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The Breeders’ Cup Challenge
| BC Challenge Race Schedule |
Our page of Breeders’ Cup prep-races will describe the Challenge series by divisional offerings.
Win and You’re In!
The Breeders’ Cup Challenge was inaugurated in 2007 and originally launched a series of 24 officially sanctioned races at six tracks that would automatically qualify the winners for Breeders’ Cup berths under a “Win and You’re In” format.
Each Breeders’ Cup Challenge winner gains a reserved entry position for the barrier draw, into a corresponding divisional race of the Breeders’ Cup. In 2011, Breeders’ Cup began paying the entry fees and subsidizing travel costs to the locale of the races for all Challenge winners who are Breeders’ Cup eligible. Breeders’ Cup also began paying a $10,000 award to the nominator of any North American foal who won a Challenge race.
In its first year, the Breeders’ Cup Challenge had 14 winners who competed in the 2007 Breeders’ Cup. Of those 14, four horses won – War Pass in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, Ginger Punch in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff, English Channel in the Breeders’ Cup Turf and Curlin in the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1).
The program expanded to 57 races and 17 tracks in 2008. That year, 34 Challenge race winners competed in the Breeders’ Cup and five won – Raven’s Pass in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, Zenyatta in the Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic, Forever Together in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf, Stardom Bound in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies and Maram in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf.
For 2016, the Challenge consisted of 77 automatic qualifying races, with 28 scheduled outside of North America. There were four new races added to the schedule for 2016 — the Queen of the Turf (Filly & Mare Turf) at Royal Randwick, Australia; Gran Premio Club Hipico Falabella (Mile) at Santiago, Chile; Gran Premio Pamplona at Hipodromo Monterrico (Filly & Mare Turf) in Lima, Peru; and Flying Five Stakes (Turf Sprint) at The Curragh, Ireland.
2018 saw a new race added to the official World Championship lineup, the Juvenile Turf Sprint and movement of the 2-year-old races to Friday for a ‘Friday Future Stars’ theme. This has been an interesting change for betting, as the Distaff, Dirt Mile and other 3-year-olds and up condition races moved to Saturday.
2020 produced some unique obstacles for the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series organizers, mainly due to global uncertainty related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The final schedule for the critical last two months of the series was not finalized until late August. Among the highlights of the end of season qualifications for the 2020 Breeders’ Cup is the inclusion of the 145th Preakness Stakes as a “win and you’re in” race for the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Another very different aspect for 2020 is that most qualifying races and the eventual Breeders’ Cup Championship races themselves have been or will be run without fans.
The Breeders’ Cup Challenge has continued to evolve and change with the core principal remaining the same – providing a list of events for fans to follow and get to know the horses likely to run in each year’s Breeders’ Cup.
Search for a Breeders’ Cup Challenge Race in the sortable chart below!
| Date | Race & Country | Division | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12/14/19 | Gran Premio International Carlos Pellegrini Stakes | Argentina | Turf | Nao Da Mais (BRZ) |
| 1/11/20 | Cartier Paddock S. | South Africa | Filly & Mare Turf | Queen Supreme (IRE) |
| 1/11/20 | L'Ormarins Queen's Plate | South Africa | Mile | Vardy (SAF) |
| 2/23/20 | February S. | Japan | Classic | Mozu Ascot |
| 5/17/20 | Victoria Mile | Japan | Filly & Mare Turf | Almond Eye (JPN) |
| 5/25/20 | Shoemaker Mile | United States | Mile | Raging Bull (FR) |
| 6/6/20 | Runhappy Carter Handicap | United States | Sprint | Vekoma |
| 6/7/20 | Yasuda Kinen | Japan | Mile | Gran Alegria (JPN) |
| 6/13/20 | Ogden Phipps Stakes | United States | Distaff | She's a Julie |
| 6/16/20 | Queen Anne Stakes | United Kingdom | Mile | Circus Maximus (IRE) |
| 6/17/20 | Prince of Wales's Stakes | United Kingdom | Turf | Lord North (IRE) |
| 6/19/20 | Norfolk Stakes | United Kingdom | Juvenile Turf Sprint | The Lir Jet |
| 6/20/20 | Diamond Jubilee Stakes | United Kingdom | Turf Sprint | Hello Youmzain (FR) |
| 6/20/20 | Jaipur Invitational Stakes | United States | Turf Sprint | Oleksandra (AUS) |
| 6/27/20 | Fleur de Lis Handicap | United States | Distaff | Midnight Bisou |
| 6/27/20 | Stephen Foster Handicap | United States | Classic | Tom's d'Etat |
| 6/28/20 | Takarazuka Kinen | Japan | Turf | Chrono Genesis (JPN) |
| 7/4/20 | Runhappy Metropolitan Handicap | United States | Dirt Mile | Vekoma |
| 7/18/20 | Haskell Invitational | United States | Classic | Authentic |
| 7/25/20 | King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes sponsored by QIPCO | United Kingdom | Longines Turf | Enable |
| 7/31/20 | Qatar Sussex Stakes | United Kingdom | Mile | Mohaather |
| 8/1/20 | Bing Crosby Stakes | United States | Sprint | Collusion Illusion |
| 8/1/20 | Personal Ensign Handicap | United States | Distaff | Vexatious |
| 8/1/20 | The Whitney | United States | Classic | Improbable |
| 8/2/20 | Clement L. Hirsch Stakes | United States | Distaff | Fighting Mad |
| 8/8/20 | The Ballerina Stakes | United States | Filly & Mare Sprint | Serengeti Empress |
| 8/15/20 | The Alabama | United States | Distaff | Swiss Skydiver |
| 8/16/20 | Prix du Haras de Fresnay-Le-Buffard Jacques le Marois | France | Mile | Palace Pier |
| 8/19/20 | Juddmonte International Stakes | United Kingdom | Classic | Ghaiyyath |
| 8/20/20 | Darley Yorkshire Oaks | United Kingdom | Filly & Mare Turf | Love |
| 8/21/20 | Coolmore Nunthorpe Stakes | United Kingdom | Turf Sprint | Battaash |
| 8/22/20 | Del Mar Handicap Presented by the Japan Racing Association | United States | Turf | Red King |
| 8/22/20 | TVG Pacific Classic | United States | Classic | Maximum Security |
| 8/22/20 | Fourstardave Handicap | United States | Mile | Halladay |
| 8/23/20 | Darley Prix Morny | France | Juvenile Turf Sprint | Campanelle |
| 8/29/20 | Pat O'Brien Stakes | United States | Dirt Mile | C Z Rocket |
| 8/29/20 | Sword Dancer Invitational Stakes | United States | Turf | Channel Maker |
| 9/3/20 | The Pocahontas | United States | Juvenile Fillies | Girl Daddy |
| 9/5/20 | The Iroquois | United States | Juvenile | Sittin On Go |
| 9/12/20 | Irish Champion Stakes | Ireland | Turf | Magical |
| 9/12/20 | Coolmore America 'Justify' Matron Stakes | Ireland | Filly & Mare Turf | Champers Elysees |
| 9/12/20 | Runhappy Turf Sprint | United States | Turf Sprint | Imprimis |
| 9/12/20 | KPMG Champions Juvenile Stakes | Ireland | Juvenile Turf | Cadillac |
| 9/13/20 | Derrinstown Stud Flying Five Stakes | Ireland | Turf Sprint | Glass Slippers |
| 9/13/20 | Moyglare Stud Stakes | Ireland | Juvenile Fillies Turf | Shale |
| 9/19/20 | Ricoh Woodbine Mile | Canada | Mile | Starship Jubilee |
| 9/20/20 | Natalma Stakes | Canada | Juvenile Fillies Turf | Lady Speightspeare |
| 9/20/20 | Summer Stakes | Canada | Juvenile Turf | Gretzky the Great |
| 9/25/20 | Shadwell Rockfel Stakes | United Kingdom | Juvenile Fillies Turf | Isabella Giles |
| 9/26/20 | Speakeasy Stakes | United States | Juvenile Turf Sprint | Amanzi Yimpilo |
| 9/26/20 | Juddmonte Royal Lodge Stakes | United Kingdom | Juvenile Turf | New Mandate |
| 9/26/20 | The Vosburgh | United States | Sprint | Firenze Fire |
| 9/26/20 | Rodeo Drive Stakes | United States | Filly & Mare Turf | Mucho Unusual |
| 9/26/20 | American Pharoah Stakes | United States | Juvenile | Get Her Number |
| 9/26/20 | Chandelier Stakes | United States | Juvenile Fillies | Princess Noor |
| 9/26/20 | Awesome Again Stakes | United States | Classic | Improbable |
| 9/27/20 | Grande Premio Brasil | Brazil | Turf | Pimper's Paradise |
| 9/27/20 | Santa Anita Sprint Championship | United States | Sprint | C Z Rocket |
| 9/27/20 | Zenyatta Stakes | United States | Distaff | Harvest Moon |
| 10/2/20 | Alcibiades S. | United States | Juvenile Fillies | Simply Ravishing |
| 10/2/20 | Phoenix S. | United States | Sprint | Diamond Oops |
| 10/3/20 | Belmont Derby | United States | Turf | Gufo |
| 10/3/20 | Claiborne Breeders' Futurity | United States | Juvenile | Essential Quality |
| 10/3/20 | Shadwell Turf Mile | United States | Mile | Ivar |
| 10/3/20 | First Lady S. | United States | Filly & Mare Turf | Uni |
| 10/3/20 | TCA S. | United States | Filly & Mare Sprint | Inthemidstofbiz |
| 10/3/20 | Preakness Stakes | United States | Classic | Swiss Skydiver |
| 10/4/20 | Dixiana Bourbon S. | United States | Juvenile Turf | Mutasaabeq |
| 10/4/20 | Juddmonte Spinster S. | United States | Distaff | Valiance |
| 10/4/20 | Indian Summer S. | United States | Juvenile Turf Sprint | Bodenheimer |
| 10/6/20 | Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe | France | Turf | Sottsass |
| 10/6/20 | Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp | France | Turf Sprint | Wooded |
| 10/6/20 | Prix de l'Opera | France | Filly & Mare Turf | Tarnawa |
| 10/6/20 | Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere | France | Juvenile Turf | Sealiway |
| 10/6/20 | Prix Marcel Boussac | France | Juvenile Fillies Turf | Tiger Tanaka |
| 10/7/20 | Jessamine S. | United States | Juvenile Fillies Turf | Aunt Pearl |
| 10/10/20 | Jockey Club Gold Cup | United States | Classic | Happy Saver |
| 10/10/20 | Champagne S. | United States | Juvenile | Jackie's Warrior |
| 10/10/20 | Frizette S. | United States | Juvenile Fillies | Dayoutoftheoffice |
| 10/10/20 | Flower Bowl Inv. S. | United States | Filly & Mare Turf | Civil Union |
| 10/10/20 | The Futurity S. | United States | Juvenile Turf Sprint | Second of July |