The Breeders’ Cup World Championships - run annually in North America since 1984 - has developed into the biggest horse racing event on the global calendar. It was run in a single day between 1984 and 2006, but since then has been held over two days.
The Breeders’ Cup generally moves to a different venue each year, and apart from 1996, when it took place at Woodbine in Toronto, it has always been held in the United States.
As an event the Breeders’ Cup provides terrific theatre, giving European runners the opportunity to test themselves against the cream of the American thoroughbred crop.
Santa Anita set the two-day attendance record for the event in 2016 with more than 118,000 spectators filing through the gates.
The 2018 event at Churchill Downs in Kentucky featured 14 Grade 1 events with massive prize money of $28million on offer.
The highlight of the event is always the closing Breeders’ Cup Classic, run over 10 furlongs on dirt and with total prize money of $6million on offer in 2019.
In 2019 the Breeders’ Cup World Championships will take place on Friday November 1 and Saturday November 2 at Santa Anita Park in California. There is a total prize pool of $30million.