Breeders' Cup

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The Breeders' Cup World Championships is an annual series of Grade I thoroughbred horse races operated by Breeders' Cup Limited, a company formed in 1982 by a consortium of North American racing organizations, led by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association. Since its inception in 1984, it has been a single-day event, but will expand to two days starting in 2007, pending regulatory approval. The location changes each year. All sites have been in the United States, except in 1996, when the races were at the Woodbine Racetrack in Canada.

The event was created as a year-end championship for North American thoroughbred racing, and also attracts top horses from other parts of the world, especially Europe. The Breeders' Cup was founded in 1982 by John R. Gaines, a leading thoroughbred owner and breeder. Depending on one's definition of "sport", it is either the richest or second-richest day in sports, worth $18 million in prize money in 2006 and rising to $20 million for the second day of the 2007 event. The other possible contender for "richest day in sports" is the final table of the main event of the World Series of Poker, in which nearly $38 million in prize money was awarded in 2006.

1 Selection process
2 History
3 Race tracks
4 External links
5 References
6 See also

[edit] Selection process

All Breeders' Cup fields are limited to 14 runners. If more than 14 are pre-entered, Breeders' Cup officials use a two-part selection system to decide which horses will be allowed to compete. The first seven runners earn automatic berths based on the points they have earned in American graded stakes races then a panel of racing directors and secretaries choose the next seven entrants.

Through 2006, there were eight races on the Breeders' Cup card, all classified as Grade I races. These races will continue to be held, with a further three to be introduced on the eve before the main day. The races are listed below in their order on the 2006 race card; the order of the first six listed races varies from year to year, but the 'Turf' and 'Classic' are traditionally the last two races.

Race name	Sponsor	Distance/Surface	Restrictions	Purse
Juvenile Fillies	Breeders' Cup Ltd.	1 1/16 miles - dirt	2-year-old fillies	$2 million
Juvenile	Bessemer Trust	1 1/16 miles - dirt	2-year-old colts & geldings	$2 million
Filly & Mare Turf	Emirates Airline	1⅜ miles - turf	Fillies & Mares	$2 million
Sprint	TVG	6 furlongs - dirt	3 yrs+	$2 million
Mile	NetJets	1 mile - turf	3 yrs+	$2 million
Distaff	Emirates Airline	1⅛ miles - dirt	Fillies and mares 3 yrs+	$2 million
Turf	John Deere	1½ miles - turf	3 yrs+	$3 million
Classic	Dodge	1¼ miles - dirt	3 yrs+	$5 million

Subject to approval, the following races will be held on the first day of the revamped Breeders' Cup:

Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile: for 3-year-olds and up. Purse is $1 million.
Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint: A seven-furlong race for fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up. Purse is $1 million.
Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf: A one-mile event on grass open to 2-year-old colts, geldings, and fillies. Purse is $1 million.

Technically, the three new races cannot be considered graded stakes in 2007. The American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association, the body that controls grading of North American stakes races, requires that a race be run under the same conditions for at least two years before it can be graded. However, the races' purses and inclusion as part of the Breeders' Cup program will likely ensure that they will be classified as Grade I once they are eligible for grading.

Assuming that the races are approved, the 2007 Dirt Mile will be run over 1 mile and 70 yards, while the 2007 Filly & Mare Sprint will be run over six furlongs. These distances are required because of the configuration of the dirt track at the 2007 Breeders' Cup site of Monmouth Park.

A new qualifying process will take effect from 2007, where the winners of 24 races at six tracks — Saratoga Race Course, Arlington Park, Del Mar Racetrack, Belmont Park, Keeneland and Santa Anita during the Oak Tree meeting — will automatically be entered for the event in their respective divisions, to be held October 27 at Monmouth Park.

[edit] History

The all-time leaders in Breeders' Cup wins are:

Jockey:
- Jerry Bailey - 15
Trainer:
- D. Wayne Lukas - 18
- Shug McGaughey - 9
Leading money winning owner:
- Allen E. Paulson - $8,730,000

Churchill Downs has hosted the race card six times, more than any other track. It hosted the card most recently in 2006.

NBC had broadcast every Breeders' Cup from its inception in 1984 through 2005. Starting in 2006, ESPN took over the television contract for eight years.

All Breeders' Cup races have been called by Tom Durkin through 2005. Fellow race caller Trevor Denman now serves as the voice of the Breeders' Cup races on ESPN starting as of 2006, due to Durkin's exclusive contract with NBC Sports.^[1]^[2]