The horse racing world closes out a thrilling year with the 41st edition of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Del Mar, with coverage exclusively across NBC, USA Network, NBCSports.com and Peacock.
14 races over two days will be run on November 1 and 2 at the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, where this will be the first of two straight years the racetrack will host the prestigious event.
Because of the number of international horses in the field, many consider the Breeders’ Cup to be the Olympics of horse racing. The most prestigious race of the weekend is the Breeders’ Cup Classic, where $7 million is up for grabs.
The Breeders’ Cup is horse racing’s last major event of the season. Horses from around the globe will compete in 14 races over two days, with the Breeders’ Cup Classic headlining the weekend.
The Breeders’ Cup originated in 1984 as a year-end championship for North American Thoroughbred horses and their breeders. The brainchild of the late John Gaines, the former owner of Gainesway Farm, the Breeders’ Cup was built by Thoroughbred breeders, for Thoroughbred breeders.
In 2007, the Breeders’ Cup was expanded from one day to two. Now, the first day of the weekend is called Future Stars Friday, with many of racing’s most promising colts and fillies running on the dirt and the turf. The top finishers of these races usually shape the Road to the Kentucky Derby and may feature the following year’s contenders for the Run for the Roses.
Championship Saturday will give out more than $23 million in purse money over nine races, including the $7 million Classic.
Related: How to watch the 2024 Breeders’ Cup World Championships
The Breeders’ Cup runs from November 1-2. Friday’s coverage goes from 4 to 8 p.m. ET on USA Network. Saturday’s coverage starts at 2 p.m. ET on USA Network before jumping to NBC and Peacock until 6 p.m. ET (when the Breeders’ Cup Classic finishes) and finishing on the USA Network until 8 p.m. ET.
The Breeders’ Cup changes tracks every year, with Del Mar Racing hosting for the first of two straight years. Located in Del Mar, Calif., Del Mar Racing has been the location of a number of historic races, including Gun Runner winning the 2017 Breeders’ Cup Classic and Knicks Go’s historic Breeders’ Cup Classic win in 2021.
The Breeders’ Cup features 14 races contested across two days the first weekend in November.
Related: How do horses qualify for the Breeders’ Cup?
The $7 million Breeders’ Cup Classic is the marquee event of the weekend. At 1 1/4 miles long, the Classic has a field of up to 14 horses that must be at least 3 years old. Breeders’ Cup Classic winners have a history of going on to win Horse of the Year, including Flightline (2022) Knicks Go (2021), Authentic (2020), Curlin (2007) and Cigar (1995)
The last time the Breeders’ Cup was held at Del Mar, Brad Cox’s Knicks Go won the Breeders’ Cup Classic by 2 3/4 lengths, defeating Bob Baffert’s controversial colt Medina Spirit, who crossed the finish line first in the 2022 Kentucky Derby, but was disqualified after a positive drug test.
Todd Pletcher’s trainee Fierceness has had an up-and-down year, but many believe he has the potential to leave the Breeders’ Cup Classic with a win if he is entered into the race. The 2023 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile champion and 3-year-old colt had a disappointing 15th place at the 2024 Kentucky Derby after coming in as the favorite. He continued to improve, winning the Jim Dandy Stakes at the end of July and Travers on August 24.
Potentially joining him in the Classic are a pair of highly-touted overseas horses. The first is Aidan O’Brien trainee City of Troy, who has three straight Grade 1 wins in 2024. The second is Forever Young, the third-place finisher from this year’s Kentucky Derby.
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