Led by multiple Grade I winner Accelerate (Lookin At Lucky), two-time G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe heroine Enable (Nathaniel {Ire}), multiple Group 1 victor Roaring Lion (Kitten's Joy) and four-time Grade I victress Monomoy Girl (Tapizar), a record 221 horses, including 51 from overseas, have been pre-entered for the 2018 Breeders' Cup World Championships, to take place Nov. 2-3 at Churchill Downs.
The 35th Breeders' Cup will consist of 14 races, 13 of them Grade I's, with purses and awards totaling a record $30 million. This is the record-tying ninth time the event will be held beneath the Twin Spires. Five Breeders' Cup races will transpire Friday, with the other nine unfolding Saturday. The Breeders' Cup will be televised live by NBCSN and NBC, with the featured $6 million GI Breeders' Cup Classic scheduled to run at 5:44 p.m. EST Saturday.
A dozen races are oversubscribed, with more than 14 in 11 races and more than 12 in the new Juvenile Turf Sprint. There are 48 horses who were pre-entered after qualifying for automatic starting positions through the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series. Irish-based trainer Aidan O'Brien leads trainers with 18 pre-entered horses, while his frequent client Coolmore paces owners with 20 entered.
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