201 horses were entered in the 2020 Breeders’ Cup at Keeneland. (Photo credit: Alex Evers/Eclipse Sportswire/Breeders Cup Ltd.)
Pre-entries for the Breeders’ Cup were announced on Wednesday with 201 horses entered including 38 contenders that will make the trip from overseas.
This year’s Breeders’ Cup will be held at Keeneland on Nov. 6-7. There will be no spectators due to the pandemic, but owners, trainers and breeders will be allowed to attend the year end championship event.
The 14 championship races over the two days offer up $31 million in purses highlighted by the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1).
The Classic drew one of the strongest fields in recent memory, including all three Triple Crown race winners Tiz the Law, Authentic and Swiss Skydiver as well as Maximum Security, who crossed the wire first in the 2019 Kentucky Derby (G1) only to be disqualified for interference in the stretch.
The likely favorite for the Classic will be Improbable, who came up short in last year’s Kentucky Derby and Preakness but as a four-year-old comes into the race having won his last three starts, all in Grade 1 company.
Swiss Skydiver was cross-entered in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1) and it is listed as her first preference. If she bypasses the Classic, we will have a showdown with Monomoy Girl, the 2018 Distaff winner.
2020 Preakness Replay
Check out BUSR for the latest Breeders’ Cup odds.
A Magical Turf on Tap
The $4 million Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1) drew a strong group of European invaders including the Aiden O’Brien trained duo of Magical and Mogul.
Magical was second to Enable in the 2018 Breeders’ Cup Turf. She has won three Group 1 races this year and was third in the QIPCO Champion Stakes (G1) at Ascot in her last outing over ground with too much give to it for her liking.
Mogul won the Juddmonte Grand Prix de Paris (G1) in his last outing on Sept. 13. The three-year-old son of Galileo has won four of his nine career starts.
Mile Draws Strong Field
The $2 million Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1) drew one of the strongest fields over the two days of action. Among the contenders is defending champion Uni who beat the boys last year. She won the First Lady (G1) at Keeneland in her last start on Oct. 3 over the Keeneland turf.
Among the Euros invading for the Mile include Circus Maximus, who was fourth in this race last year and Kameko, who won the 2000 Guineas (G1) in June at Newmarket and won the Shadwell Joel Stakes (G2) in his last outing on Sept. 25
Friday’s five Breeders’ Cup races are for two-year-olds with Jackie’s Warrior likely to be one of the shortest prices over the two days when he goes in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1).
The Steve Asmussen trainee is perfect in four starts, winning the Champagne (G1) at Belmont Park going a one turn mile in his last outing on Oct. 10.
Champagne Replay
The $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) drew the smallest field at eight, but while it lacks quantity, there is no lack of quality among the ladies.
Princess Noor is undefeated in three starts including winning the Chandelier (G1) at Santa Anita. Dayoutoftheoffive is undefeated in three starts with her last start a victory in the Frizette (G1) at Belmont Park.
Simply Ravishing is 3 for 3 with a win in the Alcibiades (G1) over the Keeneland main track in her last start. Girl Daddy has not yet tasted defeat in two starts, the winner of the Pocahontas (G3) at Churchill Downs in her most recent start.
Television Coverage
The Breeders’ Cup will be televised live on NBC and NBCSN. Coverage begins on Nov. 6 on NBCSN from 2-6 p.m. ET. Live coverage continues on Nov. 7 on NBCSN from 12 -2:30 p.m. ET, and on NBC from 2:30-6 p.m. ET.
A maximum of 14 starters are allowed in each of the 14 Breeders’ Cup World Championships races with the exception of the Big Ass Fans Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, which is limited to 12 starters. 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 on (i) Breeders’ Cup Challenge race winners, (ii) a point system, and (iii) the judgment of an international panel of racing experts. The field selection system was implemented following the taking of pre-entries on Monday, Oct. 26, to officially rank the oversubscribed fields. The Racing Secretaries and Directors Panel (the “Panel”) ranked all the horses pre-entered in the oversubscribed races as described above. After pre-entry, any vacancies in the fields will be filled by horses in order of Panel preference.
There will be up to four (4) also-eligible horses for each Championship race, except for the Dirt Mile which will have up to six (6). The also-eligible horses will be designated in accordance with the Panel’s order of preference for each Championship race that is oversubscribed at the time of pre-entry. Scratch time for Friday Championship races will be 8 a.m. ET, Friday, Nov. 6, and scratch time for Saturday’s Championship races will be at 8 a.m. ET, Saturday, Nov. 7.
Click here for a complete list of pre-entries.
