The Breeders Cup World Championships is
now one of the biggest horse racing events in the US, if not the
world.
The event was originally created as an end of year
championship for North American horses but now attracts top
thoroughbreds from around the world and Europe in particular.
The Championships began in 1984
after being founded by John Gaines, a leading US thoroughbred owner
and breeder and was originally a single day event hosted at
different courses around the US to enable race goers from across the
US to attend.
As a single day event The Breeders
Cup was to become the richest pay-day in sports and attendance at
the event surpassed all other stake races.
Starting in 2007, the event
expanded to two days with over $25 million in prize money on offer
to the winning horses and their owners. The biggest single pay-day
is now the Dubai World Cup with a total purse of $21 million for six
races.
The event this
year returns to the site of 2009, the Churchill Downs Racecourse in
Louisville Kentucky, a venue synonymous with the Kentucky Derby. All
Breeders Cup meetings have been held in the US with the exception of
1996 when it was held at the Woodbine Racetrack in Canada.
A maximum of 14 starters are
allowed in each of the Championship races and the horses are ranked
in accordance with their performance in the Challenge races and by
judgement from a panel of racing experts.
As the highlight of the US Horse Racing
season this is a must see event for all dedicated horse race fans.
