Drew Fleming

The Real Rider Cup, a charity show jumping competition created to support Thoroughbred aftercare, has partnered with Breeders' Cup Charities and Keeneland for its 10th anniversary year, each of whom will field a team of riders and have committed to match their respective team's total raised up to $5,000. Set for Saturday, July 11th in Lexington, KY, the Real Rider Cup encourages participating riders to pledge fundraising efforts for RRC beneficiaries, all while increasing awareness and "fostering a spirit of collaboration and community between the racing, aftercare, and equestrian industries."...

Community leaders and Thoroughbred racing executives gathered at Keeneland Race Course to officially welcome the return of the Breeders' Cup World Championships to central Kentucky, marking a highly anticipated homecoming for one of the sport's most prestigious global events, the organization said via a press release on Tuesday. Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton, Keeneland President & CEO Shannon Arvin, Breeders' Cup Limited President & CEO Drew Fleming, and Kip Cornett, Chair of the Breeders' Cup Festival, joined to commemorate the occasion and highlight the significance of hosting the 2026 Breeders' Cup...

Edited Press Release  The 2025 Breeders' Cup World Championships at Del Mar provided an economic boost to the San Diego region estimated at $125-million in total industry output, it was announced by Breeders' Cup Monday. Citing an independent study conducted by Sport Management Research Institute, the organization said that the report found the World Championships supported 1,023 jobs across the region, generating $51.8-million in labor income, and $80.2-million in value added (equivalent to GDP). In addition, $11-million in federal taxes and $7.6-million in state and local taxes were generated. Applicable...

Breeders' Cup Charities, the official outreach program of the Breeders' Cup World Championships, will make more than $650,000 in charitable donations. A Thursday afternoon release by the organization said the funds were a result of a revitalized philanthropic effort launched in the second half of 2025. Breeders' Cup Limited makes a direct contribution of all royalties from merchandise sales, while 2025 Breeders' Cup Charities programs included an Annual Day of Giving, a "Champions Give Back" fundraising initiative, and a post-Breeders' Cup online auction of memorabilia and experiences. The initiative is...

Breeders' Cup Limited has joined with Brown Advisory, an independent investment management and strategic advisory firm serving individuals, families, nonprofits, institutions, and financial intermediaries worldwide, as an official partner of the 2026 Breeders' Cup World Championships, the group announced Thursday. Under the agreement, Brown Advisory becomes the name-in-title partner of the $1 million GI Brown Advisory Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf. "We are delighted to welcome Brown Advisory as a new official partner of the World Championships," said Drew Fleming, President & CEO of Breeders' Cup Limited. "With a strong global...

Drew Fleming, the president and chief executive officer of Breeders' Cup Limited, and Elliott Walden, president, CEO and racing manager for WinStar Farm, have been elected as directors of the board of the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance, the organization said in a release Monday. For a second consecutive year, Walter S. Robertson, Jr., a member of the law firm Stites & Barbison PLLC, will serve as TAA president. "I am honored to continue serving as President of the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance and grateful for the continued confidence of the Board of...

The $3-million GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational will for the first time be included in the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win and You're In, Breeders' Cup Limited and 1/ST announced Thursday. The Breeders' Cup Challenge Series is an international series of 94 stakes races in 15 countries whose winners will receive automatic starting positions and fees paid into a corresponding race at the 2026 Breeders' Cup World Championships, scheduled to be held Oct. 30-31 at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington. As part of the global series of automatic qualifying races...

A total of 207 pre-entries from around the globe--including some 58 from overseas-based gallopers--was announced Wednesday afternoon for the 14 races comprising the 42nd running of the Breeders' Cup World Championships to be held Friday, Oct. 31 and Saturday, Nov. 1, at the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club on the shores of the Pacific Ocean. The GI Longines Breeders' Cup Classic is the richest of the weekend's contests at $7 million and has attracted 11 pre-entries, headed by Godolphin's dual Classic winner Sovereignty (Into Mischief), who will look to make the...

The International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) held the 59th International Conference of Horseracing Authorities (ICHA) at Le Méridien Paris Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France on Monday. During this year's Conference, there was a particular focus on racing betting, both in the legal and illegal markets, along with marketing and customer experience. Throughout the course of the day, 165 delegates from around 40 countries heard from leaders from around the globe on these pressing topics. "The International Conference has for many years provided a platform for all of us,...

To strengthen industry support and impact, Breeders' Cup Limited will donate all royalties from merchandise purchases to Breeders' Cup Charities, as well as host an Annual Day of Giving July 23. The official outreach program of the Breeders' Cup World Championships, Breeders' Cup Charities will lend support to the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance, the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund, the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation, and the Race Track Chaplaincy of America in 2025. These charities highlight five key pillars for the organization: Thoroughbred aftercare, jockey health and wellness, backstretch and industry workers,...

The Breeders' Cup will be held at Keeneland Race Course and the new Belmont Park for the 2026 and 2027 Breeders' Cup World Championships, the company announced in a joint statement with NYRA and Keeneland Wednesday. The Breeders' Cup at Keeneland will take place Oct. 30-31, 2026, while the Belmont Park edition will be held Oct. 29-30, 2027, pending approval by the host tracks' respective states. "The Breeders' Cup, Keeneland, and Belmont Park share many core values, including a steadfast commitment to excellence and Thoroughbred racing, and there is no...

The 2025 "Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win and You're In" television schedule, consisting of five live programs across NBC, FOX, Peacock, and CNBC, was revealed Thursday. Now in its 12th year of programming, the "Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win and You're In" spotlights North America's top horses as they compete for an automatic starting position, and free entry, into a corresponding divisional race at the Breeders' Cup World Championships. Thoroughbred racing's year-end international festival of racing will be held Oct. 31-Nov. 1 at Del Mar. "The Breeders' Cup Challenge Series...