E.P. Taylor Stakes is now a Breeders' Cup qualifier

Woodbine's Grade 1 E.P. Taylor Stakes was added to the Breeders’ Cup challenge series as an official win-and-you’re-in race.

The new designation offers the winner an automatic, fees-paid berth into the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf at the 2025 Breeders’ Cup held Oct. 31 and Nov. 1 at Del Mar.

This year, the E.P. Taylor Stakes will be run over 1 1/4 miles on Woodbine's turf course on Aug. 16, sharing the stage with Woodbine’s most prestigious race, The King’s Plate.

After construction is completed on the turf Course in 2026, the race will move back to its spot on the September calendar, alongside Woodbine’s three other Breeders’ Cup win-and-you’re-in races.

Those races are:

Woodbine Mile (G1), Breeders’ Cup Mile

Natalma Stakes(G1, Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf

Summer Stakes (G1), Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf

“This is an exciting moment for Woodbine and Canadian racing,” Woodbine CEO Michael Copeland said. “The E.P. Taylor Stakes has long attracted top turf fillies and mares from around the world, and its inclusion in the Breeders’ Cup challenge series further cements its status as a premier international event.”

Moira, runner-up in the 2024 E.P. Taylor Stakes, went on to win the 2024 Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf with Woodbine-based trainer Kevin Attard.