Breeders’ Cup boost for Ireland

The Breeders’ Cup has announced that Ireland will host three Breeders’ Cup Challenge races this year.

Winners of the Moyglare Stud Stakes at the Curragh (September 8) and the Red Mills Irish Champion Stakes and the ICON Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Trial Stakes at Leopardstown a day earlier will earn automatic starting berths into a corresponding race at Santa Anita on Nov 1 and 2.

The ICON Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Trial, a new race to the Challenge series, will be run over a mile and will be an automatic qualifier into the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf.

As part of the enhanced benefits programme for Breeders’ Cup Challenge, the Breeders’ Cup will again pay the entry fees of all Challenge winners into the Championships.

This year, all starters based outside of North America will receive $40,000 in travel allowances, including Challenge winners. This is a $20,000 increase in the overseas travel allowance over last year for Challenge winners.

The Challenge winner must be nominated to the Breeders’ Cup programme by the Championships’ pre-entry deadline of October 21 to receive the rewards.