The Breeders’ Cup is the biggest event in global horse racing.
That said, if the Triple Crown races are the equine equivalent of the World Series, then the Breeders’ Cup is tantamount to the equine Olympic Games– only held every year.
There are Thoroughbred races for all different age groups, distances, and surfaces.
Racehorses, jockeys, trainers, owners, and breeders are all celebrated with this year-end championship event.
2025 marks the 42nd anniversary of the event, which was first held in 1984 at Hollywood Park.
Horseplayers will understand the analogies to the sporting events previously mentioned, but if you’re new to the game and/or the Breeders’ Cup competition, you may be asking yourself how do these elite horses arrive at the Breeders’ Cup? Is there a playoff system similar to other major sports?
Well ponder no more:
There are a few ways for Thoroughbreds to arrive at the Breeders’ Cup: all Thoroughbred foals are eligible to be nominated to the Breeders’ Cup before October 15th of the year they’re born; it’s a $400 fee that ensures that foal will be eligible to the Breeders’ Cup when he or she is of racing age.
If a racehorse isn’t nominated to the Breeders’ Cup within the year of birth, their owner can supplement them into the race by paying a fee set on a sliding scale based on their age and whether their sire is also nominated.
Horses can earn spots in the Breeders’ Cup in designated Win and You’re In races.
These Challenge Series races are a big deal- the Breeders’ Cup pays the entry fees and guarantees a starting position in a corresponding Championships race for all Challenge Series race winners as long as the winner is nominated to the Breeders’ Cup by October 21st.
This year there were 93 Win and You’re In races.
The Breeders’ Cup also provides the Challenge Series winners with a $40,000 travel allowance to the connections of all Championship starters from outside of North America and a $10,000 travel allowance for starters within North America that are stabled outside of California.
These Challenge Series races are held in 15 countries across the world, so there are plenty of opportunities for horses to qualify no matter where they’re from.
There you have it- how horses become eligible for the Breeders’ Cup.
