The Breeders' Cup Turf is run at 1 ½ miles on the grass course, for horses 3-years-old and older. The race attracts the top grass talent from Europe and North America to compete for a $4 million purse.

Breeders' Cup Turf

---

Recent Breeders' Cup Turf Winners

What is the Breeders' Cup Turf?

The Breeders' Cup Turf (Grade 1) is a Weight for Age Thoroughbred horse race on turf for three-year-olds and up since it's inauguration in 1984. It is held annually at a different racetrack in the United States or Canada as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships.

The forerunner for this race was the Washington, D.C. International Stakes at Laurel Park Racecourse. Inaugurated in 1952, it was raced on turf at 1-1/2 miles and drew the best horses from North America and Europe. A winner of this race was the American legend Kelso, albeit on his fourth attempt, after being second three times in a row.

Analyzing the statistical records, it has been found that the European contingents find it suitable to hold their feet in this event ever since the race started. Possibly due to the Breeders' Cup racing schedule - it generally takes place at the end of October or beginning of November every year - that is just at the end of European Racing Season. Another possibility may be the hot and humid weather condition at the Florida or Southern California Breeders' Cup sites.

Though the American owners have groomed some outstanding grass runners in the past, they have been defeated by the top-level European competitors in recent years. While comparing these facts to the world racing calendar, the Breeders' Cup Turf seems a North American championship race. British jockey Frankie Dettori has registered the most number of wins in the Breeders' Cup Turf category with three - capturing the race in 1999, 2001 and 2006. The Breeders' Cup Turf has come to be dominated by European horses that are reflected by the first four horses in the 2005 contest. High Chaparral, the then Irish champion - clinched the winning title back-to-back in 2002 and 2003, followed by Conduit with back-to-back wins in 2008 and 2009.

Bet the Breeders' Cup at OffTrackBetting.com

Beginning in 2007, the Breeders' Cup developed "The Breeders' Cup Challenge," a series of races in each division that allotted automatic qualifying bids to winners of defined races. Each of the fourteen divisions has between three and six of these "Win and You're In" qualifiers. In the Breeders' Cup Turf Division there are five automatic births. In 2011, the Win and You're In races were: the Takarazuka Kinen (G1) at Hanshin Racecourse, the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud (G1) at Saint-Cloud Racecourse, the United Nations S. (Gr.I) at Monmouth Park, the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth S. (G1) at Ascot, the Arlington Million (Gr.I) at Arlington Park, the Del Mar Handicap (Gr.II) at Del Mar, the Irish Champion S. (G1) at Leopardstown, the Qatar Prix Niel (G2) at Longchamp, the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational (Gr.I) at Belmont Park, and the Pattison Canadian International S. (Gr.I) at Woodbine Racetrack.

2024 BREEDERS' CUP RACE SCHEDULE