BC Announces 2022 'Win and You're In' Schedule

Breeders' Cup announced May 24 the 2022 Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: 'Win and You're In' schedule of 82 races in 11 countries, whose winners will receive automatic qualifying positions, and fees paid, into a corresponding race in the 2022 Breeders' Cup World Championships.

Horses from around the globe will be qualifying through the Win and You're In program for the 39th Breeders' Cup World Championships, consisting of 14 grade 1 races and purses and awards totaling $31 million. This year's Championships will be held Nov. 4-5 at Keeneland in Lexington. The first United States Breeders' Cup Challenge Series race of the year will be the May 30 Shoemaker Mile Stakes (G1T) at Santa Anita Park. 

The Breeders' Cup Challenge Series, now in its 15th year, will be hosted at many of the world's premier racetracks in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, England, France, Ireland, Japan, Peru, South Africa, and the U.S. 

The 2022 series in the U.S. has been restructured into a regional qualifying program to balance divisional competition across the country.

In 11 of the 14 race divisions, there will be one Breeders' Cup Challenge Series race per region, identified as East, Midwest, and West. Breeders' Cup Challenge qualifying races in the Juvenile Turf and Juvenile Fillies Turf Divisions will be limited to two races. Breeders' Cup will promote these regional rivalries on the road to the World Championships.

The exception to the regional format will be in the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic Division, which will have six domestic races in this year's series. The complete 2022 schedule is available here.

"We're excited to introduce our restructured regional format for the year's domestic Challenge Series to better identify our top qualifiers from each part of the country as they move on to the World Championships," said Dora Delgado, Breeders' Cup executive vice president and chief racing officer.

"'The Win and You're In' format has been in place since 2007 and provides a fast track to the World Championships through an automatic selection into the race and free entry fees. We look forward to working again with our racetrack partners in conducting the Challenge Series races around the world this year." 

Last year, 40 Breeders' Cup Challenge winners competed in the World Championships at Del Mar, including five Championship race winners: Knicks Go  , $6 million Longines Breeders' Cup Classic (G1); Yibir , $4 million Longines Breeders' Cup Turf (G1T); Ce Ce , $1 million Filly & Mare Sprint (G1); Echo Zulu , $2 million NetJets Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1), and Corniche , $2 million TVG Breeders' Cup Juvenile Presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (G1).

As part of the benefits to horsemen, the Breeders' Cup has allocated $5,180,000 in free entry fees for this year's Challenge Series. The Breeders' Cup will pay the entry fees and guarantee a starting position in a corresponding Championships race for all Challenge Series race winners. If not already Breeders' Cup nominated, the Challenge winner must be nominated to the Breeders' Cup program by the Championships' pre-entry deadline of Oct. 24 to receive the rewards.

Next Monday's Shoemaker Mile winner will gain a free starting position in the $2 million FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile (G1T) and will be designated as the Breeders' Cup Challenge Western representative in the World Championships. The Aug. 13 Fourstardave Handicap (G1T) at Saratoga Race Course (East) and the Oct. 8 Coolmore Turf Mile (G1T) at Keeneland (Midwest) are the other automatic qualifiers in the Mile Division.