A Brief History Of The Breeders' Cup

With less than 4 months left until the Breeders’ Cup, we want to start the hype by looking back at the tournament’s history. It’s too early to think about the competitors, but that doesn’t mean we can’t appreciate the journey this championship has taken.

Let’s walk through history, to see if the past can help us map out the breeders cup odds.

The First-Ever Breeder’s Cup

The Breeder’s Cup was founded in 1982, but the first-ever event wasn’t conducted until 1984. This makes the Breeder’s Cup one of the youngest competitions in horse racing history.

It was created to encourage breeders from across the world to show off their top horses. Europe was especially targeted, as the best breeders were often Irish or English. Bringing the European horses into this cup allowed American horses and jockeys to compete against the best.

Originally, the race was rejected by many riders and viewers alike. The public didn’t think integration was needed or wanted. It wasn’t until John Neurd (Hall of Fame trainer, and legend in the racing community), showed public support for the cup that the crowd changed its mind.

The first-ever race, in 1984, was won by Wild Again, ridden by Pat Day, and trained by Vincent Timphony. They won the race in the longest time, as each year the trainers got used to the format and pushed further. Finishing with a time of 2:03:04, the team took home $3,000,000. That translates to $8,439,730.51 today.

This was a large prize fund for a new race, and it was mostly paid through fees from the competitors in the race.

Creating A Two Day Event

Until 2007, the Breeders’ Cup was just a single-day event. The CEO of the time, Greg Avioli, was determined to keep the Breeders’ Cup expanding. Looking back on their roots, he wanted to return to the international stage, and bring in champions from across the world.

To do this, an extra day was needed, as by this time the world of racing wasn’t just a Westerners game. As Avioli said, “We will continue to focus on growing the international market for our championships, creating a successful two-day event”.

Under Avioli’s guidance, the Breeders’ Cup made an alliance with Hong Kong Jockey Club, creating a marketing bridge between the two areas. This meant they could both advertise for the other, allowing their riders to compete in each other's competitions. This bridged the gap in Hong Kong jockeys and created a new group of champions to join in American racing.

Avoili also managed to produce the most financially successful Breeders’ Cup day ever, in 2008. The first day was dedicated to female horses, and the winning prize money was a jaw-dropping $25,000,000 over both days. The first day raking up $20,000,000.

The first day of the Breeders’ Cup became known as the richest day in sport.

Despite the first day being the most lucrative, the second day has the most races. There are 5 races on day one, all for the juveniles; and 8 races on day two aimed at Longines, Mares, and sprint racing.

Introducing The Breeders’ Cup Challenge

The Breeders’ Cup Challenge was also introduced in 2007, the year of change. The challenge is a series of races for thoroughbreds. It started off as 73 races in 10 countries, but there have been as many as 90 races in a year, total.

If you won one of these races, you were automatically added to the Breeders’ Cup with your entry fee and travel allowance paid for you. The idea is simple - “If you win, you’re in”.

The challenge has been unbelievably successful, allowing low-financed jockeys to earn their way to the biggest paying horse racing competition. The main countries that are always involved are North America, Hong Kong, England, Ireland, South Africa, Australia, France, and Japan.

The Juvenile Sprint

In 2011, the Juvenile Sprint was introduced. It allowed two-year-olds to compete for a purse of $500,000. The horses had to be colts, geldings, or fillies and allowed breeders and trainers to show off the horses before their prime.

The first race, however, wasn’t allowed to be graded in the stakes. This was because the American Graded Stakes Committee ruled that races have to be consistent for two years before allowing a grade. This put a spanner in the works, so much so that in 2013 (a year it could be graded), the board of directors chose to scrap the race.

This judgment ended up being a good call, as the committee announced that the race didn’t meet championship standards and that the course would have a negative impact on the young horses.

The Grand Slam of Thoroughbred Racing

The Grand Slam has only been won once since the Breeders’ Cup started in 1984.

The Triple Crown is when a jockey and their horse win the Kentucky Derby, Belmont Stakes, and the Preakness Stakes. This feat has only been achieved twice since 1984, but the Grand Slam is when the Triple Crown winner also wins the Breeder’s Cup.

In a string of wins, the likelihood of someone taking home all four trophies is slim and yet in 2015, Victor Espinoza did it. Riding American Pharoah, bred by Ahmen Zayat and trained by Bob Baffert, Espinoza is the only person to claim the Grand Slam.

Jockeys And Trainers With The Most Wins

Mike Smith is an American jockey. He has led the riders in the US since the 90s, and he has won 26 races in the Breeders’ Cup.

D. Wayne Lukas is a Hall of Fame horse racing trainer. In his career, his horses have won 20 races in the Breeders’ Cup.

Summary

Although this racing tournament has only been around for 40 years, it has made a massive stamp on the horse racing world. From encouraging horse racing around the world to allowing the biggest jackpots - you can expect two days of adrenaline at these races.

This article does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors or management of EconoTimes