The 39th running of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships will be held again at the historic Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky, this November 4-5. The annual event is going to be once again the premiere horse racing event this year, 2022, with a total of 14 Championship races and a whopping $31+ million worth of purses and awards.
Before the world championship, there will be Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In” Challenge Series races that’ll take place worldwide. These races are also important as you’ll get to see the dark horses and other participants race in these events. The months of September and October are now heating up as the final rounds of these prep races are about to end. Here are some races and events to watch for this upcoming September and October.
Irish Champion Stakes
Longines Irish Champions Weekend, one of the leading international racing festivals, features the Irish Champion Stakes (G1). It’s a 1 mile and 2 furlongs flat race open to horses aged three years or older. Every year, it takes place across Ireland’s leading racecourses, Leopardstown Racecourse and Curragh Racecourse, every September 10-11.
Now in its tenth year, the prize money is around €3.9 million or around US$3.8 million. The race comes with six Group 1 races and the Irish Flat season’s final Classic, where the eventual Breeders’ Cup Turf champion has to win in five different events. That’s why it’s known as “the shining triumph” of Irish flat racing.
Get ready for the electric and unforgettable ambiance full of off-track live entertainment and gourmet food and drinks at Leopardstown on Saturday too! Additionally, Sunday at the Curragh, now rivaling the world’s best sporting destinations after its redevelopment, features the Comer Group International Irish St. Leger. It also hosts Parade of Champions and Family Day—all great for kids!
Ricoh Woodbine Mile
If Ireland has Longines Irish Champions Weekend, Canada has a Turf showcase weekend at Woodbine, Toronto, Canada. On the Canadian racing calendar for older turf horses, the event features the Ricoh Woodbine Mile, renowned as the most reputable and affluent. The mile is currently sponsored by Bell Canada, leading on a remarkable field for a $1 million-worth race.
Like the Irish Champion Stakes, the Ricoh Woodbine Mile is another Grade I stakes race. It’s also a flat race run at 1 mile (8 furlongs) by three-year-olds and up. This year, it’ll retake place at Woodbine Racetrack on September 17, Saturday. It’s a qualifying race for the Breeders’ Cup Turf Mile and will be joined by Natalma Stakes and Pattison Summer Stakes, both parts of the 2022 breeders cup challenge series.
Santa Anita Autumn Meet
The end of September features a distinctly Californian flavor with a total of 15 graded out of 26 stakes held at the Santa Anita Park, Arcadia, California, USA. This annual 18-day Autumn Meet will open on September 30 this year. Moreover, keep tabs on the three Grade I Breeders’ Cup stakes during the first two weekends of the Autumn Meet schedule.
First, on October 1, is the $300,000 Awesome Again Stakes (G1), a prep for the $6 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1). Second, on October 8 is the $300,000 American Pharoah Stakes (G1), a prep for the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1). Lastly, on the same day on October 8 is the $300,000 Rodeo Drive Stakes (G1T), a prep to the $2 million Maker’s Mark Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf (G1T).
Everything on the 2022 Autumn Meet Stakes Schedule is the same as in 2021, except for a few increased purses. For instance, Golden State Juvenile Fillies and Golden State Juvenile both now offer purse money of $175,000 from $150,000. Another is the Anoakia and the Unzip Me, which had their race purse raised from $75,000 to $85,000. Even the Lure and the Swingtime, the two restricted stakes, now have purses of $80,000 from $70,000 last year.
Keeneland Fall Meet
October then continues with the much-anticipated Keeneland’s 2022 Fall Race Meet. It’ll open with eleven stakes on October 7, Friday, and will continue through October 29, Saturday. Nine are parts of the Breeders’ Cup “Win And You’re In” Challenge Series.
Of these nine prep races for the Breeders’ Cup, five are Grade I. These include the $400,000 Darley Alcibiades Stakes, $600,000 Shadwell Turf Mile Stakes, $500,000 Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity, $400,000 First Lady Presented by UK HealthCare, and the $500,000 Juddmonte Spinster.
Final Thoughts
A win from any race of the Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In” Challenge Series is more than any horse owners, trainers, and jockeys could ask for. It means a free entry and an automatic starting position into the World Championships in Keeneland this coming November 4-5. Hence, it’s the shortest shortcut toward the Breeders’ Cup World Championships.
