Led by top U.S. contender Fierceness, Ireland-based City of Troy, and Japan’s Forever Young (JPN) in the $7 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1), Rebel’s Romance (IRE) in the $5 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1), and Idiomatic in the $2 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1), 212 of the best Thoroughbreds from around the globe have been pre-entered for the 2024 Breeders’ Cup World Championships.

The 41st running of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, Thoroughbred racing’s most prestigious two-day global event with purses and awards totaling more than $34 million, will be held Nov. 1-2 at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif. for a third time after coming to the seaside oval in 2017 and 2021. “Future Stars Friday” features five World Championships races exclusively for 2-year-olds, while a 12-race card featuring nine Breeders’ Cup Championship races makes up the “Championships Saturday” program.

Horses from a record five continents – Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, and South America – have targeted this year’s event as 80 international contenders have been pre-entered. The previous record was 60, set in 2023.

Fans can learn more about their favorite runners via the contender profiles at BreedersCup.com, which provide extensive statistics, race replays, news, photos, and more.

The Breeders’ Cup will be televised live domestically on NBC, Peacock, USA Network, and FanDuel TV. The NBC coverage includes a network window from 3:30-6 p.m. ET on Saturday, Nov. 2. Fans can visit BreedersCup.com/Watch for a detailed broadcast and streaming schedule. International live coverage is led by ITV4, Sky Sports, and RacingTV in the UK and Ireland, along with Green Channel in Japan, which will broadcast live from Del Mar. Additionally, the NBC World Feed will be sent to more than 150 countries around the globe.

The $7 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1), broadcast live on NBC and streamed live on Peacock, will be the centerpiece of the Championships Saturday program. New this year, to take advantage of the 2 1/2-hour national broadcast window on NBC, post time for the Classic will be 2:41 p.m. PT / 5:41 p.m. ET. There will be four Championship races before and four Championship races after the Classic, centering the marquee race as the end of the middle Pick 5 and the start of the late Pick 5 on the wagering menu. 

Four Breeders’ Cup Champions are back to seek success at the Breeders’ Cup: 2023 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G1) winner Big Evs (IRE), who will tackle the Prevagen Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (G1), Fierceness, winner of the 2023 FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) and a top contender for this year’s Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic, Idiomatic, back to defend her title in the Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff, and Rebel’s Romance, winner of the 2022 Longines Breeders’ Cup Turf.

In addition, 49 pre-entered horses earned automatic starting positions into the World Championships races through the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series: Win and You’re In.

“The record number of outstanding international contenders pre-entered this year speaks to the truly global nature of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships and is a testament to the connections who have targeted our festival of racing,” said Drew Fleming, President & CEO of Breeders’ Cup Limited. “We express our gratitude to the skilled individuals worldwide who provide the exceptional care that allows these remarkable Thoroughbreds to excel at the highest level. We also thank our hosts at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club for their wonderful hospitality and extend our appreciation to our breeders and nominators, whose dedication helps underwrite the World Championships. We also thank the bettors and fans from around the globe for their unwavering support, and look forward to hosting a Breeders’ Cup for the ages at Del Mar.”

CHAMPION FIERCENESS LEADS LONGINES BREEDERS’ CUP CLASSIC

Sixteen horses have been pre-entered in the Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic, run on the main track at 1 1/4 miles, led by Repole Stable’s homebred Fierceness. A son of 2018 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1) winner City of Light, Fierceness will take on older horses for the first time off back-to-back victories in the Aug. 24 Travers Stakes (G1) and the Jim Dandy Stakes (G2) in July. The Todd Pletcher trainee upset the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile to cap his 2023 season and was named champion 2-year-old male last year on the merits of that win. He held the No. 1 place in the 2024 Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic Rankings for the final five weeks of the 11-week poll.

City of Troy, the highest-rated turf horse in the world after his remarkable win in the Aug. 21 Juddmonte International Stakes (G1), looks to give trainer Aidan O’Brien an elusive Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic score as the trainer’s 18th starter in the marquee event. Bred in Kentucky but campaigned exclusively in Europe to date by Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor, and Derrick Smith, the son of 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify has won three in a row in Great Britain, starting with the June 1 Epsom Derby (G1) and adding the Coral Eclipse Stakes (G1) in July before his Juddmonte International tour de force.

Susumu Fujita’s Forever Young prepped for a return to the United States with an easy win in the Oct. 2 Japan Cup Dirt Classic at Ohi and has his connections dreaming of revenge after a narrow loss in the Kentucky Derby (G1) one start prior. The Real Steel (JPN) colt punched his ticket to the United States earlier this season with back-to-back wins in the Saudi Derby (G3) and UAE Derby (G2) and finished a narrow third behind fellow Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic contender Sierra Leone in the May 4 Run for the Roses.

The pre-entries for the Classic are completed by Arthur’s Ride, Derma Sotogake (JPN), Highland Falls, Mixto, Newgate, Next, Senor Buscador, Sierra Leone, Skippylongstocking, Tapit Trice, and Ushba Tesoro (JPN). Also-Eligible are Pyrenees and Rattle N Roll.

Next has second preference in the Longines Breeders’ Cup Turf while Senor Buscador, Skippylongstocking, and Derma Sotogake (JPN) have second preference in the Big Ass Fans Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1).

A total of 16 horses that have won the Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic have gone on to be named Horse of the Year.

REBEL’S ROMANCE RETURNS TO LONGINES BREEDERS’ CUP TURF

In the $5 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1) at 1 1/2 miles, Godolphin homebred Rebel’s Romance (IRE) returns in pursuit of the same form that saw him find the Breeders’ Cup winner’s circle in 2022. The 6-year-old Dubawi (IRE) gelding missed the World Championships last year but has won five of six starts for trainer Charlie Appleby this season, including the Longines Dubai Sheema Classic (G1) in March at Meydan, the Hong Kong Champions & Chater Cup (G1) in May at Sha Tin, and the Preis von Europa (G1) last time out in September at Koln.

The 17 pre-entries for the Longines Breeders’ Cup Turf are completed by Content (IRE), Continuous (JPN), El Encinal (ARG), Emily Upjohn (GB), Far Bridge, Gold Phoenix (IRE), Grand Sonata, Illinois (IRE), Jayarebe (FR), Luxembourg (IRE), Rousham Park (JPN), Shahryar (JPN), and Wingspan (IRE). Also-Eligible are Next, Cabo Spirit, and There Goes Harvard.

Content (IRE), Emily Upjohn (GB), and Wingspan (IRE) have first preference in the Maker’s Mark Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1). Next has first preference in the Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic.

IDIOMATIC AND THORPEDO ANNA FACE OFF IN LONGINES BREEDERS’ CUP DISTAFF
Soaring in off a dominant 6 1/2-length victory in the Oct. 6 Juddmonte Spinster Stakes (G1) at Keeneland, 2023 Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1) winner Idiomatic faces 3-year-old Thorpedo Anna in the 2024 renewal of the 1 1/8-mile test.

Bred and raced by Juddmonte, 5-year-old Idiomatic followed the same path to success for trainer Brad Cox last year, earning an automatic berth into the Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff in the Spinster Stakes via the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series before finding the Breeders’ Cup winner’s circle. The daughter of 2007 Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Curlin is a five-time Grade 1 winner.

Thorpedo Anna, campaigned by Brookdale Racing, Mark Edwards, breeder Judy B. Hicks, and Magdalena Racing, will make her way to the World Championships for the first time. Her fantastic sophomore season for trainer Kenny McPeek has included victories in the Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) in May, the Acorn Stakes (G1) in June, and the Coaching Club American Oaks (G1) in July, a narrow runner-up finish to Fierceness in the Travers Stakes in August, and a return to victory in the Sept. 21 Cotillion Stakes (G1), her most recent start.

The 12 pre-entries for the Distaff are completed by Awesome Result, Batucada, Candied, Che Evasora (ARG), Honor D Lady, Miss New York, Musical Mischief, Raging Sea, Sugar Fish, and Alice Verite (JPN). Alice Verite (JPN) has first preference in the Maker’s Mark Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf.

GLOBAL COVERAGE ON BREEDERSCUP.COM

For profiles of every Breeders’ Cup contender, features on key individuals and aspects, previews of the 14 Breeders’ Cup races, and more, fans can visit BreedersCup.com.

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A maximum of 14 starters are allowed in each of the 14 Breeders’ Cup World Championships races except for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint and the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint, which are 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 independent international panel of racing experts. The field selection system was implemented following the taking of pre-entries on Monday, Oct. 21, 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 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint and Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint, 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 was oversubscribed at the time of pre-entry. Scratch time for Friday Championship races will be 8 a.m. PT, Friday, Nov. 1, and scratch time for Saturday’s Championship races will be at 8 a.m. PT on Saturday, Nov. 2.