Breeders Cup Challenge Series

Race Events > Breeders' Cup > Challenge

| Betting | OddsHandicapping | Challenge | Prep Races | Contenders | Winners | HistoryResults |

Last updated: November 4, 2023

The 2023 Breeders' Cup Challenge Series

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

DATERACE / COUNTRYDIVISIONWINNER
12/17/2022
Turf
The Punisher (ARG)
1/7/2023
Cartier Paddock Stakes / South Africa
Filly & Mare Turf
Make It Snappy (SAF)
1/7/2023
L'Ormarins King's Plate / South Africa
Mile
Al Muthana (AUS)
2/19/2023
February Stakes / Japan
Classic
Lemon Pop
5/1/2023
Gran Premio Criadores / Argentina
Distaff
Belleza de Arteaga (ARG)
5/14/2023
Victoria Mile / Japan
Filly & Mare Turf
Songline (JPN)
5/29/2023
Gran Premio Club Hipico Falabella / Chile
Mile
Lukka (CHI)
5/29/2023
Mile
Exaulted

June & July Challenge Series Events

DATERACE / COUNTRYDIVISIONWINNER
6/4/2023
Yasuda Kinen / Japan
Mile
Songline
6/10/2023
Dirt Mile
Cody's Wish
6/10/2023
Turf Sprint
Caravel
6/10/2023
Distaff
Clairiere
6/18/2023
Turf
Raptor's
6/20/2023
King's Stand Stakes / UK
Turf Sprint
Bradsell
6/20/2023
Mile
Triple Time
6/21/2023
Turf
Mostahdaf
6/22/2023
Juvenile Turf Sprint
Valiant Force
6/25/2023
Turf
Equinox

August Challenge Series Events

DATERACE / COUNTRYDIVISIONWINNER
8/2/2023
Mile
Paddington (GB)
8/5/2023
Distaff
Adare Manor
8/5/2023
Classic
White Abarrio
8/12/2023
Filly & Mare Turf
Fev Rover (IRE)
8/12/2023
Mile
Casa Creed
8/13/2023
Mile
Inspiral
8/20/2023
Prix Morny / France
Juvenile Turf Sprint
Vandeek
8/23/2023
Classic
Mostahdaf
8/24/2023
Filly & Mare Turf
Warm Heart
8/25/2023
Turf Sprint
Live In The Dream

September Challenge Series Events

DATERACE / COUNTRYDIVISIONWINNER
9/2/2023
Turf
Gold Phoenix (IRE)
9/2/2023
Classic
Arabian Knight
9/2/2023
Turf Sprint
Motorious (GB)
9/2/2023
Classic
Bright Future
9/2/2023
Filly & Mare Turf
Pamac (FR)
9/9/2023
Turf
Get Smokin
9/9/2023
Turf Sprint
Gear Jockey
9/9/2023
Matron Stakes / Ireland
Filly & Mare Turf
Tahiyra
9/9/2023
Juvenile Turf
Diego Velazquez
9/9/2023
Turf
Auguste Rodin

October Challenge Series Events

DATERACE / COUNTRYDIVISIONWINNER
10/1/2023
Sprint
Cody's Wish
10/1/2023
Turf Sprint
Highfield Princess
10/1/2023
Filly & Mare Turf
Blue Rose Cen
10/1/2023
Turf
Ace Impact
10/1/2023
Juvenile Turf
Rosallion
10/1/2023
Juvenile Fillies Turf
Opera Singer
10/4/2023
Juvenile Turf
Agate Road
10/4/2023
Juvenile Fillies Turf
Hard to Justify
10/6/2023
Juvenile Fillies
Candied
10/6/2023
Juvenile Fillies Turf
Buchu

"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 was 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 was that most qualifying races and the eventual Breeders' Cup Championship races themselves were 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.