American Pharoah Among 200 Horses Pre-Entered for Breeders’ Cup

American Pharoah (above) was one of 200 horses pre-entered for the 2015 Breeders' Cup World Championships. (Photo by Eclipse Sportswire)
If racing fans weren’t already in a Breeders’ Cup frame of mind, Wednesday’s release of the pre-entries for the 13 Breeders’ Cup races on Oct. 30-31 at Keeneland Race Course surely provided a spark. Led by Breeders’ Cup Classic hopefuls American Pharoah and two-time champion Beholder, 200 horses were pre-entered for the races, just one shy of the record number of pre-entries for a single year.
The Breeders’ Cup pre-entries provide an overall picture of who is aiming toward the Breeders’ Cup. Horses must be pre-entered in order to have the opportunity to compete in next weekend’s Breeders’ Cup races,  but the fields won’t be set until Monday when post positions are drawn.
All but the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf and the Las Vegas Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile allow 14 horses to enter the starting gate, with the two aforementioned races only allowing 12 horses to run. Ten of the Breeders’ Cup races were oversubscribed, meaning more than the maximum numbers of runners were pre-entered, with the Juvenile Turf leading the charge with 27 pre-entries.
“Today gives us a really good idea of what these actual fields are going to look like, so we’re looking at great, full fields,” said Craig Fravel, president and CEO of Breeders’ Cup. “We’re obviously very pleased with the outcome of the entries.”
Download Complete List of Horses Pre-Entered for Breeders' Cup
The $5-million Breeders’ Cup Classic attracted a potential field of 10, headlined by Triple Crown winner American Pharoah and TVG Pacific Classic Stakes winner Beholder.
The race is expected to be the final start for American Pharoah, who subsequently will retired to Ashford Stud, just a few miles from Keeneland. It is possible Beholder could continue racing in 2016.
Others in the Classic field include last year’s Belmont Stakes winner Tonalist, dual-European classic winner Gleneagles and this year’s Travers Stakes winner Keen Ice, who defeated American Pharoah in that race.
Friday’s headlining race is the oversubscribed $2-million Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff, which has a deep, competitive group of 16 pre-entered. Other than Beholder, who has first preference in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, the field includes last year’s Distaff winner Untapable, who is looking to become only the third filly to win the Distaff more than once. She most likely would need to defeat top 3-year-old fillies I’m a Chatterbox, Curalina and Stellar Wind as well as Got Lucky, who won the Spinster at Keeneland on Oct. 3, in order to repeat in the Distaff.
With Beholder most likely opting to go to the Classic instead of the Distaff, Grade 3-winning 3-year-old Calamity Kate looks probable to draw into the Distaff with Grade 1 winner Peace and War as the only expected horse on the also-eligible list, unless another horse withdrawals from the Distaff before the race draws at 6 p.m. Monday evening.
The $2-million Sentient Jet Breeders’ Cup Juvenile is another overdrawn field with 19 colts and geldings vying for a spot in the field. However, with four of the pre-entries having first preference in the Juvenile Turf there is a chance that one or more of these horses draws into the race.
The field is headlined by the two-time Grade 1 winner Nyquist, who is trying to emulate his sire [father], Uncle Mo, by winning the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile on his way to a 2-year-old championship. Nyquist must compete with stablemate and fellow Grade 1 winner Ralis in addition to Brody’s Cause, who won the Grade 1 Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland at the beginning of the month. Also targeting the race is Champagne Stakes victor Greenpointcrusader and Swipe, who has finished second to Nyquist in his last three races.
Another notable horse pre-entered in the Breeders’ Cup is Golden Horn, who is entered in the $3-million Longines Breeders’ Cup Turf. The 3-year-old colt won the prestigious Epsom Derby and Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe this year before aiming for the Breeders’ Cup. Golden Horn looks to be the favorite for the Breeders’ Cup Turf, provided he runs.
The 32nd Breeders’ Cup World Championships, Thoroughbred racing’s most prestigious global event, consisting of 13 Grade 1 races with purses and awards totaling $26-million, will be held for the first time at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky., on Friday, Oct. 30 and Saturday, Oct. 31. To see a complete list of pre-entries, you can click here.
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