2017 Breeders' Cup Challenge series

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The 2017 Breeders' Cup Challenge series provided winners of the designated races an automatic "Win and You're In" Berth in the 2017 Breeders' Cup. Races were chosen by the Breeders' Cup organization and included key prep races in the various Breeders' Cup divisions from around the world.

2017 Breeders Cup

The 2017 Breeders' Cup World Championships was the 34th edition of the premier event of the North American thoroughbred horse racing year. The 13 races, all of which were Grade I, took place on November 3 and 4 at Del Mar Racetrack in Del Mar, California and were telecast by NBC and NBC Sports. The Breeders' Cup is generally regarded as the end of the North America racing season, although a few Grade I events take place in later November and December.

Breeders Cup Grade I Thoroughbred horse racing

The Breeders' Cup World Championships is an annual series of Grade I Thoroughbred horse races, operated by Breeders' Cup Limited, a company formed in 1982. From its inception in 1984 through 2006, it was a single-day event; starting in 2007, it expanded to two days. All sites have been in the United States, except in 1996, when the races were at the Woodbine Racetrack in Canada.

Contents

Summary

On April 12, 2017, the Breeders Cup organization announced that the 2017 Breeders' Cup Challenge would consist of 81 races from 13 countries. Compared to the 2016 Challenge Series, three races were added: the Belmont Sprint Championship Stakes, the Highlander Stakes and the First Lady Stakes. [1] The Gold Cup at Santa Anita, Belmont Oaks and Canadian Stakes were discontinued from the series.

The Breeders' Cup Challenge is a series of Thoroughbred horse races in the United States, Canada, Europe, Japan, Australia, South Africa and South America, in which the winner earns an automatic spot in a specified Breeders' Cup race. The challenge races change somewhat each year.

The 2016 Breeders' Cup Challenge series provided winners of the designated races an automatic "Win and You're In" Berth in the 2016 Breeders' Cup. Races were chosen by the Breeders' Cup organization and included key prep races in the various Breeders' Cup divisions from around the world.

The Belmont Sprint Championship Stakes is a Grade II American Thoroughbred horse race for horses aged three years old and up. It is held over a distance of seven furlongs on the dirt and is currently run in early July at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. Prior to 2014, it was run at Saratoga Race Course as the James Marvin Stakes. For 2017, the purse was reduced from $400,000 to $350,000.

Fifty pre-entrants in the 2017 Breeders' Cup qualified via the Challenge series, which was particularly important as seven of the Breeders' Cup races were oversubscribed. A maximum of 14 horses (12 in the Turf Sprint) are allowed to start in each race. Winners of the Challenge races are given automatic entries, while other pre-entries are ranked by a points system and the judgement of a panel of experts. [2] [3]

A few challenge series winners could not compete at the 2017 Breeders' Cup due to injury or retirement. Two-time Eclipse Award winner Songbird qualified for the Distaff by winning the Ogden Phipps Stakes but was retired in August due to injury. [4] Bal a Bali, winner of the Shoemaker Mile Stakes, was retired in October because he was not training at a high enough level. [5] Ulysses was a late scratch due to an ankle injury. [6]

The Eclipse Award is an American thoroughbred horse racing award named after the 18th century British racehorse and sire, Eclipse. The Eclipse Awards were created by three independent bodies in 1971 to honor the champions of the sport. Although widely viewed as a national standard, they are not an official national award as Thoroughbred racing in the United States has no sport governing body. Rather, the Eclipse Awards are sponsored by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA), Daily Racing Form and the National Turf Writers Association who select all finalists at the end of the year. Those same voters then vote any of the three finalists in each category. Winners are announced in January of the next year. J. B. Faulconer, the first full-time publicity director at Keeneland, is credited with starting the Eclipse Award program. The Lexington, Kentucky artist and sculptor Adalin Wichman designed the Eclipse Award, each of which is individually cast in the traditional lost wax method and is hand finished.

Songbird (horse) race horse

Songbird is a retired American Thoroughbred racehorse who was a two-time Eclipse Award winner. She won thirteen times, nine of them in Grade I races, and had career earnings of almost $4.7 million.

Bal a Bali is a Brazilian-bred Thoroughbred racehorse that won the Brazilian Triple Crown in 2014, the twelfth horse to do so. He was named the Brazilian Horse of the Year of 2013/2014, having won all eight starts that year with several track records to his credit.

Five winners of Challenge series races went on to win their respective division at the Breeders' Cup: [7] [8]

Forever Unbridled

Forever Unbridled is a retired American Thoroughbred racehorse who is best known for winning the 2017 Breeders' Cup Distaff at age five after winning the Fleur de Lis Handicap and Personal Ensign Stakes earlier that year. She also won two Group I stakes races at age four before finishing third in the 2016 Distaff.

Roy H

Roy H is a Thoroughbred racehorse who is the two time winner of the Breeders' Cup Sprint. He was named the American Champion Sprint Horse of 2017 and 2018. He did not start racing until age three, when he won only one race, and he was winless at age four. In 2017 at age five however, he developed into the best sprinter in North America by winning the True North Stakes, Santa Anita Sprint Championship and Breeders' Cup Sprint. In 2018, he defended his wins in the Breeders' Cup Sprint and Santa Anita Sprint Championship, plus finished second in the Bing Crosby Stakes and third in the Dubai Golden Shaheen.

World Approval is a retired American Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the 2017 Breeders' Cup Mile. A minor stakes winner at age three, he won his first Grade I race at age four in the United Nations Stakes. At age five, he won five of six starts including the Grade I Fourstardave Handicap and Woodbine Mile before his victory at the Breeders' Cup.

Winners

The winners of the 2017 Breeders' Cup Challenge series races are shown below. [9] [10] The last column shows if the winner was subsequently pre-entered in the corresponding Breeders' Cup race [11] and if so, whether they finished in the top three positions. [7] [8]

MonthRaceTrackLocationDivisionWinnerBC Status
January Paddock Stakes KenilworthSouth Africa Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf Bela Belanot entered
January Queen's Plate KenilworthSouth Africa Breeders' Cup Mile Legal Eaglenot entered
February February Stakes Tokyo Japan Breeders' Cup Classic Gold Dreamnot entered
April Doncaster Mile Randwick Australia Breeders' Cup Mile It's Somewhatnot entered
April TJ Smith Stakes Randwick Australia Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint Chautauqua not entered
April Queen of the Turf Stakes Randwick Australia Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf Foxplaynot entered
May Gran Premio Criadores PalermoArgentina Breeders' Cup Distaff Kiriaki not entered
May Gran Premio 25 de Mayo San Isidro Argentina Breeders' Cup Turf Sixties Songnot entered
May Gran Premio Club Hipico Falabella Santiago Chile Breeders' Cup Mile Top Casablancanot entered
June Shoemaker Mile Santa Anita California Breeders' Cup Mile Bal a Bali injured [5]
June Yasuda Kinen Tokyo Japan Breeders' Cup Mile Satono Aladdinnot entered
June Ogden Phipps Stakes Belmont Park New York Breeders' Cup Distaff Songbird injured [4]
June Metropolitan Handicap Belmont Park New York Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile Mor Spirit entered
June Gran Prêmio Brasil Hipódromo da Gávea Brazil Breeders' Cup Turf Voador Mageenot entered
June Stephen Foster Handicap Churchill Downs Kentucky Breeders' Cup Classic Gun Runner won
June Fleur de Lis Handicap Churchill Downs Kentucky Breeders' Cup Distaff Forever Unbridled won
June Gran Premio Pamplona Monterrico Peru Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf Birdie Goldentered
June Takarazuka Kinen Hanshin Japan Breeders' Cup Turf Satono Crown not entered
July Princess Rooney Handicap Gulfstream Park Florida Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint Curlin's Approvalentered
July Smile Sprint Handicap Gulfstream Park Florida Breeders' Cup Sprint Imperial Hintsecond
July Highlander Stakes Woodbine Canada Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint Green Masknot entered
July Belmont Sprint Championship Stakes Belmont Park New York Breeders' Cup Sprint Mind Your Biscuits third
July Bing Crosby Handicap Del Mar California Breeders' Cup Sprint Ransom the Moonentered
July King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes Ascot England Breeders' Cup Turf Enable not entered
July Haskell Invitational Monmouth New Jersey Breeders' Cup Classic Girvin not entered
July Clement L. Hirsch Stakes Del Mar California Breeders' Cup Distaff Stellar Wind entered
August Sussex Stakes Goodwood England Breeders' Cup Mile Here Comes Whennot entered
August Whitney Handicap Saratoga New York Breeders' Cup Classic Gun Runner won
August Beverly D. Stakes Arlington Illinois Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf Dacitaentered
August Arlington Million Arlington Illinois Breeders' Cup Turf Beach Patrolsecond
August Pacific Classic Del Mar California Breeders' Cup Classic Collectedsecond
August Del Mar Handicap Del Mar California Breeders' Cup Turf Huntentered
August Prix Jacques Le Marois Deauville France Breeders' Cup Mile Al Wukairnot entered
August Juddmonte International York England Breeders' Cup Turf Ulysses scratched
August Yorkshire Oaks York England Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf Enable not entered
August Nunthorpe Stakes York England Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint Marshaentered
August Personal Ensign Stakes Saratoga New York Breeders' Cup Distaff Forever Unbridled won
August Ballerina Stakes Saratoga New York Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint By the Moonentered
August Sword Dancer Invitational Saratoga New York Breeders' Cup Turf Sadler's Joyentered
August Forego Stakes Saratoga New York Breeders' Cup Sprint Drefong entered
August Pat O'Brien Handicap Del Mar California Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile Giant Expectations entered
September T. Von Zastrow Stutenpreis Baden-Baden Germany Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf Ashiananot entered
September Spinaway Stakes Saratoga New York Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Lady Ivankascratched
September Grosser Preis von Baden Baden-Baden Germany Breeders' Cup Turf Guignolnot entered
September Juvenile Stakes Leopardstown Ireland Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Nelson withdrawn [12]
September Matron Stakes Leopardstown Ireland Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf Hydrangeanot entered
September Irish Champion Stakes Leopardstown Ireland Breeders' Cup Turf Decorated Knightentered
September Moyglare Stud Stakes Curragh Ireland Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf Happily entered
September Flying Five Stakes Curragh Ireland Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint Caravaggio not entered
September Pocahontas Stakes Churchill Downs Kentucky Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Patrona Margaritanot entered
September Iroquois Stakes Churchill Downs Kentucky Breeders' Cup Juvenile The Tabulatorentered
September Woodbine Mile Woodbine Canada Breeders' Cup Mile World Approval won
September Natalma Stakes Woodbine Canada Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf Capla Temptress entered
September Summer Stakes Woodbine Canada Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Untamed Domain second
September Rockfel Stakes Newmarket England Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf Juliet Capulet entered
September Royal Lodge Stakes Newmarket England Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Roaring Lion not entered
September Vosburgh Stakes Belmont Park New York Breeders' Cup Sprint Takafulentered
September Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational Stakes Belmont Park New York Breeders' Cup Turf Beach Patrolsecond
September FrontRunner Stakes Santa Anita California Breeders' Cup Juvenile Bolt d'Oro third
September Zenyatta Stakes Santa Anita California Breeders' Cup Distaff Paradise Woods third
September Chandelier Stakes Santa Anita California Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Moonshine Memoriesentered
September Rodeo Drive Stakes Santa Anita California Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf Avengeentered
September Awesome Again Stakes Santa Anita California Breeders' Cup Classic Mubtaahij entered
September Sprinters Stakes Nakayama Japan Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint Red Falxnot entered
October Prix de l'Opéra Chantilly France Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf Rhododendron second
October Prix Jean-Luc Lagardère Chantilly France Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Happily entered Fillies Turf
October Prix Marcel Boussac Chantilly France Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf Wild Illusion not entered
October Phoenix Stakes Keeneland Kentucky Breeders' Cup Sprint Whitmoreentered
October Alcibiades Stakes Keeneland Kentucky Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Heavenly Loveentered
October Champagne Stakes Belmont Park New York Breeders' Cup Juvenile Firenze Fireentered
October Jockey Club Gold Cup Belmont Park New York Breeders' Cup Classic Diversifywithdrawn [13]
October First Lady Stakes Keeneland Kentucky Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf Zipessaentered
October Thoroughbred Club of America Stakes Keeneland Kentucky Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint Finley'sluckycharmentered
October Shadwell Turf Mile Stakes Keeneland Kentucky Breeders' Cup Mile Suedoisentered
October Breeders' Futurity Stakes Keeneland Kentucky Breeders' Cup Juvenile Free Drop Billyentered
October Santa Anita Sprint Championship Santa Anita California Breeders' Cup Sprint Roy Hwon
October Flower Bowl Invitational Belmont Park New York Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf War Flagentered
October Frizette Stakes Belmont Park New York Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Separationofpowersentered
October Bourbon Stakes Keeneland Kentucky Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Flameaway entered
October Spinster Stakes Keeneland Kentucky Breeders' Cup Distaff Romantic Vision entered
October Jessamine Stakes Keeneland Kentucky Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf Rushing Fall won

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References

  1. ↑ "Del Mar to Host Five Breeders' Cup Challenge Races During Summer Meeting". www.dmtc.com. Retrieved 12 April 2017.
  2. ↑ "Nine Previous Winners Pre-Entered in 2017 Breeders' Cup". BloodHorse.com. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
  3. ↑ "ARROGATE, GUN RUNNER, STELLAR WIND, HIGHLAND REEL (IRE), ULYSSES (IRE), LADY ELI AND BOLT D'ORO LEAD 187 HORSES PRE-ENTERED FOR 2017 BREEDERS' CUP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS AT DEL MAR | Breeders' Cup". www.breederscup.com. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
  4. 1 2 "Champion Songbird Retired". BloodHorse.com. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
  5. 1 2 "Bal a Bali Retired to Calumet Farm". BloodHorse.com. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
  6. ↑ "Ulysses Scratched From Breeders' Cup Turf". BloodHorse.com. Retrieved 4 November 2017.
  7. 1 2 "Charts for the 2017 Breeders Cup - Friday" (PDF). Equibase. Retrieved 4 November 2017.
  8. 1 2 "Charts for the 2017 Breeders Cup - Saturday" (PDF). Equibase. Retrieved 4 November 2017.
  9. ↑ "Breeders' Cup Challenge Races - North American winners". www.bloodhorse.com. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
  10. ↑ "Breeders' Cup Challenge". www.drf.com. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
  11. ↑ "Breeders' Cup Pre-entries for 2017" (PDF). BloodHorse.com. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
  12. ↑ "Nelson Likely Done Racing for the Year". BloodHorse.com. Retrieved 4 November 2017.
  13. ↑ "Diversify to Skip Breeders' Cup Classic". BloodHorse.com. Retrieved 30 October 2017.
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