2020 Breeders' Cup
The 2020 Breeders' Cup World Championships will be the 37th edition of the premier event of the North American thoroughbred horse racing year. The 14 races, all but one of which are Grade I, will take place on November 6 and 7 at Keeneland racetrack in Lexington, Kentucky. The races will be telecast by NBCSN on Friday and early Saturday, and by NBC later on Saturday.
| Championship Event Series race | |
| Location | Keeneland, Lexington, Kentucky |
|---|---|
| Race type | Thoroughbred |
| Website | www |
| Race information | |
| Distance | See individual races |
| Surface | Turf, Dirt |
| Purse | Varies by Race; from $1 million to $7 million |
The Breeders' Cup is generally regarded as the end of the North American racing season, although a few Grade I events take place in later November and December. The event typically determines champions in many of the Eclipse Award divisions.
Qualifying
A maximum of 14 horses (12 in the Turf Sprint and Juvenile Turf Sprint) are allowed to start in each race. Horses can automatically qualify by winning one of the designated races in the Breeders' Cup Challenge series, which provide "Win and You're In" berths in a specified division of the Breeders' Cup. Other pre-entries are ranked by a points system and the judgement of a panel of experts.[1]
Event preparation
On August 17, 2018, the Breeders' Cup organization announced that Keeneland would host the event for the second time in 2020. Keeneland's first Breeders' Cup in 2015 was highlighted by American Pharoah's win in the Breeders' Cup Classic, completing the Grand Slam of Thoroughbred racing.[2] Because of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, the racing schedule leading up to the event was disrupted. As of August 2, 2020, it is not known if the general public will be able to attend the event.
Races
The following race sequence is based on the 2019 event and may be changed in the week leading up to the event.
Friday, November 6
| Race name | Post time (EDT) |
Sponsor | Distance/Surface | Restrictions | Purse | Winner (Bred) | Odds | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Juvenile Turf Sprint | tba | 5 furlongs (Turf) | 2-year-olds | $1 million | ||||
| Juvenile Turf | tba | presented by Coolmore America | 1 mile (Turf) | 2-year-old colts and geldings | $1 million | |||
| Juvenile Fillies | tba | 1 1⁄16 miles | 2-year-old fillies | $2 million | ||||
| Juvenile Fillies Turf | tba | 1 mile (Turf) | 2-year-old fillies | $1 million | ||||
| Juvenile | tba | TVG | 1 1⁄16 miles | 2-year-old colts and geldings | $2 million | |||
Saturday, November 2
| Race Name | Post time (EDT) |
Sponsor | Distance/Surface | Restrictions | Purse | Winner (Bred) | Odds | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Filly & Mare Sprint | tba | 7 furlongs | 3 yrs+ fillies & mares | $1 million | ||||
| Turf Sprint | tba | 5 furlongs (Turf) | 3 yrs+ | $1 million | ||||
| Dirt Mile | tba | Big Ass Fans | 1 mile | 3 yrs+ | $2 million | |||
| Filly & Mare Turf | tba | Maker's Mark | 1 1⁄4 miles (Turf) | 3 yrs+ fillies & mares | $2 million | |||
| Sprint | tba | 6 furlongs | 3 yrs+ | $2 million | ||||
| Mile | tba | TVG | 1 mile (Turf) | 3 yrs+ | $2 million | |||
| Distaff | tba | Longines | 1 1⁄8 miles | 3 yrs+ fillies & mares | $2 million | |||
| Turf | tba | Longines | 1 1⁄2 miles (Turf) | 3 yrs+ | $6 million | |||
| Classic | tba | Longines | 1 1⁄4 miles | 3 yrs+ | $7 million |
References
- "How It Works". www.breederscup.com. Retrieved 9 October 2018.
- "Breeders' Cup Host Sites Announced Through 2021". BloodHorse.com. Retrieved 10 October 2019.