The Turf Sprint, for horses 3-years of age and older, combines both speed and agility for international competitors over six and a half furlongs on the downhill turf course at Santa Anita Park.

Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint

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Recent Breeders Cup' Turf Sprint Winners

What is the Breeders Cup' Turf Sprint?

The Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint is a Weight for Age stakes race for thoroughbred racehorses three years old and up. As its name implies, it is a part of the Breeders' Cup thoroughbred championships, the de facto year-end championship for North American thoroughbred racing. The distance of the race will vary depending on the host track's turf course requirements.

The Turf Sprint is a fast and furious charge across the downhill turf course and into the homestretch at Santa Anita Park this year. Run at approximately 1400 yards (6.5 furlongs) for horses 3-years of age and older, this race combines both speed and agility for the international competitors. The race was run for the first time in 2008 during the second day of Breeders' Cup racing at that year's host track, Santa Anita Park.

Distance : 6.5 Furlongs

The 2008 race was held at a distance of six and a half furlongs and was contested on Santa Anita's signature El Camino Real "downhill" turf course. In 2008 the race was limited to 14 starters. Besides Santa Anita, the only tracks in North America capable of contesting longer than six and 1/2 furlong turf races are Woodbine and Belmont. Churchill Downs, which has hosted the Breeders' Cup eight times, only conducts turf sprints at 5 furlongs. Breeders' Cup Officials did announce a preferred distance for the race, unlike all other Breeders' Cup races.

Because of technical requirements, it was not eligible for classification as a graded stakes race in its first two runnings. Starting in 2010, it was a Grade II race, and was upgraded to Grade I for 2012.

Automatic Berths
Beginning in 2007, the Breeders' Cup developed "The Breeders' Cup Challenge," a series of races in each division that alloted 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 Distaff Division there are four automatic births.

2017 BREEDERS' CUP RACE SCHEDULE