Tizway winning the 2011 Whitney Handicap
Photo used with permission of NYRA, Adam Coglianese
Fields for the 2011 Breeders' Cup, at Churchill Downs on November 4th and 5th, are starting to fill. Thus far, 35 horses have qualified by winning races in the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series. Tizway, owned by WIlliam L. Clifton Jr., and trained by H. James Bond, has dual-qualified for the Dirt Mile and the Classic by winning, respectively, the Metropolitan Handicap (G1) and the Whitney Handicap (G1).
Thirty-two races are left in the Breeders' Cup Challenge, including the Natalma Stakes, Summer Stakes presented by TVG, and the Ricoh Woodbine Mile at Woodbine Racetrack, Toronto, Canada.
The Breeders' Cup Challenge has selected 68 races worldwide to participate in the program. Nearly every division of the Championships is represented.
A Challenge winner that has been nominated to the Breeders' Cup receives fully paid pre-entry and entry fees to start in the corresponding Championship race. Challenge winners also receive a travel allowance of $10,000 for North American runners and $20,000 for International runners when they start in the Breeders' Cup World Championships.
As a thank you and incentive to thoroughbred breeders, the nominator for every horse winning a Challenge and running in the Breeders' Cup receives a nominator award of $10,000.
This year, the Breeders' Cup offers 15 Championship divisions and $26 Million in purses and awards, combined with the Challenge benefits, nearly $30 Million in purses and awards are available for Breeders' Cup nominated horses this year.
To help the industry and fans keep up with both potential and actual qualifiers, the BC maintains a leaderboard. Here's how the Breeders' Cup selects race fields:
A maximum of 14 starters are allowed in each of the 15 Breeders' Cup Championships races. Breeders' Cup Limited has adopted a field selection system to select runners in the event fields are oversubscribed. This system ranks horses in order of preference based upon (i) performance in Breeders' Cup Challenge Races, (ii) a point system, and (iii) the judgment of a panel of racing experts. The field selection system will be implemented as necessary following the taking of pre-entries on October 24, 2011, to officially rank the oversubscribed fields. The Racing Directors/Secretaries Panel (the "Panel") will rank all the horses pre-entered in the oversubscribed races as described below. After pre-entry, any vacancies in the fields will be filled by horses in order of panel preference.
The following is a list of Breeders' Cup Challenge races that have been run and the winners. You will find the date the race was run, the race name, grade, length and surface, correlating championship race, location of race, winner of race and lifetime earnings of the winner.
04/09/11Darley T.J. Smith Stakes GI6 Furlongs (T)3 YO & UPTurf SprintAustralia=Black Caviar (AUS) $ 3,461,783
04/16/11Emirates Doncaster MileGI1 Mile (T)3 YO & UPMileAustralia=Sacred Choice (AUS) $2,082,256
05/30/11Metropolitan Handicap GI1 Mile3 YO & UPDirt MileNew YorkTizway $1,359,274
06/20/11Clasico Belgrano GII1 1/2 Miles3 YO & UPMarathonArgentina=Mr.Nedawi (BRZ) $416,349
06/25/11Stobart Ireland Pretty Polly Stakes I1 1/4 Miles (T)3 YO & UPFilly & Mare TurfIreland=Misty For Me (IRE) $926,364
06/26/11Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud GI1 1/2 Miles (T)4 YO & UPTurfFrance=Sarafina (FR) $2,061,282
06/26/11Takarazuka Kinen GI 1 3/8 Mile (T)3 YO & UPTurfJapan=Earnestly (JPN) $ 5,919,547
07/02/11United Nations Stakes G I1 3/8 Mile (T)3 YO & UPTurfNew JerseyTeaks North $1,001,964
07/02/11Shoemaker Mile GI1 Mile (T)3 YO & UPMileCaliforniaCourageous Cat $961,300
07/09/11Smile Sprint HandicapGII6 Furlongs3 YO & UPSprintFloridaGiant Ryan $416,841
07/09/11Hollywood Gold Cup GI1 1/4 Miles (AWT)3 YO & UPClassicCaliforniaFirst Dude $1,442,140
07/16/11Delaware Handicap GII1 1/4 Miles3 YO & UPLadies' ClassicDelawareBlind Luck $3,279,520
07/16/11A Gleam Invitational Handicap GII7 Furlongs (AWT)3 YO & UPFilly & Mare SprintCaliforniaIrish Gypsy $386,420
07/16/11Greenwood Cup Handicap 1 1/2 Miles3 YO & UPMarathonPennsylvaniaA. U. Miner $471,396
07/23/11King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes Sponsored by BetfairGI1 1/2 Miles (T)3 YO & UPTurfUnited Kingdom=Nathaniel (IRE) $1,164,038
07/29/11Cougar II Handicap GIII1 1/2 Miles (AWT)3 YO & UPMarathonCaliforniaBourbon Bay $724,424
07/30/11San Diego Handicap GII1 1/16 Miles (AWT)3 YO & UPDirt MileCaliforniaTres Borrachos $760,257
07/31/11Ruffian Handicap GI1 1/8 Miles3 YO & UPLadies' ClassicNew YorkAsk the Moon $713,640
07/31/11Haskell Invitational Handicap GI1 1/8 Miles3 YOClassicNew JerseyCoil $752,560
08/06/11Whitney Handicap GI1 1/8 Miles3 YO & UPClassicNew YorkTizway $1,359,274
08/06/11Clement L. Hirsch Handicap GI1 1/16 Miles3 YO & UPLadies' ClassicCaliforniaUltra Blend $845,646
08/13/11Beverly D. Stakes GI1 3/16 Miles (T)3 YO & UPFilly & Mare TurfIllinoisStacelita (FR) $2,071,241
08/13/11Arlington Million GI1 1/4 Miles (T)3 YO & UPTurfIllinoisCape Blanco (IRE) $3,555,665
08/15/11Prix Haras de Fresnay-Le-Buffard Jacques le MaroisGI1 Mile (T)3 YO & UPMileFrance=Immortal Verse (IRE) $873,057
08/19/11Coolmore Nunthorpe StakesGI5 Furlongs (T)2 YO & UPTurf SprintUnited Kingdom=Margot Did (IRE) $425,664
08/27/11Ballerina StakesGI7 Furlongs3 YO & UPFilly & Mare SprintNew YorkHilda's Passion $739,493
08/28/11Del Mar HandicapGII1 3/8 Mile (T)3 YO & UPTurfCaliforniaCeltic New Year $294,422
08/28/11Moyglare Stud StakesGI7 Furlongs (T)2 YOJuvenile Fillies TurfIreland=Maybe (IRE) $381,969
08/28/11TVG Pacific Classic GI1 1/4 Miles (AWT)3 YO & UPClassicCaliforniaAcclamation $1,538,048
09/01/11With Anticipation Stakes GII1 1/16 Miles (T)2 YOJuvenile TurfNew YorkState of Play $120,000
09/03/11Red Mills Irish Champion Stakes GI1 1/4 Miles (T)3 YO & UPTurfIreland=So You Think (NZ) $6,839,475
09/05/11Turf Monster HandicapGIII5 Furlongs (T)3 YO & UPTurf SprintPennsylvaniaBen's Cat $676,230
09/05/11Three Chimneys Hopeful StakesGI7 Furlongs2 YOJuvenileNew YorkCurrency Swap $180,000
09/07/11Del Mar FuturityGI7 Furlongs (AWT)2 YOJuvenileCaliforniaDrill $188,150
09/10/11Goffs National StakesGI7 Furlongs (T)2 YOJuvenile TurfIreland=Power (GB) $350,529
09/11/11Qatar Prix Niel GII 1 1/2 Miles (T)3 YOTurfFrance=Reliable Man (GB) $1,494,308