the perfect fit for a community that has so fully embraced the 2015 Breeders’ Cup World

Rules for the Star Spangled Stakes:

• Contestants must be at least 10 years old and submit on Keeneland.com/prelude/star-spangled-stakes a 90-second audition video of themselves performing an a capella song of their choice. Online submissions are open through 11:59 p.m. on Sept. 4.
• Once submissions close, Keeneland will invite the 30 performers demonstrating the most talent to audition live at the Keeneland Entertainment Center at 5 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 11. Contestants will be required to sing the National Anthem at the audition.
• From the live auditions, a panel of judges will select 10 finalists who each will sing the National Anthem before the races on a date to be determined from Oct. 2-18.
• Each finalist will be featured with a dedicated page on Keeneland.com and have his or her live anthem performance shared on Keeneland’s social media platforms, including Twitter and Facebook. They also will receive race-day accommodations on the day of their performance.
• Upon the conclusion of the final live performance on Oct. 18, public voting will open at Keeneland.com to determine the winner. Voting will end at 11:59 p.m. on Oct. 22. The contestant receiving the most votes will be announced on closing day of the Fall Meet on Oct. 24.