Breeders' Cup Announces Fall Challenge Series Races

Led by the 145th Preakness Stakes (G1), the Irish Champion Stakes (G1), and Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (G1), a total of 44 automatic berths into the 37th Breeders' Cup World Championships will be up for grabs over the next two months as Breeders' Cup Aug. 25 released its schedule of Breeders' Cup Challenge Series races for September and October.

The Breeders' Cup Challenge, now in its 14th year, is an international series of stakes races whose winners receive automatic starting positions and fees paid for a corresponding race in the Breeders' Cup World Championships, which is scheduled to be held Nov. 6-7 at Keeneland.

"Win and You're In" qualifiers will be contested in Brazil, Canada, England, Ireland, France, and the United States over the September-October time frame, including 27 grade or group 1 stakes.  

Among the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series racing highlights are:

• Three "Win and You're In" automatic qualifiers for the $7 million Longines Breeders' Cup Classic (G1), featuring the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course for 3-year-olds Oct. 3, the first Triple Crown race to be in the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series. Bookended around the 1 3/16-mile Preakness are the 1 1/8-mile Awesome Again Stakes (G1) Sept. 26 at Santa Anita Park and the 1 1/4-mile Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) at Belmont Park Oct. 10.
• Five Challenge Series races in Ireland Sept. 12-13 during Irish Champions Weekend. There will be three races at Leopardstown Sept. 12: the 1 1/4-mile Irish Champion Stakes for an automatic position in the $6 million Longines Breeders' Cup Turf (G1T), the one-mile Coolmore America 'Justify' Matron Stakes (G1), giving the winner a free position into the $2 million Maker's Mark Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1T), and the one-mile KPMG Champions Juvenile Stakes (G2), awarding the winner an automatic qualifying spot into the $1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1T). On Sept. 13 at the Curragh, automatic berths will be contested in the five-furlong Derrinstown Stud Flying Five Stakes (G1) for a "Win and You're In" into the $1 million Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1T), and the seven-furlong Moyglare Stud Stakes (G1) giving the winner a free berth into the $1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1T).
• Woodbine in Toronto will host three "Win and You're In" turf races, beginning Sept. 19 with the one-mile Ricoh Woodbine Mile (G1T) for a free slot into the gate of the $2 million FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile Presented by PDJF (G1T). The following day (Sept. 20), the one-mile Natalma Stakes (G1T) will give the winner an automatic starting position in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, and the one-mile Summer Stakes (G1T) will offer a "Win and You're In" spot for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf. NBCSN will televise the Woodbine Mile, Natalma Stakes, and Summer Stakes as a part of the "Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win and You're In—Presented by America's Best Racing."
• In addition to the Awesome Again, Santa Anita will be home to six more "Win and You're In" races, starting Sept. 19 with the 5 1/2-furlong Speakeasy Stakes. The Speakeasy winner will receive a free berth into the $1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G2T). The Sept. 26 card will feature the 1 1/16-mile American Pharoah Stakes (G1) for an automatic starting position into the $2 million TVG Breeders' Cup Juvenile Presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (G1), the 1 1/16-mile Chandelier Stakes (G2) for a free qualifying spot into the $2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1), and the 1 1/4-mile Rodeo Drive Stakes (G1T) (Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf). On Sept. 27, Santa Anita will run the six-furlong Santa Anita Sprint Championship (G2), a "Win and You're In" for the $2 million Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1), and the 1 1/16-mile Zenyatta Stakes (G2) with the winner earning an automatic slot in the $2 million Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1).
• Brazil will host its Breeders' Cup Challenge Series race on Sept. 27 with the 1 1/2-mile Grande Premio Brasil (G1) at Hipodromo da Gavea in Rio de Janeiro for an automatic starting position into the Breeders' Cup Turf.
• There will be nine Breeders' Cup Challenge races during Keeneland's Fall Stars Weekend Oct. 2-4. Those races include five grade 1 events: the 1 1/16-mile Darley Alcibiades (Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies) Oct. 2, the 1 1/16-mile Claiborne Breeders' Futurity (Breeders' Cup Juvenile), the one-mile Shadwell Turf Mile (Breeders' Cup Mile), the one-mile First Lady Presented by UK Healthcare (Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf) Oct. 3, and the 1 1/8-mile Juddmonte Spinster Stakes (G1) (Breeders' Cup Distaff) Oct. 4. NBCSN will provide live coverage of Breeders' Cup Challenge races at Keeneland Oct. 2 and Oct. 4 as a part of the "Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win and You're In—Presented by America's Best Racing." NBC also will air coverage from Keeneland Oct. 3 during its Preakness Stakes broadcast.
• On Oct. 4 at ParisLongchamp in France, there will be five group 1 Breeders' Cup Challenge races, led by the 1 1/2-mile Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (Breeders' Cup Turf), along with the five-furlong Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp Longines (Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint), the 1 1/4-mile Prix de l'Opéra Longines (Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf), the seven-furlong Prix Jean-Luc Lagardère (Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf) and the one-mile Qatar Prix Marcel Boussac (Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf).
• The 2020 Breeders' Cup Challenge Series will conclude Oct. 10 with five races at Belmont Park. In addition to the Jockey Club Gold Cup, there will be the one-mile Champagne (G1) (Breeders' Cup Juvenile), the one-mile Frizette (G1) (Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies), the 1 1/4-mile Flower Bowl (G1T) (Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf), and the six-furlong Futurity (G3), (Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint). 

The complete Breeders' Cup Challenge Series schedule can be accessed here.

As part of the enhanced benefits to horsemen competing in the series, Breeders' Cup will pay the entry fees and guarantee a starting position in a corresponding Championships race for winners of all Challenge races. The Challenge winner must be nominated to the Breeders' Cup program by the Championships' pre-entry deadline of Oct. 26 to receive the rewards, and those rewards must be used in the year they are earned.

Breeders' Cup also will provide a $10,000 travel allowance for starters within North America that are stabled outside of Kentucky, and a $40,000 travel stipend to the connections of all Championship starters from outside of North America.