Breeders' Cup Dirt Dozen

The Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win and You're In returns for its 20th year in 2026 and the free entry fees total a record $6.5-million for the top contenders who will earn automatic berths into the Breeders' Cup World Championships, the organization said in a release on Wednesday. The North American portion of the series will again deliver a robust schedule of races throughout the United States and Canada leading into the 43rd Breeders' Cup World Championships Oct. 30-31 at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky. Winners of 95 qualifying...

In the race named after America's sweetheart, it was Sugar Fish (Accelerate--Madiera Park, by Langfuhr) who saved her best stride for the stretch and took home her second piece of graded Arcadian hardware in the GII Zenyatta Stakes. A modest auction buy with modest beginnings, the former $40,000 maiden claimer has risen through the ranks on a noticeably sharp incline, having sailed through her conditions since breaking her maiden Mar. 29 by 10 lengths, and finally finding herself the 9 3/4-length GII Summertime Oaks victress by June 8. Stepping up...

The 2024 schedule for the Breeders' Cup Dirt Dozen, an incentive-based participation bonus program for horsemen pointing runners to the dirt races in the Breeders' Cup World Championships, was released Monday. Launched in 2022, the 12-race program is comprised of existing graded stakes races scheduled from May through October at six tracks throughout the United States. "We are happy to once again offer our lucrative Dirt Dozen program," said Dora Delgado, Executive Vice President and Chief Racing Officer of Breeders' Cup Limited. "Each year $525,000 is offered in awards, and...