LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 15, 2024) – Breeders’ Cup Limited today announced the 2024 Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series: Win and You’re In schedule of 82 races in 12 countries. Each winner will receive an automatic qualifying position, with fees paid, into a corresponding race at the 2024 Breeders’ Cup World Championships.
Horses from around the globe will qualify through the Win and You’re In program, now in its 18th year, for the 41st running of the World Championships. Consisting of 14 Grade 1 races worth purses and awards totaling a record $33 million, this year’s Breeders’ Cup will be held Nov. 1-2 at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif.
“We take great pride in seeing horsemen from around the world capitalize on the advantages provided by the Challenge Series, the premier route to securing a starting position in the World Championships,” said Dora Delgado, Executive Vice President and Chief Racing Officer of Breeders’ Cup Limited. “Our heartfelt appreciation goes out to the racing jurisdictions across five continents for their invaluable support and administration of this year’s series. We encourage all horsemen to target the Challenge Series en route to the Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Del Mar.”
The first domestic Breeders’ Cup Challenge races of the year will take place June 8 at Saratoga Race Course during the Belmont Stakes Festival, as the Hill ‘N’ Dale Metropolitan Handicap, Ogden Phipps Stakes Presented by Ford, and Jaipur Stakes Presented by Resolute Racing provide respective berths into the Big Ass Fans Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, the Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff, and the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint. All North American races must be graded to be included in the series. The complete 2024 schedule is available at BreedersCup.com/races/challenge-series.
Forty-one international races complement the domestic schedule, with the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series hosted at premier tracks in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, England, France, Ireland, Japan, Peru, South Africa, and South Korea. New this year are the Korea Cup and Korea Sprint, both run Sept. 8 at Seoul Racecourse in South Korea. At 1 1/8 miles, the Korea Cup is an automatic qualifier for the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, while the 6-furlong Korea Sprint provides an automatic berth in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint.
Three additional races have been added to the international schedule in England. The Aug. 21 Tattersalls Acomb Stakes, a 7-furlong race at York, will award an automatic starting position into the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf; the Aug. 24 William Hill Prestige Stakes, a seven-furlong event at Goodwood, will give the winner a free berth into the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf; and the Oct. 19 QIPCO British Champions Fillies and Mares Stakes going 1 ½ miles at Ascot Racecourse rewards the winner with a guaranteed berth into the $2 million Maker’s Mark Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf.
For the first time, the Sept. 29 City of Hope Mile at Santa Anita Park, a Win and You’re In event for the FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Mile, joins the domestic lineup.
The 2024 series in the U.S. will again feature a regional qualifying program to balance divisional competition across the country. In 10 of the 14 race divisions, there will be one Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series race per region, identified as East, Midwest, and West. Breeders’ Cup will promote these regional rivalries on the road to the World Championships.
Eight automatic berths will be awarded for the $7 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic. The 6-year-old Peptide Nile became the first horse to qualify this year for the marquee race when he won the Feb. 19 February Stakes at Tokyo Racecourse in Japan.
Purse increases in 2024 raised the value of the Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic to $7 million and the Longines Breeders’ Cup Turf to $5 million.
As part of the benefits to horsemen, Breeders’ Cup has allocated $5,485,000 in free entry fees for this year’s Challenge Series and will pay the entry fees and guarantee a starting position in a corresponding Championships race for all Challenge Series race winners. If not already nominated, the Challenge winner must be nominated to the Breeders’ Cup program by the pre-entry deadline of Oct. 21 to receive the rewards.
In addition, Breeders’ Cup will provide a $10,000 travel allowance for all starters within North America that are stabled outside of California, and a $40,000 travel allowance to the connections of all Championship starters based outside of North America.
Last year, 42 Breeders’ Cup Challenge winners competed in the World Championships at Santa Anita Park and eight won their respective divisional races.
Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series Returns to Television
NBC, FOX, and CNBC will televise the 2024 “Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series: Win and You’re In,” featuring five live programs in the U.S. this summer and fall. Now in its 11th year with NBC Sports and second year with FOX, the series puts a spotlight on North America’s top horses as they compete at premier racetracks on the road to the Breeders’ Cup World Championships.
“We are pleased to continue our longstanding partnership with our friends at NBC Sports to help showcase the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series to millions of fans during the summer and fall leading up to the World Championships on NBC,” said Drew Fleming, President and CEO of Breeders’ Cup Limited. “We also look forward to expanding our partnership with FOX Sports to provide maximum exposure for our Challenge races this year. Both of these networks provide world-class, innovative coverage of our sport, and we are proud to partner with them to provide horse racing viewers across the country with ample opportunities to follow the action on the road to the Breeders’ Cup World Championships.”
All Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series coverage on NBC and CNBC will be simulcast on Peacock. NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app will stream live coverage to desktops, mobile, tablets, and connected TVs via authentication.
“We are excited to continue our longtime partnership with Breeders’ Cup, showcasing Challenge Series racing on NBC, CNBC, and Peacock, and culminating with the world’s best horses competing in the World Championships at Del Mar in November,” said Gary Quinn, NBC Sports VP of Programming & General Manager of Owned Properties.
Coverage of the 2024 Challenge Series features two NBC broadcasts, two FOX broadcasts, and one CNBC program.
NBC and Peacock kick off the action July 20 at 5 p.m. ET at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J. with the Haskell Stakes, a Win and You’re In race for the $7 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic.
On Aug. 3, Breeders’ Cup and FOX will partner to provide special coverage of the Whitney Stakes at Saratoga Race Course, also an automatic qualifier for the Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic. FOX coverage of the Challenge Series continues at Saratoga on Aug. 10 with the Fourstardave Handicap, a Win and You’re In race for the $2 million FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Mile Presented by PDJF.
A blockbuster day of racing will be presented during a two-hour NBC and Peacock broadcast on Oct. 5 with coverage from Santa Anita Park and Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky. Among the Santa Anita races, the American Pharoah Stakes offers a free starting spot in the $2 million FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. From Keeneland, the Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity awards a berth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, the Coolmore Turf Mile presents automatic entry to the Breeders’ Cup Mile, and the Thoroughbred Club of America Stakes offers a spot in the gate for the $1 million PNC Bank Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint. On Oct. 6 at Keeneland, the CNBC and Peacock broadcast features the Juddmonte Spinster Stakes, a qualifier for the $2 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff, and the Castle & Key Bourbon Stakes, which awards a free spot in the $1 million Prevagen Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf.
The majority of the Breeders’ Cup Challenge races will also be televised on FanDuel TV, which will continue to provide extensive special programming in the run-up to the World Championships. FanDuel, the Official ADW Partner, Official Sports Wagering Partner, Official Fantasy Sports Partner, and Official Mobile Casino Partner of the Breeders’ Cup, continues to serve as title partner of the $2 million FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and the $2 million FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Mile.
The complete Challenge Series television schedule can be viewed at BreedersCup.com/races/challenge-series.
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