Support for Breeders' Cup Strong Despite Difficult 2020

Despite a pandemic, horsemen have supported this year's Breeders' Cup World Championships, where pre-entries are up 7% to 201 for this year's 14-race event Nov. 6-7 at Keeneland.

Last year there were 188 horses entered for the event, which also offered 14 races and was conducted at Santa Anita Park. The previous time the Breeders' Cup was contested at Keeneland, there were 200 pre-entries for 13 races.

Breeders' Cup reports that 39 international horses have been entered this year, despite added travel challenges because of COVID-19 concerns and protocols. While the number is down from the 47 pre-entries from horses conditioned overseas last year, top international trainers like Aidan O'Brien are still supporting the event.

O'Brien said despite those extra hurdles, it was important to continue to support Breeders' Cup. The Irish-based trainer pre-entered 10 horses.

"Obviously, everybody has to be careful and very respectful of each other's space and have their own space," O'Brien said. "That's the most important thing, that everybody stays healthy. And we just felt it's important for the racing industry and everybody in the business, buying, selling, breeding, training. … It is important that the standard of the Breeders' Cup is kept up."

The event, featuring five races for juveniles or juvenile fillies Nov. 6 and nine more races Nov. 7, returns to Keeneland for the second time. The race order also was announced Wednesday.

There were 48 horses pre-entered who earned fees-paid berths through the Breeders' Cup. That is similar to the 50 who earned such berths in 2019.

As for some top horses who had race options, Preakness Stakes (G1)-winning filly Swiss Skydiver has been entered in the Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1) as first preference, while the Longines Classic (G1) is listed as her connections' second preference.

Trainer Ken McPeek said they'll look over the entries for both races for the Daredevil  filly, who earned fees-paid berths through the Breeders' Cup Challenge series, before making a final decision.

Runhappy Metropolitan Handicap (G1) winner Vekoma  has the Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1) as his first preference, and he's also entered in the Big Ass Fans Dirt Mile (G1). 

Filly Frank's Rockette looks like she'll take her four-race winning streak to the Sprint, where she'll face males off back-to-back grade 2 wins against females. The Filly & Mare Sprint (G1) is her second preference.

A glance at the National Thoroughbred Racing Association's Top Thoroughbred Poll suggests this year's Classic will be especially deep, led by the Bob Baffert-trained trio of Improbable , Maximum Security , and Authentic. WinStar Farm, China Horse Club, and SF Racing's Improbable enters the 1 1/4-mile test off three consecutive grade 1 wins and currently resides atop the poll, where Maximum Security is second and Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) winner Authentic—the top ranked 3-year-old—is seventh.

Looking to spoil that Baffert party are grade 1 winner Tom's d'Etat  (fourth in the poll), By My Standards, a three-time grade 2 winner this year who ranks sixth in the poll, and Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G1) winner Tiz the Law, who is ranked eighth as he goes for his fourth grade 1 win this season.

If the connections of Swiss Skydiver (No. 9 in the NTRA poll) opt for the Classic, it would put all three of this year's Triple Crown race winners in the field.

The event will be broadcast live on NBC, NBCSN, NBCSports.com, and the NBC Sports app, as well as on BreedersCup.com and the Official Breeders' Cup app.

For a list of all the horses pre-entered, click here.