Breeders Cup Championships
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.
From its inception in 1984 through 2006, it was a single-day event; starting in 2007, it expanded to two days. 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. The second day of the Breeders’ Cup is either the richest or second-richest day in sports, with $20 million being awarded in 2007. Including the three new races, a total of $23 million was awarded in the 2007.
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. In 2007, three races — Dirt Mile, Filly and Mare Turf, and Juvenile Turf - were added, all of them run the Friday before the remaining eight races. Three more new races - a Turf Sprint, Juvenile Filly Turf and Dirt Marathon — were also added for 2008.
While the order of the first six listed races on Saturday varies from year to year, the ‘Turf’ and ‘Classic’ are traditionally the last two races.
| Race name | Sponsor | Distance/Surface | Restrictions | Purse |
| Juvenile Fillies | Grey Goose Vodka | 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 Network | 6 furlongs - dirt | 3 yrs+ | $2 million |
| Mile | NetJets | 1 mile - turf | 3 yrs+ | $2 million |
| Distaff | Emirates Airline | 1â…› 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 |
