Breeder’s Cup

The pinnacle day in thoroughbred racing is The Breeder’s Cup World Championships when horseracing’s elite runners show up for a full day’s card. Eight races, each worth $1 million or more ($4,000,000 for the Classic), are run to culminate the racing season and crown the best of the best for that year. Breeders from around the world nominate horses for the big event and throughout the season they race in stakes events that form a sort of tournament in which the divisional winners are awarded the opportunity to run with the best on Championship day.

Horsemen and women from around the world crave the opportunity to race their best at the Breeder’s Cup. Owners, trainers, jockeys, and horses from Japan, Dubai, France, and Great Britain, to name a few of the many represented countries, fly their horses across continents and oceans in the hopes of securing their place in the annals of horseracing history by winning one of the day’s eight events. Each of the eight races, the Distaff, Mile, Sprint, Turf, Juvenile, Juvenile Fillies, the Filly and Mare Turf, and the Classic, feature horses that have spent the entire racing season racking up purses across North America in their quest to be called the best. Every horse running has been recognized as being of the highest caliber and many times future stud fees are dependent on success at the Breeder’s Cup.

The idea for a championship event started in 1982 when leaders in the horse racing industry, including John R. Gaines, the founding father, realized they needed something to commemorate their sport with every year. Their vision of an event comparable to the Superbowl, Stanley Cup, or baseball’s World Series has truly come to fruition. Thoroughbred racing’s day of days changes venue every year with major North American tracks competing doggedly for the privilege of hosting the exclusive event. The inaugural running took place at Hollywood Park in 1984 and the Breeder’s Cup has been gaining in momentum, crowds, and betting pools every year since. Other races and venues that have horserace betting and off track betting (OTB) are Breeders Cup and Belmont Stakes, Churchill Downs, and Santa Anita. The nature of the competition ensures that each year will be better than the last as trainers, horses, and jockeys return to re-kindle trackside rivalries whose outcomes result in fame and fortune. More than 80,000 fans attended the 1998 Breeder’s Cup at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky and two years later in 2000 when the event was again held at Churchill Downs over $100 million was wagered on the day’s card. This growth is astounding; in less than twenty years the wagering handle has increased from $8 million to over $100 million. The Breeder’s cup is a true horse racing success story.