#Challenge Series

It is sometimes called the most important turf meeting in the U.S. this side of the Breeders' Cup. But is the Arlington Million card really all that? The ingredients are certainly there. Impressive purses for three Grade 1 races that have endured for more than three decades. Horses from around the world representing the sport's biggest powerhouse…

A busy weekend of racing in Ireland is highlighted by a quintet of Breeders' Cup Challenge Series races. Among the prospective starters are Mishriff, Saffron Beach, and Highfield Princess, a trio of Group 1 winners whose connections have mentioned the Breeders' Cup among their possible year-end targets. Let's dive in and explore the upcoming…

The Breeders' Cup Classic pits the top horses from around the world against each other in the ultimate showdown to finish out the year in horse racing. Here's everything you need to know about racing's grand finale this weekend at Santa Anita: What is the Breeders' Cup Classic? The $6 million Classic is a 1 1/4-mile race on the dirt with 14 spots…

The Breeders' Cup Challenge series heads to Kenilworth racecourse in Cape Town, South Africa on Saturday with two qualifying races - one of which has a new name. With the death of Queen Elizabeth II, the former Queen's Plate is reverting to its previous name of the King's Plate (G1). Its winner will have automatic entry to the Breeders' Cup Mile…

After a two-week break, the Road to the Breeders' Cup resumes on Saturday with a significant prep at the Jersey Shore anchoring the weekend's stakes activity, which has been adjusted somewhat compared with previous years due to changing track schedules in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. The $1 million, Grade 1 TVG.com Haskell Stakes at Monmouth…

Thursday, May 26, 2022 at 4:19 pm |Back to: Breeders' Cup's Director of Racing and Industry Relations Courtney Reid | photo courtesy Courtney Reid By An incentive-based participation bonus program called the Breeders' Cup Dirt Dozen was unveiled by the Breeders' Cup this Thursday. The new program will award monetary credits, funded by Breeders'…

Winning connections celebrate after the inaugural running of the Royal Saint Lucia Turf Club's $150000 Pitons Cup on Friday. Photo courtesy of Royal Saint Lucia Turf Club Dec. 16 (UPI) -- On a horse racing weekend when "new" was the watchword from Japan all the way to Saint Lucia in the Caribbean, Instilled Regard and War Story provided a hint of…

Derma Sotogake (4) wins the Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun on Wednesday -- the second leg of the "Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby." Photo courtesy of Katsumi Saito Dec. 15 (UPI) -- Candidates for next year's Kentucky Derby take center stage again in a weekend horse racing schedule that also includes the first "Win and You're In" race for the 2023…

They're not wasting any time in giving the well-heeled racing fans at Royal Ascot the meet's main attraction. On Tuesday's first day of the 2022 Royal Ascot meet, those fans get Golden Pal vs. Nature Strip in the Group 1 King's Stand Stakes. Only the top North American turf sprinter against his Australian counterpart in a Breeders' Cup "Win and…

Mark your calendars for Aug. 3! Starting at 5 p.m. ET, the NBCSN broadcast team will be at Saratoga to cover the $1 million, Grade 1 Whitney Stakes, a prestigious Challenge Series "Win and You're In" qualifier for the Nov. 2 Breeders' Cup Classic. First held in 1928, the 1 1/8-mile Whitney Stakes annually attracts some of the best older…

One of the most exciting races that fans will be looking forward to later in the year comes in the form of the Breeders' Cup Distaff. This race brings together the best fillies and mares on the dirt, as the field competes across 1 1/8 miles. Last year there was a shock+5000 winner of the race, as Japanese-trained Marche Lorraine managed to hold off…

One of the most interesting races to be held at the Breeders' Cup 2022 will be the Breeders' Cup Juvenile 2022. It will give us a first look at some of the leading contenders for the 2023 Kentucky Derby, as a field of horses aged two compete over a distance of 1 1/16 miles. Famous winners of the race include Timber Country, Street Sense, and…

One of the most interesting races at the Breeders' Cup over recent years has been the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile. A number of runners have become star contenders to win the following year's Classic, including the 2020 winner of the race, Knicks Go, who went on to win the most recent edition of the feature race. The Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile 2022 could…

The feature race of the Breeders' Cup comes in the form of the G1 Breeders' Cup Classic. The race headlines a stunning second day of racing at Keeneland in 2022, as the world's best horses on the dirt compete over 1 ¼ miles for their share of the $6 million purse. When: Saturday, November 52022 Where: Keeneland, Lexington How To Watch: NBC…

The son of Not This Time finally chose a time and a place for his first Grade 1 victory, Saturday's $1.25 million Run Happy Travers Stakes at Saratoga. With his convincing five-length closing cruise over Cyberknife, Zandon and Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Rich Strike, the Jim Dwyer (G2) victor immediately shot to the top of a three-year-old male…

Imagine for a moment being loaded with money. So loaded there was plenty to unload on any of the three sure-fire ways to blow an investment. As some financial wizard told Tony Kornheiser, they are a private plane, a restaurant and a racehorse. Forget about the plane and the restaurant. How about being someone like Jack Wolf? He and his wife Laurie…

Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports Two massive Breeders' Cup Challenge races are staged this weekend Both Grade 1 affairs have attracted talented fields, as runners look to stamp their place in prestigious Breeders' Cup races If there was ever a weekend that showed how international the Breeders' Cup is, then this would be it. We have two massive…

The fastest horses on the turf will be in action in the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint 2022 at Keeneland later this year. This could be potentially one of the most interesting betting heats later in the year given the performances that we have seen by some of the stars involved already this year. When: Saturday, November 52022 Where: Keeneland,…

Ray Acevedo-USA TODAY Sports The Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf 2022 is the Grade 1 for female horses, which is run over 1 3/8 miles It offers a purse of $2 million and was won in 2021 by Loves Only You The Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf is constantly one that grabs the attention at the curtain-closing event of the flat season. That will be no…

Day Two of the Irish Champions Weekend features two more Breeders' Cup Challenge'Win and You're In' race, when Nunthorpe Stakes heroine Highfield Princess heads a big field of 19 as she heads for as G1 hat-trick in the Flying Five. Sponsored by Dubai's Al Basti Equiworld, the sprint is the first of four successive G1 races at the Curragh on…

A busy weekend of Breeders' Cup challenge series races already is underway as Santa Anita Park kicked off its fall meet Friday with three "Win and You're In'' races. Hopefully, your handicapping is about complete for Santa Anita's opening day, which features the $300000 American Pharoah Stakes (G1) for 2-year-olds. Post time for this one is 8 p.m.…

The Grade 1 Ballerina Handicap is a Breeders' Cup "Win and You're In" race, which offers entry into the F&M Sprint (G1). Analysis of the race below...

If you're the type of bettor who goes to the races rummaging for underdogs, well, there's a reason they're called long shots. That 55-1 attraction in the third race at Ellis Park might be a horse who's never raced, or never won or has yet to reveal his true pedigree. Money wagered on a dearth of past performances makes for Powerball-level…

The horse racing world closes out a thrilling year with the 39th edition of the Breeders' Cup World Championships at Keeneland, with coverage exclusively across NBC, USA Network, NBCSports.com and Peacock. The Breeders' Cup is horse racing's last hurrah of the year. Horses from around the globe will compete in 14 races over two days, with the…

The horse racing world closes out a thrilling year with the 39th edition of the Breeders' Cup World Championships at Keeneland, with coverage exclusively across NBC, USA Network, NBCSports.com and Peacock. The Breeders' Cup is horse racing's last hurrah of the year. Horses from around the globe will compete in 14 races over two days, with the…

The start of the Darley Alcibiades on October 7 won by Wonder Wheel. Keeneland Photo Keeneland Press Release LEXINGTON, Ky.- Keeneland concluded its 2022 Fall Meet on Saturday with a season record all-sources handle of $208.9 million, which was boosted by record purses, full race fields and championship-caliber competition provided by the nation's…

America's Best Racing (ABR), a multimedia fan development and awareness-building platform designed to increase the profile and visibility of North America's best Thoroughbred racing events, and the Breeders' Cup, one of Thoroughbred horse racing's most prestigious international events, announced a new live-show series titled #BCLive: Breeders' Cup…

The Breeders' Cup Challenge Series continues on Saturday, July 20 with the $1 million, Grade 1 TVG.com Haskell Invitational Stakes at Monmouth Park. Seven three-year-olds, including three veterans of the Triple Crown, have been entered to contest this prestigious 1 1/8-mile race, which serves as a "Win and You're In" qualifier for the November 2…

It was a conscious thought that slowly surfaced while watching Australia A rally late to find the winning play in the second Japan Rugby Challenge Series game in Fukuoka on Saturday evening. The young Australian side had had multiple opportunities to find the try they so desperately sought in the last 10 minutes, but just couldn't stick the vital…

Join our channel to stay up to date on the latest in marketing Saturday's American Pharoah Stakes, at Santa Anita, is dominated by the Bob Baffert yard, who have won the prize 10 times in the past and he means business again with 50% of the 8 runners. With the winner also getting a free ticket for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile on Nov 5 there is an…

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Exceptional Thoroughbred racing fueled by record prize money along with exciting special events and inviting wagering offerings fill Keeneland's Fall Meet, which opens Friday for 17 days through Saturday, Oct. 29. The season precedes the Breeders' Cup World Championships, which Keeneland will host Nov. 4-5 for the third time. The…

Join our channel to stay up to date on the latest in marketing The $1million Coolmore Turf Mile is the big draw on the Saturday card at the Keeneland Fall Meet this weekend. The'big bucks' race is also another Breeders' Cup'Win and You're In' event, with the successful horse getting a golden ticket for the Breeders' Cup Mile on Nov 5. Interested…

Join our channel to stay up to date on the latest in marketing The Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Stakes this Saturday is another top Grade 1 contest taking place this weekend. It's a race the Chad C. Brown barn have won three times since 2015, while the Todd Pletcher and Bill Mott yards also have decent records in the 1m4f event. Interested in horse…

Join our channel to stay up to date on the latest in marketing The Rodeo Drive Stakes at Santa Anita this Saturday is one of the big highlights of a jam-packed horse racing weekend - a race that is also part of the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series, with the winner of the Grade 1 Rodeo Drive Stakes getting an automatic ticket for the Breeders' Cup…

Catch up on the week's harness racing action in our weekly review, thanks to Darren Clayton. Trainer Chantal Turpin's dominance of the two-year-old trotting ranks in Queensland continued last Tuesday when Razzleme Dazzleme (Sebastian K) claimed the Springboard Series Final. Driven by husband Pete McMullen, Razzleme Dazzleme was slowly into stride…

An open-looking renewal of Europe's richest race is one of five'Win and You're In' contests on a glittering card at ParisLongchamp on Sunday The tantalising prospect of seeing Baaeed end his career here has failed to materialise, but the quality on show in the 2022 Qatar Prix De L'Arc De Triomphe remains extraordinarily high and in the absence of…

BIG DAY FOR: Christophe Head entering the progressive filly Tigrais in this (against colts) rather than the Marcel Boussac hints she could be well above-average, and that she's got plenty of gears for this sort of test to boot. She's consigned her modest debut run at Chantilly in mid-July firmly to the past with subsequent wins at Deauville and…

The first Sunday of October in Paris always serves up a feast of Breeders' Cup clues. The pi èce de r ésistance, the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (G1), is historically the key race for the Turf (G1), even long before the "Win and You're In" (WAYI) provision. Since we've covered the leading Arc contenders in the "10 storylines to know" feature, let's…

Bell's the One Returns in Saturday's G2 TCA Stakes at Keeneland (Bell's the One / Coady Photography) From the Keeneland Media Team: Trainer Cipriano Contrereas and Andrew Knapczyk's Inthemidstofbiz will face five other fillies and mares as she goes for a repeat victory in the 41 running of the $250000 Thoroughbred Club of America (G2) Saturday…

Newmarket's Royal Lodge Stakes is the latest European leg of the Breeders' Cup Challenge for 2022, offering a guaranteed'Win and You're In' fees-paid berth to the Juvenile Turf at Keeneland on Friday November 4 Small but perfectly formed? The jury is out on that one - but either way there is a potential star on show in the four-runner field for…

Ray Acevedo-USA TODAY Sports Breeders' Cup Challenge action takes place at Newmarket this weekend The Royal Lodge Stakes offers a place in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf The Breeders' Cup Challenge series is drawing to a close, but there are still important places on the line across the world over the next month. This weekend, the eyes will be on…

On Saturday at Parx Racing, 11 talented 3-year-old Thoroughbreds will square off going 1 1/8 miles in the $1 million, Grade 1 Pennsylvania Derby. The Pennsylvania Derby isn't technically part of the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series, but there's no denying the Pennsylvania Derby ranks as a key steppingstone toward the Grade 1 Longines Breeders' Cup…

Seven weeks out from the 2022 Breeders' Cup at Keeneland, top-notch turf horses took center stage in a series of lucrative prep races at Woodbine and Belmont at the Big A (Aqueduct). Let's catch up on the results, then look ahead to next week's exciting slate: Perhaps the most impressive performance of the weekend came from Modern Games in…

Bet with the Racing Dudes TODAY using our friends at BetPTC and get a $200 new member bonus! Enter promo code DUDES! Seven first-year stars, including Kevin Attard trainee Philip My Dear, take their talents to the E.P. Taylor Turf Course in Saturday's Grade 1 $500000 Pattison Summer Stakes, part of a stakes-stacked Saturday at Woodbine. The…

Seven first-year stars, including Kevin Attard trainee Philip My Dear, take their talents to the E.P. Taylor Turf Course in Saturday's Grade 1 $500000 Pattison Summer Stakes, part of a stakes-stacked Saturday at Woodbine. The one-mile Summer is a Breeders' Cup Challenge Series, "Win and You're In" event. Up for grabs is a fees-paid date in the…

The Pattison Summer Stakes, which will be run Saturday, Sept. 17 at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto on the E.P. Taylor turf course, will highlight seven 2-year-old colts competing for a pumped up purse of $500000. This Grade 1 stakes is also part of the Breeders' Cup "Win and You're In" Challenge Series. The winner will automatically receive a free…

The beginning of the official Road to the Kentucky Derby begins on September 17 at Churchill Downs and is the first leg of the 34 races that mark the United States portion of this illustrious journey, which is the 148th consecutive year that thoroughbred racing meet to crown and Kentucky Derby winner on May 7, 2023. The "Road to the Kentucky…

The Racing Dudes preview and give picks for the 2022 $1 million TVG Pacific Classic (G1) at Del Mar, a Breeders' Cup "Win and You're In" for the 2022 Breeders' Cup Classic (G1). Then the Dudes give rapid-fire selections for the three remaining Breeders' Cup Challenge Series races this weekend at Del Mar and Saratoga. Featuring your resident Racing…

Undefeated 4-year-old Flightline has been installed as the 5-2 favorite for the second of two future wagers on this year's $6 million Breeders' Cup Classic (G1). The second pool opens on Friday at noon EDT and closes on Monday at 6:30 p.m. EDT. The Breeders' Cup Classic Future Wager is a $2 minimum bet and is a win wager only. The future wager will…