The expected intercontinental showdown in this year's Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) took another step toward reality Oct. 23 with the announcement of pre-entered runners in that $7 million showcase as well as the two-day event's other 13 races set for Nov. 1-2 at Del Mar.
Among the horses pre-entered in the Nov. 2 Breeders' Cup Classic are the usual top North American stars, including Travers Stakes (G1) winner Fierceness, as well as Japan-based standouts Forever Young, Ushba Tesoro, and Derma Sotogake, and from Ireland, City of Troy.
Those international horses are expected to be major players as Forever Young placed in this year's Kentucky Derby (G1), Ushba Tesoro won the 2023 Dubai World Cup (G1) and placed second in this year's edition of that race, Derma Sotogake finished second in last year's Breeders' Cup Classic, and City of Troy, a Kentucky-bred son of 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify , counts the Epsom Derby (G1) among his three group 1 wins this year.
Overall, those overseas runners pre-entered in the Classic are just the start as horses from a record five continents—Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, and South America—have targeted this year's event as a record 80 international contenders have been pre-entered. The previous record was 60, set in 2023.
Those 80 international entries have paced Breeders' Cup to 212 horses pre-entered this year, the most since 2018 at Churchill Downs.
The 41st running of the Breeders' Cup World Championships, with purses and awards totaling more than $34 million, will be at Del Mar for a third time after coming to the seaside oval in 2017 and 2021. Future Stars Friday features five World Championships races exclusively for 2-year-olds, while a 12-race card featuring nine Breeders' Cup races makes up the Championships Saturday program.
This year 49 pre-entered horses earned automatic starting positions into the World Championships races through the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win and You're In.
"The record number of outstanding international contenders pre-entered this year speaks to the truly global nature of the Breeders' Cup World Championships and is a testament to the connections who have targeted our festival of racing," said Breeders' Cup president and CEO Drew Fleming. "We express our gratitude to the skilled individuals worldwide who provide the exceptional care that allows these remarkable Thoroughbreds to excel at the highest level.
"We also thank our hosts at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club for their wonderful hospitality and extend our appreciation to our breeders and nominators, whose dedication helps underwrite the World Championships. We also thank the bettors and fans from around the globe for their unwavering support, and look forward to hosting a Breeders' Cup for the ages at Del Mar."
2024 Post Times, Wagering Menu
This year's event includes four previous Breeders' Cup winners looking for more success. Included in that group is champion Juddmonte homebred Idiomatic, who will try to defend her 2023 Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1) victory in an expected field of 12 fillies and mares that will include Thorpedo Anna, who has unofficially locked up the 3-year-old filly Eclipse with her four grade 1 wins including the Kentucky Oaks (G1) and her runner-up finish to Fierceness in the Travers. Fierceness won last year's Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) and figures to be among the favorites for this year's Classic.
While Auguste Rodin is not back to defend his victory in the Breeders' Cup Turf (G1T), that field does feature 2022 Turf winner Rebel's Romance, a Godolphin homebred. The 2023 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G1T) winner Big Evs also is back, and this year will tackle the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1T).
As previously reported, The Chosen Vron was pre-entered in the Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1) but will not be able to make the race after being placed on the vet's list. With The Chosen Vron out, Meta Max, a Kentucky-bred, grade 3-placed runner in Japan, is in the field of 14.
Another late change following pre-entries involves group 2 winner Running Lion, who was entered in the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1T) but will not run in that race. That move opens a spot for Godolphin's Jockey Club Oaks Invitational Stakes (G3T) winner Beautiful Love.
Television
The Breeders' Cup will be televised live domestically on NBC, Peacock, USA Network, and FanDuel TV. The NBC coverage includes a network window from 3:30-6 p.m. ET Saturday, Nov. 2. Fans can visit BreedersCup.com/Watch for a detailed broadcast and streaming schedule. International live coverage is led by ITV4, Sky Sports, and RacingTV in the United Kingdom and Ireland, along with Green Channel in Japan, which will broadcast live from Del Mar. Additionally, the NBC World Feed will be sent to more than 150 countries around the globe.
The Breeders' Cup Classic, broadcast live on NBC and streamed live on Peacock, will be the centerpiece of the Championships Saturday program. New this year, to take advantage of the 2 1/2-hour national broadcast window on NBC, post time for the Classic will be 2:41 p.m. PT/5:41 p.m. ET. There will be four Championship races before and four Championship races after the Classic, centering the marquee race as the end of the middle Pick 5 and the start of the late Pick 5 on the wagering menu.
FieldS
A maximum of 14 starters are allowed in each of the 14 Breeders' Cup World Championships races except for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint and the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint, which are each limited to 12 starters.
Breeders' Cup Limited has adopted a field selection system to select runners in the event fields are oversubscribed. This system ranks horses in order of preference based on (i) Breeders' Cup Challenge race winners, (ii) a point system, and (iii) the judgment of an independent international panel of racing experts. The field selection system was implemented following the taking of pre-entries Oct. 21 to officially rank the oversubscribed fields. The Racing Secretaries and Directors Panel ranked all the horses pre-entered in the oversubscribed races as described above. After pre-entry, any vacancies in the fields will be filled by horses in order of panel preference.
There will be up to four also-eligible horses for each Championship race, except for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint and Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint, which will have up to six. The also-eligible horses will be designated in accordance with the panel's order of preference for each Championship race that was oversubscribed at the time of pre-entry.
Scratch time for Friday Championship races will be 8 a.m. PT, Nov. 1, and scratch time for Saturday's Championship races will be at 8 a.m. PT Nov. 2.
Besides profiles at BloodHorse.com, fans can learn more about their favorite runners via the contender profiles at BreedersCup.com, which provide extensive statistics, race replays, news, photos, and more.
