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The 2021 Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series
| Dec. to May Races | Jun. to Jul. Races | August Races| September Races | October Races | Win & You’re In History
Our page of Breeders’ Cup prep-races organizes the Challenge series by divisional offerings. Find a month-by-month schedule of the races in the tables below:
December to May Challenge Series Events
| DATE | RACE / COUNTRY | DIVISION | WINNER |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12/19/2020 | Gran Premio International Carlos Pellegrini / Brazil | Turf | Cool Day (ARG) |
| 1/9/2021 | L'Ormarins Queen's Plate / South Africa | Mile | Jet Dark (SAF) |
| 1/9/2021 | Cartier Paddock Stakes / South Africa | Filly & Mare Turf | Queen Supreme (IRE) |
| 2/21/2021 | February Stakes / Japan | Classic | Cafe Pharoah |
| 5/1/2021 | Gran Premio Criadores / Argentina | Distaff | Blue Stripe (ARG) |
| 5/2/2021 | Gran Premio Club Hipico Falabella / Chile | Mile | Succeso (CHI) |
| 5/16/2021 | Victoria Mile / Japan | Filly & Mare Turf | Gran Alegria (JPN) |
| 5/31/2021 | Shoemaker Mile / USA | Mile | Smooth Like Strait |
June & July Challenge Series Events
| DATE | RACE / COUNTRY | DIVISION | WINNER |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6/5/2021 | Metropolitan Handicap / USA | Dirt Mile | Silver State |
| 6/5/2021 | Jaipur Invitational / USA | Turf Sprint | Casa Creed |
| 6/5/2021 | Ogden Phipps Stakes / USA | Distaff | Letruska |
| 6/6/2021 | Yasuda Kinen / Japan | Mile | Danon Kingly (JPN) |
| 6/15/2021 | Queen Anne Stakes / UK | Mile | Palace Pier (GB) |
| 6/16/2021 | Prince of Wales's Stakes / UK | Turf | Love (IRE) |
| 6/17/2021 | Norfolk Stakes / UK | Juvenile Turf Sprint | Perfect Power (IRE) |
| 6/19/2021 | Diamond Jubilee Stakes / UK | Turf Sprint | Dream Of Dreams (IRE) |
| 6/26/2021 | Gran Premio Pamplona / Peru | Filly & Mare Turf | Reina de Mollendo |
| 6/26/2021 | Fleur de Lis Stakes / USA | Distaff | Letruska |
| 6/26/2021 | Stephen Foster Stakes / USA | Classic | Maxfield |
| 6/27/2021 | Takarazuka Kinen / Japan | Turf | Chrono Genesis (JPN) |
| 7/3/2021 | Princess Rooney / USA | Filly & Mare Sprint | Ce Ce |
| 7/3/2021 | The Suburban / USA | Classic | Max Player |
| 7/4/2021 | John A. Nerud Stakes / USA | Sprint | Mind Control |
| 7/17/2021 | Haskell Invitational Stakes / USA | Classic | Mandaloun |
| 7/24/2021 | King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes / UK | Turf | Adayar |
| 7/28/2021 | Qatar Sussex Stakes / UK | Mile | Alcohol Free (IRE) |
| 7/31/2021 | Bing Crosby Stakes / USA | Sprint | TBD |
August Challenge Series Events
| DATE | RACE / COUNTRY | DIVISION | WINNER |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8/1/2021 | Clement L. Hirsch Stakes / USA | Distaff | TBD |
| 8/7/2021 | The Whitney / USA | Classic | TBD |
| 8/14/2021 | The Fourstardave / USA | Mile | TBD |
| 8/15/2021 | Prix Jacques Le Marois / France | Mile | TBD |
| 8/18/2021 | Juddmonte International Stakes / UK | Classic | TBD |
| 8/19/2021 | Darley Yorkshire Oaks / UK | Filly & Mare Turf | TBD |
| 8/20/2021 | Nunthorpe Stakes / UK | Turf Sprint | TBD |
| 8/21/2021 | Del Mar Handicap / USA | Turf | TBD |
| 8/21/2021 | Pacific Classic / USA | Classic | TBD |
| 8/22/2021 | Darley Prix Morny / France | Juvenile Turf Sprint | TBD |
| 8/28/2021 | The Sword Dancer / USA | Turf | TBD |
| 8/28/2021 | The Ballerina / USA | Filly & Mare Sprint | TBD |
| 8/28/2021 | The Personal Ensign / USA | Distaff | TBD |
| 8/28/2021 | Pat O'Brien Stakes / USA | Dirt Mile | TBD |
September Challenge Series Events
| DATE | RACE / COUNTRY | DIVISION | WINNER |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9/4/2021 | Flower Bowl / USA | Turf | TBD |
| 9/4/2021 | Jockey Club Gold Cup / USA | Classic | TBD |
| 9/11/2021 | Turf Sprint / USA | Turf Sprint | TBD |
| 9/11/2021 | Kentucky Turf Cup Stakes / USA | Turf | TBD |
| 9/11/2021 | Irish Champion Stakes / Ireland | Turf | TBD |
| 9/11/2021 | Justify' Matron Stakes / Ireland | Filly & Mare Turf | TBD |
| 9/11/2021 | Champions Juvenile Stakes / Ireland | Juvenile Turf | TBD |
| 9/12/2021 | Flying Five Stakes / Ireland | Turf Sprint | TBD |
| 9/12/2021 | Moyglare Stud Stakes / Ireland | Juvenile Fillies Turf | TBD |
| 9/18/2021 | Pocahontas / USA | Juvenile Fillies | TBD |
| 9/18/2021 | Iroquois / USA | Juvenile | TBD |
| 9/18/2021 | Jockey Club Derby Invitational / USA | Turf | TBD |
| 9/18/2021 | Woodbine Mile / Canada | Mile | TBD |
| 9/19/2021 | Natalma Stakes / Canada | Juvenile Fillies Turf | TBD |
| 9/19/2021 | Summer Stakes / Canada | Juvenile Turf | TBD |
| 9/24/2021 | Shadwell Rockfel Stakes / UK | Juvenile Fillies Turf | TBD |
| 9/25/2021 | Juddmonte Royal Lodge Stakes / UK | Juvenile Turf | TBD |
October Challenge Series Events
| DATE | RACE / COUNTRY | DIVISION | WINNER |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10/1/2021 | American Pharoah Stakes / USA | Juvenile | TBD |
| 10/1/2021 | Chandelier Stakes / USA | Juvenile Fillies | TBD |
| 10/1/2021 | Speakeasy Stakes / USA | Juvenile Turf Sprint | TBD |
| 10/2/2021 | The Champagne / USA | Juvenile | TBD |
| 10/2/2021 | Rodeo Drive Stakes / USA | Filly & Mare Turf | TBD |
| 10/2/2021 | Awesome Again Stakes / USA | Classic | TBD |
| 10/2/2021 | Santa Anita Sprint Championship / USA | Sprint | TBD |
| 10/3/2021 | Prix de L'Abbaye de Longchamp Longines / France | Turf Sprint | TBD |
| 10/3/2021 | Qatar Prix de L'Arc de Triomphe / France | Turf | TBD |
| 10/3/2021 | Qatar Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere / France | Juvenile Turf | TBD |
| 10/3/2021 | Qatar Prix Marcel Boussac / France | Juvenile Fillies Turf | TBD |
| 10/3/2021 | Prix de L'Opera Longines / France | Filly & Mare Turf | TBD |
| 10/3/2021 | The Frizette / USA | Juvenile Fillies | TBD |
| 10/3/2021 | Indian Summer Stakes / USA | Juvenile Turf Sprint | TBD |
| 10/3/2021 | Zenyatta Stakes / USA | Distaff | TBD |
| 10/8/2021 | Darley Alcibiades / USA | Juvenile Fillies | TBD |
| 10/8/2021 | Stoll Keenon Ogden Phoenix / USA | Sprint | TBD |
| 10/9/2021 | Keeneland Turf Mile / USA | Mile | TBD |
| 10/9/2021 | First Lady Stakes / USA | Filly & Mare Turf | TBD |
| 10/9/2021 | Breeders' Futurity / USA | Juvenile | TBD |
| 10/9/2021 | Thoroughbred Club of America / USA | Filly & Mare Sprint | TBD |
| 10/9/2021 | The Vosburgh / USA | Sprint | TBD |
| 10/10/2021 | Bourbon Stakes / USA | Turf | TBD |
| 10/10/2021 | Juddmonte Spinster / USA | Distaff | TBD |
| 10/10/2021 | The Futurity / USA | Juvenile Turf Sprint | TBD |
| 10/13/2021 | Jessamine Stakes / USA | Juvenile Fillies Turf | TBD |
“Win and You’re In” – Challenge Series History
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.