With opportunities for college students, Keeneland College Day on Friday will likely attract many UK students hoping to score a scholarship.

Keeneland’s scholarship  day was started by the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association in 2002.  Keeneland  hosts two college days every year.

Since Keeneland and the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association started working together, students have received more than $260,000 to help them pay for higher education.

The popularity of the event has grown into “such a well-known event,” said Hayley Robic, promotions coordinator for college day. In fact, several thousand students are expected to be in attendence.

The Kentucky Thoroughbred Association had college day events on other tracks across the state before coming to Keeneland.

“It is a great opportunity for us to give back to the students who come here,” Robic said.

The event starts at 11 a.m., but Robic said students line up as early as 9 a.m. As an added incentive, the first 2,000 students receive a free t-shirt or hat from Southern Proper or Kennedy’s Wildcat Den.

“It is amazing how many kids come out,” Robic said.

The work for Scholarship Day continues throughout the day itself. The racing department is in charge of selecting the riders and horses, while members of the coordinating staff are in charge of pulling winners throughout the day.

Throughout the day, a scholarship, typically paid for by Keeneland and the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association, is pulled after each race. There is a total of 10 races.

Jim and Linda McIngvale, owners of Runhappy, a thoroughbred racehorse, are giving $10,000 to help contribute to the scholarship funds to be awarded on Friday.

“Runhappy is a favorite among racing fans, and we thank Jim and Linda McIngvale for funding this generous scholarship in his name,” said Bill Thomason, Keeneland president and CEO, in a press release.

The student who is awarded this considerable donation will be pulled after the eighth race of the day.

There are also 20 different prize packs from different sponsors. One prize is an iPad Air given away by the Wyatt, that students can enter to win. Nine sponsors are present at the event. There are two prizes given away after each race along with the scholarship. Students must be full-time and have their college ID to get in. The last race is at 6:03 p.m., and students can register until 5 p.m. for the final race.