Japan Races Added to BC Challenge Series

The Breeders' Cup and the Japan Racing Association (JRA) announced June 27 the addition of three Japanese group I races to the 2016 Breeders' Cup Challenge series schedule, joining the group I Takarazuka Kinen, which has been a part of the "Win and You're In" program since 2011.

The Breeders' Cup Challenge is an international series consisting of 81 stakes races whose winners receive automatic starting positions and entry fees paid into the Breeders' Cup World Championships, which will be held on Nov. 4-5 at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif.

Two of the added races will award retroactive Breeders' Cup Challenge berths into the championships: the February Stakes (Jpn-I), run Feb. 21 at a distance of one mile for an automatic berth into the Breeders' Cup Classic (gr. I), and the Yasuda Kinen (Jpn-I), a one mile turf race run June 5 for an automatic berth into the Breeders' Cup Mile (gr. IT). Both JRA races were run at Tokyo Racecourse.

The February Stakes was won by the 4-year-old Moanin, a son of Henny Hughes, owned by Yukio Baba and trained by Zei Ishizaka, while 6-year-old Logotype, for owner Teruya Yoshida and trainer Tsuyoshi Tanaka, won the Yasuda Kinen by 1 1/4 lengths over the heavily favored Maurice.

The third new Challenge race is the Sprinters Stakes (Jpn-I), a six-furlong turf race to be run Oct. 2 at Nakayama Racecourse for an automatic berth into the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (gr. IT). 

"Working in concert with the Japan Racing Association, we are very pleased and proud to strengthen the international reach of the Challenge series by adding the February Stakes, Yasuda Kinen, and the Sprinters Stakes to our schedule," said Craig Fravel, Breeders' Cup president and CEO.

Moanin was bred in the United States by Empire Equines. Moanin won the February Stakes by 1 1/4 lengths over a muddy track, as the second choice in a 16-horse field. Moanin joins Stephen Foster Stakes (gr. I) winner Bradester and Santa Anita Gold Cup (gr. I) winner Melatonin as the first three horses to qualify for the Classic this year. 

Logotype, a dark bay or brown son of Lohengrin, was bred by Shadai Farm and joins four others who have qualified for the Mile: Legal Eagle, winner of the L'Ormarins Queen's Plate (SAf-I) at Kenilworth Racecourse in South Africa; Winx, who won the Star Doncaster Mile (Aus-I) at Randwick in Australia; Kitcat (CHI), winner of the Gran Premio Club Hipico Falabella (Chi-I) in Chile and Midnight Storm, who won the Shoemaker Mile Stakes (gr. IT) at Santa Anita.  

The 5-year-old mare Marialite (JPN) won the Takarazuka Kinen (Jpn-I) at Hanshin Racecourse June 26 and earned an automatic berth into the Longines Breeders' Cup Turf (gr. IT).

As a part of the benefits of the Breeders' Cup Challenge series, the Breeders' Cup will pay for the pre-entry and entry fees of the winning horse of each Challenge race. All international runners in the Championships will be provided a US$40,000 travel stipend. The Challenge winner must be nominated to the Breeders' Cup program by the pre-entry deadline of Oct. 24 to receive the rewards.

Review the full 2016 Breeders' Cup Challenge schedule.