Breeders' Cup 2025 offers record number of qualifiers

The 2025 Breeders’ Cup win-and-you’re-in challenge series will feature 93 races in 15 countries, the most in Breeders’ Cup history. Each winner will receive an automatic qualifying position, with fees paid, into a corresponding race at the 2025 Breeders’ Cup.

Horses from around the globe will qualify through the win-and-you’re-in program, now in its 19th year, for the 42nd running of the Breeders’ Cup. The two-day international festival of racing, consisting of 14 Grade 1 races and a strong undercard worth purses and awards of more than $34 million, will be held Oct. 31 and Nov. 1 at Del Mar.

This year, the Breeders’ Cup challenge series will be hosted at premier tracks in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Dubai, England, France, Ireland, Japan, Peru, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, the U.S. and Uruguay. All races included in the challenge series have graded or group status. The complete 2025 schedule is available on the Breeders' Cup website.

"It is immensely gratifying to see trainers and owners leverage the many opportunities offered by the challenge series, the leading pathway to a coveted spot in the World Championships," said Dora Delgado, chief racing officer at Breeders' Cup Ltd.. "We thank the racing authorities close to home and abroad for their crucial partnerships, and look forward to watching the world’s best competitors prioritize the Challenge Series as their path to the Breeders' Cup World Championships at Del Mar."

With the international Breeders’ Cup challenge series already underway featuring a record 49 races, the 44-race domestic portion of the series kicks off June 6-7 at Saratoga when the Grade 1 Ogden Phipps Stakes offers automatic berth into the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Distaff, the Metropolitan Handicap (G1) provides a starting spot in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, and the Jaipur Stakes (G1) grants an automatic starting position in the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint as part of the Belmont Stakes weekend in upstate New York.

As part of the benefits to horsemen, Breeders’ Cup has allocated a record $6,510,000 in free entry fees and $480,000 in domestic foal nominator awards 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. 20 to receive the rewards.

In addition, Breeders’ Cup will provide a $10,000 travel allowance for all starters within North America who are stabled outside of California and a $40,000 travel allowance to the connections of all championship starters based outside of North America.

Ten automatic berths will be awarded for the $7 million Breeders’ Cup Classic. In addition to the Feb. 22 Saudi Cup (G1) won by Forever Young, the Feb. 23 February Stakes (G1) won by Costa Nova, and the April 5 Dubai World Cup (G1) won by Hit Show, contenders may qualify through the June 28 Stephen Foster Stakes (G1) at Churchill Downs, the July 19 Haskell Stakes (G1) at Monmouth Park, the Aug. 2 Whitney Stakes (G1) at Saratoga, the Aug. 20 International Stakes (G1) at York, the Aug. 30 Pacific Classic (G1) at Del Mar, the Aug. 31 Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) at Saratoga and the Sept. 27 Goodwood Stakes (G1) at Santa Anita Park.

Last year, 44 Breeders’ Cup challenge series winners competed in the world championships at Del Mar and five won their respective divisional races: Moira in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf; Citizen Bull in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, Immersive in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, Lake Victoria in the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, and Soul of an Angel in the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint.