2020 Breeders' Cup

Red hot trainer Brad Cox joins this week's TDN Writers' Room coming off four Breeders' Cup wins last weekend.

Nearly two decades apart, we've witnessed a Breeders' Cup in the aftermath of a devastating terrorism attack, which led to armed marksmen defending the rooftop of the host track, and now during a global pandemic, which necessitated the barring of the general public from the two-day event and kept the relatively few essential attendees masked and socially distanced from one another. Unlike 2001, this year's championships produced no singular "Tiznow wins it for America!" moment to buoy the spirit of a nation in crisis. But the crescendo of Authentic (Into...

Total all-sources handle for the two-day Breeders' Cup World Championships at Keeneland Race Course was $160,472,894, the sixth-highest total since the Breeders' Cup expanded to a two-day event in 2007 and an 8% decrease from the 2019 record handle of $174,000,574 at Santa Anita. The two-day total handle represented a 7% increase from the 2015 Championships, the first time the event was held at Keeneland. Attendance figures for the 2020 Championships at Keeneland were not reported since attendance was restricted to participants and essential personnel only due to COVID-19 safety...

In these days of wilful division and reluctant separation, perhaps the wider world could for once learn something from our own community. For while our preoccupations may be frivolous, relative to such momentous challenges as the securing of democracy or public health, they do at least inculcate precisely the kind of calm forbearance most needed, right now, to quell the hysteria and despair infecting national wellbeing. It's pouring with rain? Go feed your horse and clean out the stall. Middle of a heatwave? Go feed your horse and clean out...

With no changes to either the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile or GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies as of Friday morning, fields in the other Breeders' Cup races on Friday's card have shuffled slightly. In the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, Tetragonal (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}) has been scratched, which will allow also-eligible Invincible Gal (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) into the field. Jose Ortiz will ride. Union Gables (Speightstown), who had Ortiz named, will instead be ridden by Manny Franco, who was originally on Tetragonal. Amanzi Yimpilo (Ire) (No Nay Never)...

The official Breeders' Cup mobile app has been updated to add augmented reality filters, allowing fans to try on virtual fashions, including virtual hats, or ride a virtual Thoroughbred. Fans can also pose for photos or videos inside a flower garland frame as confetti rains down. Available on iOS and Android devices, the newest version of the app was designed so that fans following along from home can have some extra fun. Spectators are not allowed at the Breeders' Cup this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally launched in...

American Farmland Trust (AFT), a national leader in protecting agricultural land that partners with Bluegrass Land Conservancy in Kentucky, will sponsor the 2020 Breeders' Cup, which will be held at Keeneland Nov. 6-7. The sponsorship is hoped to call attention to the need for equine land farm protection. Nearly 7 million acres of farm land across the nation have been permanently protected by AFT and its partners, with another 300 million acres protected with conservation practices. "Protecting farmland, which is the factory floor of the horse business, is critical to...

The Breeders' Cup is collaborating with Facebook's Oculus to produce a virtual reality (VR) broadcast of the 2020 World Championships, to be held this coming Friday and Saturday, Nov. 6-7, at Keeneland. Oculus, a leading VR platform, will give fans an immersive arena-like live viewing experience. Available on the social viewing app Venues, the VR broadcast will bring the Breeders' Cup experience right into homes, which is particularly applicable this year with the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to the VR broadcast, Breeders' Cup will use 80 cameras on site. "With...

Officials at the Breeders' Cup, in conjunction with FanDuel Group, announced Wednesday a $1-million fantasy contest, giving fans the chance to win $1 million by picking the finishing order of the GI FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile presented by the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund, to be held Saturday, Nov. 7. FanDuel is the official wagering partner of the Breeders' Cup World Championships. The "Breeders' Cup $1 Mil Perfect Finish Free Play" is live now on FanDuel.com and open until 3:15 p.m. ET Saturday. Players predict the full order of finish for...

In his first year as President and CEO of the Breeders' Cup, 38-year-old Drew Fleming has found himself trying to stage a global event in the midst of a global pandemic. In a socially-distanced phone call with TDN Publisher Sue Finley, he discusses the challenges and the triumphs of Breeders' Cup 2020. SF: You picked a heck of a year for this to be your first Breeders' Cup. DF: Well, this is my first Breeders' Cup as the CEO, but I've been working for the company since 2016. And then...

It's the baby I can't get out of my mind, try as I might. Maybe you feel it shouldn't have been out at all, on such an evening and in such a place: sitting there in its diaper, on a table, under the adoring smiles of the good-looking couple who had brought it into the raucous bar. But then the infant looked very much at home, alternately raising a glass of bourbon and a cheroot to its lips. Only in L.A.; only on Halloween. On closer inspection, of course, the...

Officials at the Breeders' Cup announced Friday that Lexus will be the Official Luxury Vehicle and Transportation Partner of the 2020 World Championships, to be held Nov. 6-7 at Keeneland, and will provide participants with exclusive experiences. Breeders' Cup and the luxury automobile company, in partnership with sports management and consulting firm JMI Sports, will provide a fleet of luxury vehicles to squire owners, trainers, breeders, and partners to the track and other relevant areas. The parking lot at Keeneland will be designated as the "Lexus Lot." "We are delighted...