2013 Breeders' Cup Challenge

Breeders' Cup Challenge

With the completion of the Triple Crown, the attention of horse racing switches toward the Breeders' Cup. The 2013 Breeders' Cup will take place at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California on Friday, November 1 and Saturday, November 2. While the Breeders' Cup is still five and a half months away, there is a series of races leading up until then that will become the focus. This series of races is called the Breeders' Cup Challenge.

The Breeders' Cup Challenge consists of 67 races in which the winners are guaranteed a spot in their respective Division. For example, on January 12, Variety Club won the L'Ormarins Queen's Plate at Kenilworth Race Track in South Africa. For this victory, Variety Club is guaranteed entry into the Turf Mile at the Breeders' Cup. Here is the entire schedule from Breederscup.com.

Only four of the 67 races have been run and all of those were overseas. The first race in North America will be the Stephen Foster Handicap this Saturday, June 15 at Churchill Downs. Only six horses entered the Stephen Foster including 2012 Breeders' Cup Classic Winner, Fort Larned. Entries can be found here via Daily Racing Form.

Issues with the Breeders' Cup Challenge

Overall, the idea of the Breeders' Cup Challenge is well intentioned and works well to drive fan interest between the Triple Crown races and the Breeders' Cup. There are a couple of issues that standout. First, there is a disparity in the amount of races for Breeders' Cup Turf and the Breeders' Cup Marathon. 10 horses are guaranteed entry for the Turf while just one is guaranteed for the Marathon. This stems from the lack of American horses that are pointed towards long distance races (1 1/4 miles and longer). I can understand that point of view, but there are races ran at 1 1/2 Miles and 1 3/4 Miles that could be designated a "Win and You're In" race. Two examples that come to mind are the Cougar II Handicap at Del Mar and the Greenwood Stakes at Parx. Both of those races were on the "Win and You're In" in 2008 and 2009, but have been absent since then. Another race that could also be included is the Brooklyn Handicap that is run the day prior to the Belmont Stakes. Currently, the only race that is on the "Win and You're In" for the Marathon is the Clasico Belgrano which is run in Argentina. I believe one or two more races in the United States or Europe should be added for the Marathon Division.

Secondly, I noticed the Bing Crosby Stakes at Del Mar is a "Win and You're In" for the Turf Sprint. However, the Bing Crosby is run on the main track, which leaves me scratching my head. There are surely other Turf Sprint races that could be designated as a "Win and You're In" as opposed to the Bing Crosby Stakes. The Bing Crosby Stakes would be better served as a "Win and You're In" for the Breeders' Cup Sprint. Another race that stands out as not fitting is the Connolly’s Red Mills Lowther Stakes run at York in the United Kingdom. The Connolly is run at 6 Furlongs, while the Juvenile Fillies is 1 mile. I love the idea of having a European prep race as a "Win and You're In", but I think it should be at least 7 Furlongs.