Breeders' Cup Challenge expanded to 73 races

The Breeders’ Cup Challenge, a series of stakes races that provide the winners with guaranteed berths in one of the 15 races held during the organization’s year-end event, will be expanded from 68 races last year to 73 races this year, the Breeders’ Cup announced Thursday morning.

Thirteen races were added to the series schedule this year, including seven races outside of North America, while eight races were dropped, including four from outside North America. Additions to this year’s schedule include the Grade 1 Stephen Foster Handicap at Churchill Downs, which will guarantee the winner a spot in the $5 million Classic, and the Grade 1 Personal Ensign at Saratoga, which will guarantee a spot in the Ladies’ Classic. The deletions include the Haskell Invitational Stakes, a Grade 1 race for 3-year-olds at Monmouth that is facing an uncertain future this year.

The five-race expansion this year builds on steady growth in the size of the series, which was launched in 2007 as a way to provide incentives for stakes winners to point to Breeders’ Cup races. When the series was first implemented, it included 24 races, all in North America. Races have been added to the series every year since it was launched.

Horses that win one of the 73 races are provided a guaranteed spot in the starting gate for one of the races, and their starting fees are waived. In addition, horses that win a North American Challenge race receive a $10,000 travel allowance, while horses that win one of the 21 races held at overseas locations will receive a $20,000 travel allowance.

The Breeders’ Cup also will pay $10,000 to the foal nominator of any horse that wins one of the Challenge races, a bonus it instituted along with the travel allowances last year.

In addition to the Stephen Foster and the Personal Ensign, new races this year are: the Group 1 L’Ormains Queen’s Plate at Kenilworth Racecourse in South Africa (which has already been run); the Gran Premio 25 de Mayo at San Isidro in Argentina on May 25; the Group 1 Grosser Pries von Baden from Baden-Baden in Germany; the Grade 2 Gallant Bloom Handicap at Belmont; the Pilgrim Stakes and Miss Grillo Stakes, both Grade 3 races at Belmont Park; the Grade 3 Bourbon Stakes at Keeneland; the Group 2 Royal Lodge Stakes and Group 3 Middle Park Stakes at Newmarket; the Group 2 Beresford Stakes at The Curragh in Ireland; and the Group 1 Prix de la Foret at Longchamp.

In addition to the Haskell, the races that were dropped are the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot in England; the Group 1 National Stakes at the Curragh; the Grade 3 Cougar II Handicap at Del Mar; the Group 2 Prix Niel at Longchamp; the Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket; the Grade 1 Ruffian Stakes at Saratoga; and the Grade 2 With Anticipation Stakes, also at Saratoga, according to the Breeders’ Cup.

Last year, 35 winners of the 68 Challenge races started in the Breeders’ Cup’s year-end event.