BC reinstates entry fee benefits to Silver Max, Poker Player

The Breeders' Cup announced Friday that it would reinstate the entry fee

benefits to the connections of Silver Max and Poker Player, winners of Challenge

races that lost that designation when the races were taken off the turf at

Keeneland last weekend. However, each horse will be required to qualify on the

basis of Breeders' Cup qualifying points or through the Racing

Directors/Secretaries Panel selection as the automatic Challenge starting

position was not reinstated.

The Grade 1 Shadwell Turf Mile, originally scheduled as a Breeders' Cup

Challenge race awarding an automatic berth and free entry into the Breeders' Cup

Mile to the winner, was switched to the Polytrack on Saturday due to heavy rains

at Keeneland, and was won by Mark Bacon and Dana Wells' four-year-old Silver

Max. On Sunday, the Grade 3 Bourbon Stakes for two-year-olds, scheduled as a

Challenge race qualifying for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf, was also switched

to the main track and was won by Gary and Mary West's Poker Player.

Under Breeders' Cup Challenge rules, an automatic berth cannot be awarded to

the winner of a race that is taken off the turf. However, since no horses were

scratched from either race, and the American Graded Stakes Committee

subsequently reinstated the original grades for the races, Breeders' Cup

officials elected to reinstate entry fee awards of $40,000 to the connections of

Silver Max and $20,000 to the connections of Poker Player. 

"Since the fields of both the Shadwell Turf Mile and the Bourbon Stakes

remained completely intact following the decision to run them on the main track,

we've determined that while an automatic starting position into the turf races

is not possible, representatives of both Silver Max and Poker Player should

still receive the financial benefits of the Challenge series," Breeders' Cup

President and CEO Craig Fravel said. "We hope to see them both at Santa Anita

next month."