Breeders’ Cup: Del Mar 2017, Churchill Downs 2018, and then what?

In the 33-year history of the Breeders’ Cup, the now two-day event has been hosted by 11 different racetracks. The next two venues are set to be Del Mar in 2017, and Churchill Downs in 2018.

I would never argue with anyone who claims there is no better place for the Cup then Santa Anita. Nestled in front of the San Gabriel Mountains, and the recent host of a fantastic 2016 Breeders’ Cup, it offers beautiful weather, excellent racing surfaces, and one of America’s largest and most star-filled populations within driving distance. Having said all that, it is nice to see that the Breeders’ Cup has gone back to the practice of holding the world championships at a different site every year. That is how it was for the first 25 years, and how it was intended.

No other racetrack has hosted BC more than Santa Anita, which has held it nine times. It is also one of only two tracks to play host in consecutive years, Churchill Downs being the other.  

What Churchill Downs lacks in pretty, it more than makes up for in location, history, size, and luxury suites. The home of the Kentucky Derby has welcomed the world championships on eight occasions, and like Santa Anita, it seems like a great candidate to host the Breeders’ Cup for years to come.

Woodbine, the only racetrack to host the Breeders’ Cup outside the United States would be a nice venue to revisit, but of course the weather there in the fall is iffy at best, and downright bone-chilling at worst, plus they have no dirt. Aqueduct, as the winter’s little brother of Belmont, seems highly unlikely to ever house the BC again, after hosting the event in year number two. Arlington is another where weather is an issue, but the Suburban Chicago track, as beautiful as it may be, has bigger issues than the cold, I’m afraid. Owned by Churchill Downs, it seems like a warm winter day in Chicago is more likely than a second Breeders’ Cup at Arlington. Lone Star Park is another of the one-hit wonders, which probably will never be called back for a second date, while Monmouth Park is another track which struggled to make everyone happy.

While most, if not all, of those tracks may never have a second chance to welcome patrons of the world championships through their turnstiles, Keeneland, a first-time BC location in 2015, and Del Mar, set to have it for the initial go next year, both have a lot going for them in becoming active members of the Breeders’ Cup rotation.

Both tracks offer prime locations for holding the event. Keeneland is in the heart of the bluegrass, and the thoroughbred horse capital of the world. Del Mar offers much of the advantages of Santa Anita, without the threat of being completely swallowed up by all that is Los Angeles. Each racetrack has made important changes in switching back to a dirt main track, while Del Mar also widened their turf course. There were worries about the overall size of Keeneland, but most of those worries were happily put to bed last year by the overall success of the event. I have little doubt that beautiful Del Mar will also step up to make the 2017 edition one to remember.

So, Del Mar in 2017, and Churchill Downs in 2018, and then what? Well, Santa Anita and Keeneland would seem prime candidates. Or maybe the first-ever Pegasus World Cup will reinvigorate talk of a return to Gulfstream Park, which actually hosted three times, before a downsizing of grandstand seating. A ramped-up Laurel Park could even bring about a first-ever Maryland Breeders’ Cup. All sound like interesting candidates for 2019 and beyond, but I can’t help but feel like we are forgetting something.

There is one track that simply must host the Breeders’ Cup again. Of course, I am speaking of Belmont Park. One of the best, most historic, and most prestigious racetracks in America, Belmont has hosted the Cup four times, but none since 2005. It is hard to believe that New York’s big track will not host our championships for 13 years and counting. Racing is good for New York, and New York is good for racing. I don’t feel like it is the New York Racing Association’s duty to bring the Cup back to Belmont. Nor do I believe that it is up to the Breeders’ Cup. Rather, I believe that it is the responsibility of both to make it happen before another dozen years pass by.

The Breeders’ Cup is our championships. It is a remarkable two-day event of racing that succeeds in bringing together our best horses for the biggest races. Fans of racing love the Breeders’ Cup, and the Breeders’ Cup is once again about bringing the event to a different place each year, as it was meant to be. That’s good, but it falls short without returning to the place where horses like Secretariat and American Pharoah became immortal.

It is not up to NYRA. It is not up to the Breeders’ Cup. It is up to both, to work together, and bring the our championships back to Belmont Park. Fans of racing deserve no less.