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2026 Breeders' Cup Future Stars Friday Schedule

2026 Breeders' Cup Championship Saturday Schedule

2026 Breeders' Cup Race Times

The times listed below are tentative. The official race order and starting times for Breeders' Cup weekend will be posted here once available.

What our Breeders' Cup Betting Experts were saying for the 2025 Breeders' Cup Championship

Our journalists were covering the 2025 Challenge Series and Championship every step of the way, providing expert analysis, championship previews, betting tipsheets and more. As the 2026 edition heats up, check back here or over at The Twinspires Edge for all the latest info! 

Vance Hanson  

• 2025 Breeders' Cup contenders worth considering at a price

James Scully  

• 2025 Breeders' Cup Classic: Betting With, and Against, Fierceness
• 2025 Breeders' Cup: Rolling Pick 3s Best Bet

Ashley Anderson 

• Racing Roundtable: Top Breeders' Cup stables, multi-race wager strategies, and more
• Racing Roundtable: 2025 Breeders' Cup post draw
• Racing Roundtable: Recapping 2025 Breeders' Cup

J. Keeler Johnson  

• 2025 Breeders' Cup: 10 Observations from Pre-Entries
• Breeders' Cup Roundup: Sovereignty Leads Classic Workers
• 2025 Breeders' Cup: Under-the-Radar Contenders on Friday
• 2025 Breeders' Cup: Under-the-Radar Contenders on Saturday
• 2025 Breeders' Cup: 10 Observations from the Morning-Line Odds

John Mucciolo  

• Tipsheet: 2025 Breeders' Cup Classic
• 2025 Breeders' Cup Betting Challenge (BCBC) Spot Plays
• Tipsheet: 2025 Breeders' Cup Juvenile
• How to Bet the 2025 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies
• How to Bet the 2025 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf

Kellie Reilly  

• Under-the-radar internationals for 2025 Breeders' Cup
• Breeders' Cup 2025: International Scouting Report by Kellie Reilly
• International Horse Profile: Queen of Hawaii
   

Breeders' Cup Frequently Asked Questions

When is the 2026 Breeders' Cup and where is it being held?

The 2026 Breeders' Cup will be Friday, October 30 and Saturday, October 31, held at the historic Keeneland Racecourse in Lexington, KY. 

How many races are in the Breeders' Cup?

There are 14 Breeders' Cup races across the two days with five races on Friday and 11 on Saturday. Five non Breeders' Cup races are on the schedule as well, totaling 22 races for both days. 

What is the purse for the 2026 Breeders' Cup Classic?

The purse for the 2026 Breeders' Cup Classic is $7,000,000. 

What is Future Stars Friday?

Future Stars Friday is the opening day of the two-day Breeders' Cup World Championships, dedicated entirely to showcasing the top two-year-old Thoroughbred racehorses in the world. 

The day features five major stakes races—three on the turf (Juvenile Turf Sprint, Juvenile Fillies Turf, and Juvenile Turf) and two 1 1/16-mile dirt races (Juvenile Fillies and Juvenile). Serving as the ultimate showcase for young talent, the results of these premier juvenile races often decide year-end Eclipse Award champions for their divisions and provide a first look at top early contenders for major classic races like the Kentucky Derby.

Which Breeders' Cup races are on turf and which are on dirt?

Breeders' Cup races on turf: Juvenile Turf Sprint, Juvenile Fillies Turf, Juvenile Turf, Turf Sprint, Filly & Mare Turf, Mile, Turf

Breeders' Cup races on dirt: Juvenile Fillies, Juvenile, Mile, Sprint, Filly & Mare Sprint, Distaff, Classic

How do Breeders' Cup Challenge Win and You're In races work?

Breeders' Cup Challenge "Win and You're In" races work by guaranteeing the winner of a designated stakes race an automatic entry into the corresponding division of the Breeders' Cup World Championships.

Field Qualification & Priority: Most Championship fields are capped at 14 runners (12 for sprints). If oversubscribed, selection priority goes first to Challenge Race winners, then the second to top Graded Stakes point earners as follows:

• Grade 1 = 10/6/4 points
• Grade 2 = 6/4/2 pts
• Grade 3 = 4/2/1 pts

The third option is the choices made by an expert panel.

Key Rules: Horses must be nominated to the program, can be pre-entered in a maximum of two races, and points are only awarded in Lasix-free graded stakes.

What is the difference between the Breeders' Cup and the Triple Crown?

The main difference between the Breeders' Cup and the Triple Crown lies in their age restrictions, timing, and structure: while the Triple Crown is a spring series of three fixed dirt races restricted exclusively to three-year-old horses, the Breeders' Cup is a late-autumn, two-day year-end championship featuring 14 distinct races that bring together international competitors across various age groups, distances, and track surfaces.

Breeders' Cup History

Conceived in 1982 by horseman John Gaines to market Thoroughbred racing to a wider audience and made a reality two years later at Hollywood Park, the Breeders’ Cup World Championships has almost four decades showcased the very best the sport has to offer and a forum for the finest in international competition.

Originally a one-day, seven-race event, the Breeders’ Cup has expanded to a 14-race extravaganza with virtually every division represented over two days. The centerpiece is the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic, the country’s premier weight-for-age event, for three-year-olds and up over 1 1/4 miles.

From the controversial, ding-dong battle between Wild Again, Slew o’ Gold, and Gate Dancer in its 1984 inaugural, the Classic has arguably provided the Breeders’ Cup with its largest share of memorable moments. Hall of Fame colt Alysheba was involved in two, losing by a nose to Ferdinand at Hollywood Park in 1987 in a rare meeting between Kentucky Derby winners, but returned the next year to win at Churchill Downs and retire as North America’s all-time leading money winner.

Sunday Silence and Easy Goer culminated their epic, four-race rivalry in the 1989 Classic at Gulfstream Park, with Sunday Silence prevailing for a third time, while in 1995 Cigar capped off a 10-for-10 campaign winning at Belmont Park. It was the 12th of 16 consecutive wins for the horse that ultimately eclipsed Alysheba’s earnings record.

The legendary Zenyatta had a lengthy win streak of her own, scoring for the 14th consecutive time in the 2009 Classic at Santa Anita. The only mare thus far to win the Classic, she sustained her only career loss (in 20 starts) in the 2010 renewal at Churchill Downs by a diminishing head to Blame.

While the Classic has also seen the biggest payout in Breeders’ Cup history (Arcangues returned $269.20 at Santa Anita in 1993), recent editions have showcased American Pharoah, who completed the “Grand Slam” of a Triple Crown sweep and a Classic score at Keeneland in 2015, and the sensational finish a year later by Arrogate over California Chrome, both of whom also held the leading money winner title.

The Breeders’ Cup Distaff, at 1 1/8 miles, is the event’s premier race for fillies and mares. In the discussion for the greatest Breeders’ Cup race of all time is the 1988 Distaff at Churchill Downs, which saw Personal Ensign valiantly catch Kentucky Derby-winning filly Winning Colors in the shadow of the wire to conclude a 13-for-13 career, the first major American Thoroughbred in 80 years to retire undefeated.

International participation has been a cornerstone of the Breeders’ Cup since its inception. Stars of the European turf, such as Arazi, who explosively rallied in the 1991 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, have made an occasional impact on dirt. But it’s been the two primary grass races – the Mile and the Turf – where invaders from across the pond have been their biggest mark.

Two of the most significant Mile winners were the French fillies Miesque and Goldikova. The first two-time winner in Breeders’ Cup history when taking the Mile in 1987-88, Goldikova one-upped her by taking the Mile three times from 2008-2010 and narrowly missing a fourth in 2011. Almmost a sure thing by her Breeders’ Cup odds. Freddy Head was the connection between the two; he rode Miesque and trained Goldikova.

In addition to those two, Lure (1992-93) and Wise Dan (2012-13) won multiple Miles, while Da Hoss (1996, 1998 Mile) was the first horse to win two Breeders’ Cup races in non-consecutive years.