The Breeders' Cup World Championships

What is the
Breeders' Cup?

Each racing season ends with just one finish line: the Breeders’ Cup World Championships. It’s the two-day, 14-race, year-end culmination that every horse, jockey, trainer and owner across the globe has in their sights. Where the world’s greatest come together to crown champions, and spectators celebrate as history unfolds before their eyes.
 

It’s two-days full of exciting events both on and off the track, glamorous fashion, celebrity sightings and food curated by world-renowned chefs. It’s not just another day at the races. It’s the Breeders’ Cup World Championships.

Be a part of it

2 Days. 14 Races.
$30 Million in Purses and Awards.

What was once a one-day, seven-race event is now a two-day, 14-race celebration of the sport of horse racing. The Breeders' Cup kicks off with Future Stars Friday, comprised of five juvenile races featuring horse racing's brightest rising stars.


Championship Saturday is one of the richest days in racing awarding over $22 million in purses and awards over 9 races, culminating in the defining event of the international racing season, the $6 Million Breeders' Cup Classic.

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Global Competition

The Breeders' Cup attracts competition from around the globe including the top talent from 6 continents and over 16 countries, crowning true world champions in the 14 divisions that comprise the championship event.

 

Of the 221 horses pre-entered in 2018, a record 51 horses were from overseas. And their success didn't end at the starting gate. At the 2018 World Championships 5 international horses were crowned champions, highlighted by super filly, Enable, who outdueled Magical (IRE) in the $4 Million Longines Breeders' Cup Turf.

Our Mission

To support breeders by promoting the growth of the Thoroughbred racing industry through the staging of the Breeders' Cup competition.

Santa Anita

The Breeders’ Cup will return to the site of some of its most memorable moments, Santa Anita Park, for a record breaking 10th time. In the shadow of the San Gabriel mountains, with Hollywood’s biggest stars shining brightly.

2019 Ticket Info

Keeneland

In 2020, the Breeders' Cup will return to the cradle of the breeding industry and the heart of the Bluegrass state. Where the very idea of the Breeders’ Cup was conceived. To the classic elegance and the iconic feel of Keeneland.

2020 Ticket Info

Del Mar

In 2021, The Breeders’ Cup will return to another iconic racing venue: Del Mar, where the turf meets the surf Southern California style. With San Diego’s vibrant nightlife, beautiful beaches and sunny days creating a perfect trifecta.

2021 Ticket Info

Father of the Cup

Thirty seven years ago the visionary John Gaines hatched a plan. His idea was to create a year-end culminating championship for horse racing. An event where horses from across the world could meet to settle the age old question, "who’s the best?". An event that celebrated the best of the sport, put it on a national platform and helped to build the market for racing and breeding.

 

His vision? The Breeders’ Cup World Championships.

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The Breeders' Cup Challenge Series:
Win and You're In

Some races just mean more than others. The stakes are higher. The competition is better. The action is just more intense. The Breeders' Cup Challenge Series is a collection of races that quite frankly, just mean more. The Challenge Series means an automatic, paid entry into the Breeders' Cup World Championships for the winner, and that's just the beginning. In 2019, the Breeders' Cup will crown 86 Challenge Series winners in 11 different countries.

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Nominations

The foundation of the Breeders’ Cup begins with foal and stallion nominations. Each year, the very best stallions in the world are nominated to the Breeders’ Cup, paving the way for their progeny to join this international racing and breeding program. This annual nomination of stallions and their foals provides a major source of purse funding for the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, and provides a unique showcase for breeders as they raise and run the thoroughbreds the love.

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Board of Directors & Members

View our current Board of 14 Directors and our 44 Breeders' Cup Limited members.

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Breeders' Cup Staff

Meet and contact the Breeders' Cup management team.

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Corporate Partners 

The Breeders' Cup runs in good company. Thank you to the official partners of the Breeders' Cup World Championships.

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Breeders’ Cup Limited: Kentucky Office

215 W Main Street

Suite 250

Lexington, KY 40507

Fax: (859)-223-3945

Breeders’ Cup Limited: New York Office

40 East 52nd Street

15th Floor

New York, NY 10022

Fax: (212)-752-3039

  • Annual Report

    View the accomplishments the Breeders' Cup achieved during 2018.
    https://www.breederscup.com/sites/default/files/19-001-006%20BC%202018%20Annual%...

  • Safety & Integrity

    At the Breeders' Cup, the safety of our athletes, equine and human, is our foremost priority. That's why we have the highest safety, integrity and testing standards of any racing event in North America. Learn more about what the Breeders' Cup does to reduce risk and protect our participants.
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