Breeders' Cup international program attracting numbers

The Breeders' Cup announced Monday that 160 stallions have already been

nominated to its new international program since nominations opened seven days

ago. The Breeders' Cup expanded its nominations program this year to broaden

international participation in its racing programs and increase the number of

the world's best horses eligible to participate in its year-end Championships.

Thus far, stallions from Argentina, Australia, Brazil, France, Great Britain,

Ireland, Japan, Mexico, Saudi Arabia and Turkey have been nominated from 35 stud

farms worldwide.

Beginning this year, all foals sired by Breeders' Cup nominated international

stallions will be automatically eligible to participate in Breeders' Cup World

Championships races. To qualify for the new program, owners of stallions

standing outside of the United States and Canada in the Northern Hemisphere will

pay an annual nomination fee equal to 50 percent of their stallion's published

stud fee and owners of stallions standing in the Southern Hemisphere will pay a

nomination fee equal to 25 percent of their stallion's published stud fee.

To jumpstart the international nominations program and increase the numbers

of eligible runners for the 2011 Championships from overseas and in the U.S. and

Canada, Breeders' Cup is offering a special one-time, fee-based "open

enrollment" program this year for previously non-nominated horses. This open

enrollment program, beginning February 1 and continuing through June 30, is

available to any horse sired by stallions nominated to the Breeders' Cup

according to the following fee schedule: yearlings for $3,000, two-year-olds for

$6,000 and three-year-olds and up for $25,000.

"We are extremely encouraged by the enthusiastic response from the

international breeding community for our new global nominations program,"

Breeders' Cup President and CEO Greg Avioli said. "The new stallion program and

the open enrollment of horses in training have great potential in strengthening

the international participation and competition for the Championships."

In connection with the changes in the nominations program, Breeders' Cup also

will enhance the benefits for winning one of the Breeders' Cup Challenge

qualifying "Win and You're In" races by paying the entry fees and subsidizing

travel costs to the Championships for all Challenge winners who are Breeders'

Cup eligible. Breeders' Cup also will pay a new $10,000 award to the nominator

of any U.S. or Canadian foal that wins a Challenge race.