The Breeders Cup is a world-famous series of top class thoroughbred races which are held at one venue over the course of two days. 

It is operated by the company Breeders Cup Limited, and was first staged in 1984. It currently takes place on the first weekend of November each year, and is hosted by a different race-track each year. The inaugural event was held at the now-defunct Hollywood Park, with venues including Woodbine, Santa Anita Park, Churchill Downs and Keeneland all taking turns to host the Breeders Cup. Santa Anita Park in California will be staging the 2020 event.

Originally, every single Breeders Cup contest was staged in one evening, however, since 2007, the event has made into a two-day event. Races are held on Friday and Saturday night. The highest attendance was recorded in 2016 with over 118,000 spectators turning out to watch the thoroughbred action.

It was originally devised as a season-ending championship, although the concept was originally met with much scepticism from racing die-hards.

Generally speaking, the Breeders Cup is the third or fourth best-attended horse racing event each year in the USA. The total prize purses have increased over the years with the over $30 million in the kitty in 2018. The Breeders Cup Classic was responsible for almost a fifth of this total prize money. It is one of the richest sporting events in the world.

Each race on the card is a Grade I event, and there is a trophy awarded to the connections of every single winner on the card. A garland of flowers is also typically draped over the first horse past the post.

The Breeders Cup Classic is ranked as the fourth most prestigious Grade I race in the world with the Breeders Cup Turf and Breeders Cup Mile also ranking amongst the top twenty.

Although a large number of the runners will be competing regularly in North America, other competitors may be sent over from Europe or occasionally Japan.

A number of races have been added over the years, with the Breeders Cup Marathon being inaugurated in 2006, however, this was subsequently scrapped eight years later. The Breeders Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint is the latest addition to the card, with the first running of this event being held in 2018. It was won by the Todd Pletcher-trained Bulletin. Winners of the Speakeasy Stakes, Indian Summer Stakes, and the Prix Morny will automatically gain an entry to this contest. The Breeders Cup Juvenile Sprint took place between 2011 and 2012 before being removed from the schedule. The order of the races will occasionally be changed between events.

The Breeders Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint is part of the “Win and You’re In” scheme which is a system that allows winners of races in Ireland, Hong Kong, France, Australia and South Africa automatic entry into a number of the races.

In 2015, American Pharoah won the Breeders Cup Classic and officially entered the record books by successfully completing the world-famous Triple Crown.

Mike Smith has the best overall record at the Breeders Cup with 26 wins at the event, which is ten more than any other jockey. John Velaquez and Frankie Detorri also have multiple victories to their name.

D. Wayne Lukas is the most successful trainer at the Breeders Cup with 20 victories, five ahead of Bob Baffert. Aidan O’Brien and Bill Mott have also enjoyed multiple successes at the festival.

Zenyatta is the most successful horse at the Breeders Cup having accrued over $4,680,000 in prize money at this event. Many horses have won races at the Breeders Cup on multiple occasions, although Tiznow is the only one to have won the Classic twice.

Why is it so Popular?

The Breeders Cup is extremely popular as it is held over a short period of time, and every single race on the card is a Grade I event. It also gives punters the opportunity to see some of the finest thoroughbreds in action. With horses arriving from the UK, Ireland, France and Japan, the Breeders Cup attracts a truly worldwide audience.

What Betting Opportunities are Available?

The Breeders Cup is one of the most prestigious events on the thoroughbred racing calendar, and therefore the bookmakers are always keen to price up as many different markets as possible. Operators will offer ante-post odds on a number of key races, and more markets will appear seven days prior to the event getting underway.

Key Betting Markets

Race Winner – This is the simplest market available, and it allows bettors to predict which horse will pass the post first. Ante-post markets will be available months in advance. Occasionally, there will be a dead-heat, but your horse must be declared the winner of the race in order to receive a pay-out. This is the main betting market, and therefore is available for each and every race at the Breeders Cup.

Each-Way – Each-way betting allows punters to pick a horse at bigger odds to finish in the place positions. Any race with eight or more runners will result in the first three places being paid out by the bookmakers. Races of 4-7 runners will pay out the first two places only.

Forecast /Tricast – Punters who dabble in the forecast market can potentially receive significant payouts for correctly predicting the first two or three home. A straight forecast will require the horses to finish in the specified order whereas a reverse forecast will allow some flexibility with the first two horses able to finish in any order. It is a good way of extracting some value from a race in which the favourite is odds-on.

Top Trainer at the Breeders Cup – A number of special markets are available ahead of the Breeders Cup with punters being asked to predict which trainer will have the highest number of winners at the event. Some handlers will have runners in multiple events whilst others will only send one or two over to the course.

Top Jockey at the Breeders Cup – Same as above. A number of the top jockeys will have multiple rides across the two days, and punters will be asked to correctly predict which rider will be responsible for the highest number of winners at the event.

Trainer X/Y/Z to have Two or More Winners at the Breeders Cup / Jockey X/Y/Z to have Two or More Winners at the Breeders Cup – Another set of specials which hone in on specific trainers or jockeys. These markets will be set in accordance with the number of runners they are responsible for.

Not to Win a Race – Some bookmakers will have markets which oppose odds-on favourites. Punters can bet on a well-fancied runner to fall short at the Breeders Cup.

Bobby’s Big Betting Tips for the Breeders Cup

Course Form Can Make a Significant Difference – With the Breeders Cup being held at different venues each year, the horses-for-courses element can be a significant factor in the outcome. Some thoroughbreds just relish particular tracks, and have a running style which is suited to the undulations of the track. A number of travellers will enter each race, but it’s always worth keeping an eye on the local runners who are used to these surroundings.

Plotting the Pace of the Race is Essential – These races are full of quality, and with some closely matched contenders, plotting the pace of the race is an absolute must. Websites such as the DRF have information about a horses running style, and it can be profitable to work out how the race could potentially transpire. If the race is full of front-runners, finding a horse with a decent closing pace, may be the best way to approach it. Likewise, if there are a number of closers, but there is just a single early-pace runner, it could be worth backing it to blaze a trail.

Cross-Race Form Can Be Useful – With a limited number of high-class races taking place on the US racing calendar, many of these rivals have previously faced one another. It is always useful to analyse these races, and work out which horses have already seen off some of their rivals, and calculate reasons why it occured.

Where Can I Watch the Breeders Cup on TV?

The Breeders Cup is streamed through online bookmakers websites, and it is also shown live on Sky Sports Racing each year.