Del Mar has lengthy been thought-about certainly one of horse racing’s most prized venues, however like Keeneland, it appeared unsuitable for the seasonal Breeders’ Cup World Championship. The state of affairs modified utterly with an announcement by Breeders’ Cup officers on June 24, 2014.
Keeneland was chosen because the host observe for the primary time in 2015, Santa Anita Park turned the Breeders’ Cup venue in 2016, and the next yr, Del Mar hosted its first World Championship in 2017.
The success of the primary Breeders’ Cups at these new venues, Keeneland and Del Mar, led to the occasion returning to the racetrack in Lexington, Kentucky in 2020 and 2022, then to seaside Del Mar in Southern California in 2021 and 2024, and will probably be held once more this yr from October 31 to November 1, 2025.
Within the lead as much as the 4th Annual Breeders’ Cup in Del Mar, let’s have a look again at a few of the greatest “turf meets waves” moments from the primary three World Championships…and there have been quite a bit!
2017 Breeders’ Cup (November 3-4)
Earlier than Friday’s card at Churchill Downs was renamed Future Stars Friday in 2018, Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff served because the anchor race on the primary card of the two-day Breeders’ Cup.
And on Friday on the 2017 Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar, a crowd of 32,728 watched 4-year-old filly Eternally Unbridled win the $2 million Longines Distaff by a half-length over Abel Tasman.
Up-and-coming star Speeding Fall received his first World Championship race by three-quarters of a size within the Juvenile Fillies Turf on Friday’s card. She would earn greater than $2.9 million in her profession over 4 seasons of racing.
Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup obtained off to a rocky begin, with three straight upsets of 14 Fingers Vineyard Juvenile Fillies’ Caledonia Highway ($36.60), Turf Dash’s Stormy Liberal ($62.40) and filly’s Dash’s Bar of Gold ($135.40). Bar of Gold’s odds of 66.70-1 produced, on the time, the second-highest successful complete in Breeders’ Cup historical past behind Arcangüez’s $2 win of $269.20 within the 1993 Basic.
Talking of the Basic, Gun Runner set the tempo because the second ticket within the $6 million race, successful in entrance of 37,692 followers by two and 1 / 4 lengths over Florent Geraud for 2017 Horse of the 12 months.
Initially of this card, historical past was made when Good Magic turned the primary horse to realize his first win (his first profession win) in a Breeders’ Cup race with a victory over Sentient Jet Juvenile. Skilled by Chad Brown, he completed second to eventual Triple Crown winner Justify within the 2018 Kentucky Derby Offered by Woodford Reserve.
Whole on-track wagering over the 2 days was $25,181,317, the very best ever for the occasion.
2021 Breeders’ Cup (November 5-6)
On August 17, 2018, 9 months after the primary World Championship in Del Mar, the Breeders’ Cup confirmed that the occasion would return to the seaside observe in 2021.th The Breeders’ Cup has benefited from elevated worldwide protection within the UK and Eire via agreements with ITV, Sky Sports activities Racing and Racing TV.
Future Stars Friday lived as much as its identify with future champions Echo Zulu, Corniche, and Fashionable Video games. Echo Zulu received the NetJets Juvenile Fillies, capping off an undefeated season that culminated along with her successful the Eclipse Award as champion 2-year-old filly. In the meantime, Cornish improved his efficiency to 3 wins from three races with a victory within the TVG Juvenile Offered by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance and was topped 2-year-old colt.
Fashionable Video games, who was inadvertently scratched earlier than the beginning of the $1 million Juvenile Turf race, was reloaded on the gate and received by a size and a half, operating for less than his pockets. Godolphin’s homebred horse was catapulted to worldwide stardom by coach Charlie Appleby, and a yr later received the PDJF-presented FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Mile at Keeneland, cementing the Eclipse Award because the 2022 champion turf champion.
Fortunately for race followers, the weekend was simply beginning to heat up.
The 2020 Massive Ass Followers Grime Mile winner, Nix Go, received the $6 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Basic, sponsored by his proprietor, the Korea Horse Racing Administration, with an awesome victory in his earlier race by two and three-quarters of a size, marking his fourth consecutive stakes victory. He was subsequently named the 2021 Champion Previous Grime Stallion and Horse of the 12 months.
Initially of the cardboard, historical past was made with Japan’s first World Championship win within the $2 million Maker’s Mark Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf, charming horse racing followers with a world storyline with world implications. 5-year-old star Love’s Solely You, ridden by Yuga Kawada, charged to the entrance with a deep stretch and defeated coach Yoshito Yahagi and DMM Dream Membership proprietor My Sister Nat by half a size.
Japan did not have to attend lengthy for its second Breeders’ Cup winner. Three races later, Marche Lorraine, additionally educated by Yahagi, narrowly received the $2 million Longines Distaff from ninth out of 11 horses, beating Dunbar Highway by a nostril in a thriller at odds of 49.90 to 1.
The unforgettable two-day occasion set a then-record for the world championship all-source deal with complete ($183,260,127).
For the primary time, Breeders’ Cup, America’s Greatest Racing and Hipica TV have teamed as much as broadcast all 14 races of the Breeders’ Cup World Championship reside, all in Spanish, via “Breeders’ Cup Un Vivo,” which garnered greater than 282,000 views in two days on Hipica TV’s YouTube channel.
The 2021 Breeders’ Cup was a really worldwide occasion.
2024 Breeders’ Cup (November 1-2)
The Breeders’ Cup will probably be held for the third time in Del Mar in 2024, constructing on the worldwide success achieved in 2021 with a record-setting 61 worldwide starters, together with 5 European-based and one Canadian-based winner.
Friday’s Future Stars began with a world spark within the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Dash when Irish-based coach Gar Lyons received the longshot Magnum Power, paying $27 to win on a $2 guess and pairing fellow European invader Arizona Blaze (27.10-1) with a $401.80 ecsta.
In a while the Future Stars Friday Card, historical past was made by one other Irish coach, with Aidan O’Brien successful the John Deere Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf on Lake Victoria and Henri Matisse successful the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf on the age of 19.th and 20th We at all times race on the World Championships. O’Brien is tied with legendary coach D. Wayne Lucas for essentially the most wins in Breeders’ Cup historical past.
Corridor of Famer Bob Baffert received 19 instances.th Winner of the Breeders’ Cup with Citizen Bull on the FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Juvenile introduced by TAA.
Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup championship race began very like the day earlier than, with back-to-back upsets by Soul of UnAngel and Starlust. Within the PNC Financial institution Breeders’ Cup Filly Dash, Soul of an Angel got here again from final to first to win by a half-length at odds of 19.80-1, adopted by Star Final, who got here again from final to first within the Prewagen Turf Dash to win by a half-length at 33.60-1. Get your championship off to an awesome begin with an enormous double win of $1,402.40!
There have been no fireworks within the subsequent race, however the winner positively left an unforgettable impression as Torpedo Anna received by two and a half lengths within the Longines Distaff. This victory finally cemented the 3-year-old filly’s Horse of the 12 months honor.
It was Rebels Romance’s second win on Longines turf, however the defining second of the competitors got here within the Longines Breeders’ Cup Basic. Three-year-old Sierra Leone defeated fellow sophomores Fierceness and Eternally Younger by a size and a half, giving coach Chad Brown his nineteenth win.th Winner of the Breeders’ Cup.
Lucas, a Corridor of Famer, handed away on June 28, 2025 on the age of 89. There is a good likelihood a number of of O’Brien, Baffert or Brown will surpass Lucas on the listing of all-time winners at Del Mar in 2025, however relaxation assured that Coach’s legacy will reside on as one of the vital influential figures in Breeders’ Cup historical past.
