The 2024 Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win and You're In will consist of 82 races in 12 countries and host track Del Mar will run six on a schedule with several new additions, the organization announced via release Monday.
In its 18th year, the Win and You're In (WAYI) program gives each winner an automatic qualifying position with fees paid into the corresponding race at the 2024 World Championships. In addition to the domestic schedule, forty-one international races will be held at premier tracks in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, England, France, Ireland, Japan, Peru, South Africa, and South Korea.
Newly included races this season are the G3 Korea Cup (WAYI for the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile) and G3 Korea Sprint (WAYI for the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint), both run Sept. 8 at Seoul Racecourse. England picked up three additional races as well–the G3 Acomb S., G3 William Hill Prestige S., and the QIPCO British Champions Fillies and Mares S. They will offer berths into the GI Juvenile Turf, GI Juvenile Fillies Turf, and GI Filly & Mare Turf, respectively.
Domestically, the GIII City of Hope Mile at Santa Anita Park will offer an automatic berth into the GI FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile for the first time. The 2024 series in the U.S. will again feature a regional qualifying program to balance divisional competition. In 10 of the 14 race divisions, there will be one Challenge Series race per region, identified as East, Midwest, and West. The Breeders' Cup also announced that it would promote these regional rivalries on the road to the World Championships. All North American races must be graded to be included.
Of the eight berths awarded for the GI Longines Breeders' Cup Classic, one has already been claimed by G1 February S. victor G1SW-Jpn Peptide Nile (Jpn) (King Kamehameha {Jpn}) in Japan Feb. 19.
Purse increases for the 2024 Championships raised the Classic to a $7-million purse while the GI Longines Breeders' Cup Turf will reward $5-million.
As part of the benefits, $5,485,000 has been allocated for free entry fees as well as a $10,000 travel allowance for all starters within North America that are stabled outside of California. A $40,000 travel allowance to the connections of all Championship will be awarded to starters based outside of North America. If not already, the Challenge winner must be nominated to the Breeders' Cup program by the pre-entry deadline of Oct. 21 to receive the rewards. The Breeders' Cup will pay the entry fees and guarantee a starting position in a corresponding Championships race for all Challenge Series race winners.
A full schedule of the Win and You're In Races, as well as a list of the race winners, may be found here.
“We take great pride in seeing horsemen from around the world capitalize on the advantages provided by the Challenge Series, the premier route to securing a starting position in the World Championships,” said Dora Delgado, Executive Vice President and Chief Racing Officer of Breeders' Cup Limited.
“Our heartfelt appreciation goes out to the racing jurisdictions across five continents for their invaluable support and administration of this year's series. We encourage all horsemen to target the Challenge Series en route to the Breeders' Cup World Championships at Del Mar.”
The Challenge Series will also make a return to the television screen as NBC, FOX, and CNBC will feature five live programs in the U.S. this summer and autumn. Coverage on NBC and CNBC will be simulcast on Peacock, NBCSports.com, and the NBC Sports app. Coverage of the 2024 Challenge Series features two NBC broadcasts, two FOX broadcasts, and one CNBC program.
A complete television schedule can be viewed here.
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