Four Royal Ascot races added to BC Challenge series

Breeders’ Cup has designated four stakes races scheduled for the 2018 Royal Ascot meeting in England as races that will earn the winner an automatic berth in one of the event’s 14 races, the organization announced Monday.

The winners of the Group 1 Queen Anne Stakes, the Group 1 Prince of Wales’s Stakes, the Group 1 Diamond Jubilee Stakes, and the Group 2 Norfolk Stakes will earn the automatic berths through the Breeders’ Cup Win and You’re In program. The races are all scheduled for June 19-23 at the prestigious Royal Ascot meeting, which has increasingly been targeted by U.S.-based runners.

The winner of the Queen Anne Stakes, for 4-year-olds and older at one mile on the turf, will qualify for the Breeders’ Cup Mile. The winner of the Prince of Wales’s Stakes, for 4-year-olds and older at 1 1/4 miles on the turf, will earn a spot in the Turf, and the winner of the Diamond Jubilee, for 4-year-olds and older at six furlongs on the turf, will earn a spot in the Turf Sprint. The Norfolk Stakes, for 2-year-old colts at five furlongs on the turf, will provide a spot for the Juvenile Turf Sprint, which was added to the Breeders’ Cup’s slate of races earlier this year.

Most of the races held at the Royal Ascot meeting will be broadcast live on NBC Sports this year for the second year in a row. Like other U.S. racing organizations, Breeders’ Cup has been increasingly marketing its races to horsemen overseas, in the hopes of generating interest and betting handle in foreign markets.

The Win and You’re In program, also called the Breeders’ Cup Challenge series, awards automatic berths in Breeders’ Cup races from more than 80 group or graded stakes held around the world. This year’s Breeders’ Cup is scheduled for Nov. 2-3 at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky.