The Breeders' Cup Juvenile is a
Thoroughbred horse race
Thoroughbred racing is a sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport – flat racing and jump racing, the latter known as National Hunt racing in ...
for 2-year-old
colts and
geldings raced on dirt. It is held annually in late October or early November at a different racetrack in the United States or Canada as part of the
Breeders' Cup World Championships. The current purse is US$2,000,000 making it the most valuable race for two-year-olds in North America. It is normally run at a distance of miles.
The Breeders' Cup Juvenile is typically the first time that the best colts from the various racing circuits across North America (in New York, Kentucky and California in particular) meet up with each other. The winner often earns the Eclipse Award for Champion Two-Year-Old Male Horse, and becomes one of the early favorites for the next year's Kentucky Derby.
In 2006, the
National Thoroughbred Racing Association
The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) is a broad-based coalition of American horse racing interests consisting of leading thoroughbred racetracks, owners, breeders, trainers and affiliated horse racing associations, charged with incr ...
(NTRA) wrote in Part 2 of their special series titled ''Spiraling To The Breeders' Cup'' that "
Arazi turned in what many still consider to be the single-most spectacular performance in Breeders' Cup history."
Timber Country
Timber Country (foaled April 12,1992 in Kentucky - February 24, 2016) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who was the first horse to ever win the Breeders' Cup Juvenile and American Triple Crown Classic Race when he won the 1995 Preakness St ...
was the first Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner to win an American Triple Crown race when he went on to win the 1995
Preakness Stakes
The Preakness Stakes is an American thoroughbred horse race held on Armed Forces Day which is also the third Saturday in May each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a Grade I race run over a distance of 9.5 furlongs () o ...
. The 2006 winner,
Street Sense, became the first to capture the
Kentucky Derby.
In 2016,
Nyquist won the
Kentucky Derby as well.
Automatic Berths
Beginning in 2007, the Breeders' Cup developed the
Breeders' Cup Challenge
The Breeders' Cup Challenge is a series of Thoroughbred horse races in which the winner earns an automatic spot in a specified Breeders' Cup race. The challenge races change somewhat each year. The Challenge series began in 2007 with 24 "Win and Y ...
, a series of "Win and You're In" races that allot automatic qualifying bids to winners of defined races. Each of the fourteen divisions has multiple qualifying races, which change somewhat from year to year. Note that one horse may win multiple challenge races, while other challenge winners will not be entered in the Breeders' Cup for a variety of reasons such as injury or travel considerations.
In the Juvenile division, the number of runners is limited to 14. The 2022 "Win and You're In" races were:
# the
American Pharoah Stakes
The American Pharoah Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually near the end of September during the fall meet at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. A Grade I event, it is open to two-year-old horses and is held at a distanc ...
, a Grade 1 race run in October at
Santa Anita Park
Santa Anita Park is a Thoroughbred racetrack in Arcadia, California, United States. It offers some of the prominent horse racing events in the United States during early fall, winter and in spring. The track is home to numerous prestigious races ...
in California
# the
Champagne Stakes, a Grade 1 race run in October at
Aqueduct Racetrack in New York
# the
Breeders' Futurity
The Breeders' Futurity Stakes is an American Grade I Thoroughbred horse race held annually in early October at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky. Currently offering a purse of $500,000, the race is open to two-year-old horses and is run ...
, a Grade 1 race at
Keeneland
Keeneland Association, Inc. is an equine business based in Lexington, Kentucky. It includes two distinct divisions: the Keeneland Race Course, a Thoroughbred racing facility, and Keeneland Sales, a horse auction complex. It is also known for its ...
in Kentucky
Records
Most wins by a
jockey:
* 3 –
Laffit Pincay Jr. (1985, 1986, 1988)
* 3 –
Jerry Bailey
Jerry D. Bailey (born August 29, 1957 in Dallas, Texas) is an NBC Sports thoroughbred racing analyst and a retired American Hall of Fame jockey.
Early years
Bailey was born in Dallas but raised in El Paso. He had a pony as a child and became ...
(1996, 1998, 2000)
* 3 –
Mike E. Smith (1995, 2002, 2021)
Most wins by a
trainer:
* 5 –
D. Wayne Lukas (1986, 1987, 1988, 1994, 1996)
* 5 –
Bob Baffert
Robert A. Baffert (born January 13, 1953) is an American racehorse trainer who trained the 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah and 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify. Baffert's horses have won a record six Kentucky Derbies, seven Preakn ...
(2002, 2008, 2013, 2018, 2021)
Most wins by an owner:
* 2 –
Eugene V. Klein
Eugene Victor Klein (January 29, 1921March 12, 1990) was an American businessman who was chairman of the board of directors and chief stockholder of National General Corporation, an insurance and entertainment company based in Los Angeles, Ca ...
(1987, 1988)
* 2 –
Overbrook Farm
William T. Young (February 15, 1918 – January 12, 2004) was an American businessman and major owner of thoroughbred racehorses.
William T. Young attended the University of Kentucky where he was a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. ...
(with partners in 1994, 1996)
* 2 –
Michael Tabor
Michael Barry Tabor (born 28 October 1941) is a British businessman, bookmaker, gambler and owner of thoroughbred racehorses.
Tabor regularly appears on the ''Sunday Times Rich List'' of the richest people in Britain. In 2012 his fortune w ...
&
Susan Magnier (2001, with partners in 2012)
* 2 – Gary &
Mary West (2013, 2018)
* 2 –
Godolphin (2009, 2020)
Winners of the Breeders' Cup Juvenile
See also
*
Breeders' Cup Juvenile "top three finishers" and starters
*
Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships
*
American thoroughbred racing top attended events
*
Road to the Kentucky Derby
The Road to the Kentucky Derby is a points system by which horses qualify for a position in the starting gate for the Kentucky Derby. It features dozens of stakes races for 2 and 3-year-old Thoroughbreds – the number and specific races have chang ...
References
*
Racing Post:
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External links
Official Breeders' Cup websiteThree Great Moments: Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Hello Race Fans!
{{BreedersCup
Horse races in the United States
Flat horse races for two-year-olds
Juvenile
Grade 1 stakes races in the United States
Graded stakes races in the United States
Recurring sporting events established in 1984
1984 establishments in North America