Breeders Cup

The Breeders' Cup World Championships is an annual series of Grade I thoroughbred horse races sponsored by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association. It is a one-day event held at a location that changes each year. All the sites have been in the United States, except in 1996, when the races were at the Woodbine Racetrack in Canada.
The event, which has occurred annually since 1984, was created as a year-end championship for North American thoroughbred racing, and also attracts top horses from other parts of the world, especially Europe. The Breeders' Cup was founded in 1982 by John R. Gaines, a leading thoroughbred owner and breeder. This is the single richest day in sports worth $18 million in prize money this year (2006).
All Breeders' Cup fields are limited to 14 runners. If more than 14 are pre-entered, Breeders' Cup officials use a two-part selection system to decide which horses will be allowed to compete. The first seven runners earn automatic berths based on the points they have earned in American graded stakes races then a panel of racing directors and secretaries choose the next seven entrants.
Currently, there are eight races on the Breeders' Cup card, all classified as Grade 1 races. The races are listed below in their order on the 2006 race card; the order of the first six listed races varies from year to year, but the 'Turf' and 'Classic' are traditionally the last two races. All races, unless otherwise indicated, are for any horse, regardless of sex, two years old and up, and are held on a dirt track.