Breeder’s Cup 36

The 2019 Breeder’s Cup World Championships were held this past weekend at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. With the picturesque San Gabriel Mountains as a backdrop, 163 horses competed in fourteen world championship races over two days.

Friday, November 1 was billed as “Future Stars Friday” where all five Breeder’s Cup races featured 2 year olds who you will likely see in future classics such as the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks. Saturday, November 2 had nine Breeder’s Cup races featuring older horses (3 years old and up) on both the dirt and turf. The culmination of the weekend was the $6 million Breeder’s Cup Classic!

Attendance on Friday was 41,243 and Saturday was 67,811. Wagering for the two days exceeded $152 million which demonstrates thoroughbred racing continues to have a strong following.

We (Woodford Racing) ran Engage in the $2 million Breeder’s Cup Sprint. The Breeder’s Cup Sprint was repeatedly referred to as the deepest, most contentious field of the two day event. Engage finished fourth, losing by 2 lengths to Mitole, who along with Bricks and Mortar (winner of the Breeder’s Cup Turf) will contend for Horse of the Year honors in 2019.

Santa Anita Park did a marvelous job implementing safety protocols for all the horses and jockeys competing in the Breeder’s Cup. Among the measures implemented were:

• All horses had to be on the Santa Anita grounds 72 hours prior to competing and were under surveillance by security experts and veterinarians at all times.
• Equine security experts monitored all horses 24 hours a day, maintaining security logs on visits of anyone associated with each horse and any treatments administered prior to race day.
• Multiple teams of veterinarians evaluated and examined each horse 4 times before the day they raced.
• Jockeys were required to comply with concussion protocols and equipment safety standards.