Breeders' Cup expands to 11 races over two days

The Breeders' Cup World Championships will expand to 11 races staged over two

days, beginning with this year's program at Monmouth Park, Breeders' Cup

officials announced on Monday. In addition to the eight customary Breeders' Cup

races slated for October 27, three new events, worth $1 million each, will be

contested on the preceding day -- the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile for

three-year-olds and up; the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint for

three-year-olds and up; and the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf at a mile for colts,

geldings and fillies.

The configuration of the Oceanport, New Jersey, track will dictate the

distances of the two newly created dirt events for this year only. The Dirt Mile

must be run at a mile and 70 yards at Monmouth, reverting to a flat mile at

other venues in future years. Also, the Filly & Mare Sprint will be decided at

six furlongs in 2007, but will be elongated to seven furlongs in later Breeders'

Cups.

The additional races, which were approved by the Board of Directors of

Breeders' Cup Ltd. at its meeting last Friday, are subject to definitive

agreements and necessary approvals from the New Jersey Sports and Exposition

Authority (NJSEA) and New Jersey regulators. Dennis Dowd, senior vice president

of racing for the NJSEA, said that these approvals are expected "in the near

future."

ESPN will televise Friday's three Breeders' Cup events as well as Saturday's

eight-race program, which comprises the $5 million Classic, $3 million Turf, $2

million Juvenile Fillies, $2 million Juvenile, $2 million Filly & Mare Turf, $2

million Mile, $2 million Sprint and $2 million Distaff. Total purses for the 11

Breeders' Cup races will be $23 million.

Breeders' Cup Friday will rank as the second-richest racing day in North

America, with a 10-race card boasting total purses of $4 million. In addition to

the three new Breeders' Cup races, the October 26 card will include three other

new stakes funded by the Breeders' Cup -- a 1 1/16-mile race for three-year-old

fillies, a one-mile turf event for two-year-old fillies and a six-furlong sprint

for two-year-olds. Each will have a purse of $250,000.

This expansion is the latest in a series of Breeders' Cup innovations

unveiled within the past year. Last April, new rules were implemented to allow

the nomination of horses to the Breeders' Cup program at any time during their

racing careers. In December, officials announced the creation of the Breeders'

Cup Challenge, in which the winners of 24 officially sanctioned races at six

tracks automatically qualify for Breeders' Cup berths under a "Win and You're

In" format.

"All of this innovation -- increased purse levels, new races, the Breeders'

Cup Challenge -- is designed to enhance the Breeders' Cup as the pre-eminent

global racing brand," Breeders' Cup President Greg Avioli said.

"Today's announcement, along with other previously announced changes over the

course of the last year, provides the framework for unprecedented growth of the

Breeders' Cup," said Bill Farish, Breeders' Cup Board Chairman. "There will be

more races, more purse money and more nominator participation than at any time

in the event's history, all designed to attract the best horses from around the

world to compete in the Breeders' Cup World Championships."