The 2022 Breeders' Cup Challenge series was a series of horse races that provided the respective winners with an automatic "Win and You're In" berth in the 2022 Breeders' Cup, held on November 4 and 5. Races were chosen by the Breeders' Cup organization and included key races in the various Breeders' Cup divisions from around the world. The Breeders' Cup organization paid the Breeders' Cup entry fee for the challenge race winners, provided they had been nominated as foals. They also provided travel allowances for out of state competitors
Summary
editThe 2022 Breeders' Cup Challenge series consisted of 82 races from across the United States and 10 other countries, compared to 84 races in the 2021 series. The Breeders' Cup committee restructured the series to ensure there were qualifying races in the east, midwest and west of the United States for most of the divisions, plus international qualifiers mainly for the turf races.[1] The following races were added: Grande Prêmio Brasil (Turf - International region), Beverly D. (Filly & Mare Turf - Midwest), Green Flash (Turf Sprint - West region), Miss Grillo (Juvenile Fillies - East region), Ack Ack (Dirt Mile - Midwest region) and Pilgrim (Juvenile Turf - East). The Fleur de Lis, Suburban, John Nerud, Personal Ensign, Iroquois, Pocohantas, Jockey Club Derby, Santa Anita Sprint Championship, Zenyatta and First Lady were removed from the series. The King's Stand Stakes replaced the Diamond Jubilee Stakes as an international qualifier for the Turf Sprint.
NBC broadcast many of the North American challenge races, either on the main network or CNBC, with other races webcast on the Peacock.[2][3]
Up to 14 horses are eligible for each Breeders' Cup race (12 for the Juvenile Turf Sprint and Dirt Mile). If a race is over-subscribed, first preference is given to winners of the Challenge series races. On October 26, 205 horses were pre-entered for the Breeders' Cup, 46 of which qualified via the Challenge series.[4] The following fields were over-subscribed: Juvenile Turf Sprint, Juvenile Fillies, Juvenile Fillies Turf, Juvenile Turf, Filly & Mare Sprint, Turf Sprint, Dirt Mile, Filly & Mare Turf, Sprint, Mile and Turf.[5]
Seven challenge race winners went on to win at the Breeders' Cup:
- Wonder Wheel automatically qualified in the Alcibiades, then won the Juvenile Fillies
- Forte won the Juvenile after qualifying in the Breeders' Futurity
- Goodnight Olive won the Filly & Mare Sprint after qualifying in the Ballerina Stakes
- Elite Power earned his automatic berth in the Vosburgh Stakes, then won the Sprint
- Modern Games won the Mile after automatically qualifying in the Woodbine Mile
- Malathaat won the Distaff after automatically qualifying in the Spinster Stakes
- Flightline automatically qualified by winning the Pacific Classic, then won the Classic. He also won the Metropolitan Handicap, which would have qualified him for the Dirt Mile
Challenge Series races
editThe following table shows the Breeders' Cup Challenge races for 2022 and respective winners. The "status" column shows whether the Challenge race winner was entered at the Breeders' Cup, and if so if they finished in the money.[5][6][7]
References
edit- ^ "BC announces 2022 "Win and You're In' schedule". BloodHorse.com. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
- ^ "2022 Breeders' Cup Challenge Series". NBC Sports. Retrieved 8 October 2022.
- ^ "NBC unveils Breeders' Cup Challenge series races". BloodHorse.com. Retrieved 8 October 2022.
- ^ Angst, Frank. "Breeders' Cup pre-entries whet appetites for showdowns". BloodHorse.com. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
- ^ a b "2022 Breeders' Cup pre-entries" (PDF). BloodHorse.com. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
- ^ "Charts for Breeders' Cup Friday". BloodHorse.com. Retrieved 4 November 2022.
- ^ "Chart for Breeders' Cup Saturday". Equibase. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
- ^ a b "Breeders' Cup Classic: Flightline fever gripping the racing world". www.drf.com. Retrieved 8 October 2022.
- ^ "Baaeed camp 'very happy' ahead of Ascot and feel vindicated by call to miss Arc". www.racingpost.com. Retrieved 8 October 2022.
- ^ "Multiple Group 1 winner State of Rest retired". BloodHorse.com. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
- ^ "Nature Strip triumphant in Australian return". BloodHorse.com. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
- ^ "Cyberknife likely for Dirt Mile". www.bloodhorse.com. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
- ^ "Pyledriver to bypass Breeders' Cup". uk.sports.yahoo.com. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
- ^ a b "Laurel River, Bran scratched from Breeders' Cup races". BloodHorse.com. Retrieved 4 November 2022.
- ^ "Dramatised earns chance at Breeders' Cup". BloodHorse.com. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
- ^ "Japan Cup: Alpinista owner Kirsten Rausing ponders farewell trip for 'world champion' mare". Sky Sports. Retrieved 23 October 2022.