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
gelding
A gelding (Help:IPA/English, /ˈɡɛldɪŋ/) is a castration, castrated male horse or other equine, such as a pony, donkey or a mule. The term is also used with certain other animals and livestock, such as domesticated Camelidae, camels. By compa ...
s 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 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 annually on Armed Forces Day, the third Saturday in May at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland (except in 2026 when it will move to Laurel Park (race track), Laurel Park dur ...
. The 2006 winner,
Street Sense, became the first to capture the
Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby () is an American Graded stakes race, Grade I stakes Thoroughbred racing, race run at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The race is run by three-year-old Thoroughbreds at a distance of . Colt (horse), Colts and geldin ...
.
In 2016,
Nyquist won the
Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby () is an American Graded stakes race, Grade I stakes Thoroughbred racing, race run at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The race is run by three-year-old Thoroughbreds at a distance of . Colt (horse), Colts and geldin ...
as well.
Automatic berths
Beginning in 2007, the Breeders' Cup developed the
Breeders' Cup Challenge, 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, 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 race ...
in California
# the
Champagne Stakes, a Grade 1 race run in October at
Aqueduct Racetrack
Aqueduct Racetrack is a Thoroughbred horse racing facility and casino in the South Ozone Park, Queens, South Ozone Park and Jamaica, Queens, Jamaica neighborhoods of Queens, New York City, United States. Aqueduct is the only racetrack within ...
in New York
# the
Breeders' Futurity, 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 ...
in Kentucky
Records

Most wins by a
jockey
A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase (horse racing), steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used ...
:
* 3 –
Laffit Pincay Jr. (1985, 1986, 1988)
* 3 –
Jerry Bailey (1996, 1998, 2000)
* 3 –
Mike E. Smith (1995, 2002, 2021)
Most wins by a
trainer:
* 6 -
Bob Baffert (2002, 2008, 2013, 2018, 2021, 2024)
Most wins by an owner:
* 2 –
Eugene V. Klein (1987, 1988)
* 2 –
Overbrook Farm (with partners in 1994, 1996)
* 2 –
Michael Tabor &
Susan Magnier (2001, with partners in 2012)
* 2 – Gary &
Mary West (2013, 2018)
* 2 –
Godolphin (2009, 2020)
* 2 –
Repole Stable (2022, 2023)
Winners
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
References
*
Racing Post
''Racing Post'' is a British daily horse racing, greyhound racing, and sports betting publisher published in print and digital formats. It is printed in tabloid format from Monday to Sunday. , it has an average daily circulation of 60,629 ...
:
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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
Horse races established in 1984
1984 establishments in North America