Breeders' Cup announces challenge series, television coverage

Breeders’ Cup Ltd. announced Monday the 2024 Breeders’ Cup challenge series 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.

"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 during the Belmont Stakes festival, as the Metropolitan Handicap (G1), Ogden Phipps (G1) and Jaipur (G1) provide berths into the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, Breeders’ Cup Distaff and Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint, respectively. All North American races must be graded to be included in the series. The Breeders' Cup website contains the complete 2024 schedule of challenge races.

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 (G3) and Korea Sprint (G3), 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, and the six-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 Acomb Stakes (G3), a seven-furlong race at York, awards an automatic starting position into the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf. The Aug. 24 Prestige Stakes (G3), a seven-furlong event at Goodwood, gives the winner a free berth into the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. The Oct. 19 British Champions Fillies and Mares Stakes going 1 1/2 miles at Ascot rewards the winner with a guaranteed berth into the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf.

For the first time, the Sept. 29 City of Hope Mile (G3) at Santa Anita Park, a win-and-you’re-in event for the Breeders’ Cup Mile, joins the domestic lineup.

The 2024 series in the U.S. again will 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 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 (G1) at Tokyo Racecourse in Japan.

Purse increases in 2024 raised the value of the Breeders’ Cup Classic to $7 million and the 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. Eight won their respective divisional races: White Abarrio, Breeders’ Cup Classic; Auguste Rodin , Breeders’ Cup Turf; Idiomatic, Breeders’ Cup Distaff; Cody’s Wish, Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, Master of the Seas, Breeders’ Cup Mile; Inspiral, Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf; Just F Y I, Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies; and Hard to Justify, Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf.

Breeders’ Cup challenge series returns to television

NBC, Fox and CNBC will televise the 2024 Breeders’ Cup challenge series, 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.

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. EDT at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N,J., with the Haskell Stakes (G1), a win-and-you’re-in race for the Breeders’ Cup Classic.

On Aug. 3, Breeders’ Cup and Fox will partner to provide special coverage of the Whitney Stakes (G1) at Saratoga, also an automatic qualifier for the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Fox coverage of the challenge series continues at Saratoga on Aug. 10 with the Fourstardave Handicap (G1), a win-and-you’re-in race for the Breeders’ Cup Mile.

A two-hour NBC and Peacock broadcast on Oct. 5 will have coverage from Santa Anita Park and Keeneland. Among the Santa Anita races, the American Pharoah Stakes (G1) offers a free starting spot in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. From Keeneland, the Breeders’ Futurity (G1) awards a berth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, the Turf Mile (G1) presents automatic entry to the Breeders’ Cup Mile and the Thoroughbred Club of America Stakes (G1) offers a spot in the gate for the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint. On Oct. 6 at Keeneland, the CNBC and Peacock broadcast features the Spinster Stakes (G1), a qualifier for the Breeders’ Cup Distaff, and the Bourbon Stakes (G2), which awards a free spot in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf.

The majority of the Breeders’ Cup challenge races also will be televised on FanDuel TV, which will continue to provide extensive special programming in the run-up to the world championships.