racing_news/

England to Host Four Breeders’ Cup Challenge Races
22/06/09

WINNERS OF ASCOT’S QUEEN ELIZABETH II, FILLIES’ MILE AND ROYAL LODGE AND NEWMARKET’S EMIRATES AIRLINE CHAMPION STAKES TO EARN AUTOMATIC BERTHS INTO WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS AT SANTA ANITA PARK.

NEW YORK -- (June 22, 2009) - As a part of its increased global expansion, the Breeders’ Cup announced today that the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes sponsored by Sony (G1), Meon Valley Stud Fillies’ Mile (G1) and Juddmonte Royal Lodge Stakes (G2) at Ascot on Sept. 26, and the Emirates Airline Champion Stakes (G1) at Newmarket on Oct. 17, have been selected to the 2009 Breeders’ Cup Challenge series. The winners of all four British races will earn automatic starting berths into the $25.5 million Breeders' Cup World Championships at the Oak Tree Racing Association meeting at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California, Nov. 6, 7.

The Breeders’ Cup Challenge, with its “Win and You’re In” provision, is an international series of 62 stakes races, whose winners earn qualifying positions into a corresponding race at the World Championships, following the payment applicable entry fees on Oct. 26. This year, Breeders’ Cup has increased the international Challenge races from four to 12 events, and they will be held at the world’s premier racetracks in Australia (Moonee Valley), Ireland (The Curragh, Leopardstown and Dundalk), France (Deauville and Longchamp) and Hong Kong (Sha Tin), in addition to Ascot and Newmarket. The 2009 Breeders' Cup Challenge races will begin in the U.S. on July 4 with qualifying events from Monmouth Park in Oceanport, New Jersey: the United Nations (gr. I) on turf, and the Salvator Mile (gr. III).

The Queen Elizabeth II is an automatic qualifier for the $2 million (US) Breeders’ Cup Mile on turf. The Meon Valley Stud Fillies’ Mile is an automatic qualifier for the $1 million (US) Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at one mile for 2-year-old fillies; the Juddmonte Royal Lodge is a qualifier for the $1 million (US) Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf for 2-year-old colts and geldings at one mile and the Emirates Airline Champion Stakes at Newmarket is a qualifier for the $3 million (US) Emirates Airline Breeders’ Cup Turf at 1 ½ miles.

DATE TRACK BREDERS’ CUP CHALLENGE RACE BREEDERS’ CUP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS RACE

Sept. 26 Ascot Queen Elizabeth II Stakes sponsored by Sony $2 million
Breeders’ Cup Mile

Sept. 26 Ascot Juddmonte Royal Lodge Stakes $1 million
Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf

Sept. 26 Ascot Meon Valley Stud Fillies’ Mile $1 million
Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf

Oct. 17 Newmarket Emirates Airline Champion Stakes $3 million
Breeders’ Cup Turf

All four Breeders Cup Challenge races in England will also receive an additional $50,000 (US) from the Breeders’ Cup in Owners’ Premiums. A Breeders’ Cup nominated horse that finishes in one of the three top positions will earn a portion of the Premium. These races are among 11 international Challenge stakes that will be enhanced with $50,000 in Owners’ Premiums for horses nominated to the Breeders’ Cup program.

“We are excited to return the Breeders’ Cup Challenge races to Ascot and welcome Newmaket and the Emirates Airline Champion Stakes to the Breeders’ Cup Challenge,” said Breeders’ Cup President and CEO Greg Avioli. “We are always striving to make the Breeders’ Cup more inclusive to our international horsemen and fans. British racing has been a long and valued partner to the success of the Breeders’ Cup, and the selection of the Ascot and Newmarket races for the series strengthens the link of the world’s greatest races and racehorses to the Breeders’ Cup.”

“We’re delighted to be involved in ‘Win and You’re In’ for the second time and pleased that the portfolio of linked races has been extended to include the Emirates Airline Champion Stakes in October, said Charles Barnett, Chief Executive of Ascot Racecourse. “The QEII is consistently rated amongst the top mile races in the world and is Europe’s undisputed mile championship, highlighted by Raven’s Pass’s defeat of Henrythenavigator in 2008. We look forward to working with Breeders’ Cup to promote the Santa Anita championships to the connections of all three of our included races.”

Newmarket Racecourses Managing Director Stephen Wallis said: "The Emirates Airline Champion Stakes is the most important all-aged race staged at the end of the British Flat season. In Emirates Airline, it shares a sponsor with the Breeders' Cup Turf, and we are delighted that through the Challenge series a mechanism has been created which will hopefully result in a horse winning both races."

The international Breeders’ Cup Challenge debuted in Europe last year at the Ascot Festival with the Queen Elizabeth II, the Royal Lodge and the Fillles’ Mile. H.R.H. Princess Haya and Darley Stable’s Raven’s Pass defeated Mrs. John Magnier’s Henrythenavigator in the Queen Elizabeth II to qualify for a starting position in the Breeders’ Cup Mile. However, Raven’s Pass was instead entered in the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita, which he won by 1 ¾ lengths over Henrythenavigator.

In 2000, Champion Stakes winner Kalanisi (IRE) won the Breeders’ Cup Turf at Churchill Downs for HH the Aga Khan.

Since its inception in 1984, 35 horses from Europe have won Breeders’ Cup races. Last year, an unprecedented five Breeders’ Cup winners came from overseas.

The 2009 international Breeders’ Cup Challenge began in April with the Champions Mile (G1) in Hong Kong, won by Sight Winner, who earned a starting berth into the $2 million (US) Breeders’ Cup Mile. The first European challenge race of 2009 will be the Audi Pretty Polly Stakes (G1) at The Curragh in Ireland on June 27 for an automatic berth in the $2 million (US) Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf. Among the other new international Challenge races this year are the Tattersalls Millions Irish Champion Stakes (G1) at Leopardstown (Sept. 9) for a starting position in the $3 million (US) Emirates Airline Breeders’ Cup Turf; the Moyglare Stud (G1) at The Curragh on Aug. 30 for a starting position in the $1 million (US) Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf; the Diamond Stakes (G3) at Dundalk on Oct. 2 for a starting position in the $500,000 (US) Breeders’ Cup Marathon; and three automatic qualifiers for the $1 million (US) Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint: the Prix Maurice de Gheest at Deauville (G1) on Aug. 9, the Cleanevent Manikato Stakes (G1) at Moonee Valley in Australia on Sept. 25 and the Qatar Prix de L’Abbaye at Longchamp (G1) on Oct. 4.

The North American racetracks participating in the series are as follows: Belmont Park in New York, Del Mar near San Diego, Calder Race Course in Miami, Arlington Park in Chicago, Emerald Downs in Seattle; Delaware Park, Monmouth Park and Philadelphia Park in the Middle Atlantic; Turfway Park and Keeneland in Kentucky; Santa Anita Park; and Woodbine in Toronto.

The Breeders’ Cup Challenge, which began in 2007 with 25 races at six U.S. racetracks and Sha Tin in Hong Kong, was increased to 57 races at 12 tracks last year. The 2008 series for the first time included races in Canada from Woodbine and in Great Britain at Ascot Racecourse. In 2008, 34 of the 57 Challenge race winners completed in the Breeders’ Cup. Five of them won races at the Championships, led by Raven’s Pass. The other winners were Zenyatta, who won the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic on Championship Friday; Forever Together, Emirates Airline Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf; Stardom Bound, Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies and Maram, Grey Goose Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf.