What is the Breeders Cup and Why is it so Popular?
14th September 2021
The Breeders Cup is one of the most popular horse races in the world that has a rich tradition and exciting events for the fastest horses from every corner of the planet.
But what makes this event so special?
Well, for starters, the Breeders Cup comes with huge purses, top-class horses, large crowds, and a lot of media attention.
The Breeders Cup is every jockey’s dream when it comes to professional horse racing since it is one of the events that can cement their name in the horse racing hall of fame.
About the Breeders Cup
The Breeders Cup is a horse racing event in the second half of the year that features the best Thoroughbreds in every division of racing that compete in 14 exciting-to-watch races for beaucoup bucks.
The Breeders Cup organization was formed back in 1982, and the first race was held on November 10, 1982, at Hollywood Park. This means that we are just around the corner of an important milestone at the 40th anniversary of this popular horse racing event.
The Breeders Cup was formed by John R. Gaines, who was a horseman and leader in the Thoroughbred industry. The race was named the “The Breeders Cup” just because it was funded by Thoroughbred breeders.
When and Where Does it Take Place?
Last year, the 2020 Breeders Cup World Championships was organized at Keeneland, and this year, the race returns to San Diego’s iconic racing venue – Del Mar, where the turn is very close to the surf.
This means that the Breeders Cup always moves around throughout the country, just like the Super Bowl in the NFL.
The main event is scheduled to start on November 5th and it will end on November 6th
Of course, we have many races that are also exciting to watch that will lead to the World Championship.
Prize Purses
Since the popularity of the Breeders Cup grows every year, so does the prize purse for all the races. Organizers released the 2021 summer stakes schedule, along with the purse increases for all the races.
To sum up, the entire selection of races that the Breeders Cup offers will be worth around $30 million, and the most anticipated event the Breeders’ Cup Classic alone carries a $6 million purse.
Qualification Process
Usually, horses have to be nominated to participate in this event. If the three are too many horses (which is usually the case) they have to go through a qualification process designed with three stages.
The first qualification stage is through a series of races throughout the year, where the winner automatically earns a berth in a specified Breeders’ Cup race, the second stage is the point system based on a horse’s performance throughout the year, and the third is based on the judgment of a panel of experts.
Global Event
The Breeders Cup is a global event that attracts the attention of many jockeys, trainers, and fans from all around the world. No wonder many people call it the World Championship of horse racing. Over the past couple of years, we’ve seen participants from all over the world such as Great Britain, France, Argentina, Japan, Brazil, Ireland, and many others.
Last year, the Breeders Cup was organized without fans, but it seems like this year the situation will be back to normal if the pandemic situation doesn’t escalate.
This promises an action-packed event with a lot of people. The record was set back in 2016 at the Santa Anita race track that seated close to 120,000 people for the two-day event.
The Breeders Cup is also a popular betting option for every horse racing enthusiast. The amount of money wagered only on this event is incredible. The record was set back in 2010 where people wagered more than $173 million and this year we expect a similar thing.
This is one of the most popular horse racing events in the world for a good reason. Basically, the Breeders Cup is the perfect combination of excitement, tradition, high prize purses, and top-of-the-line horses. You can find the official Breeders' Cup odds 2021 here.
Make sure you circle the date in your calendar and get a glimpse of the excitement that the Breeders Cup has to offer.