Korea Racing Authority's 5-year-old Knicks Go, who won last year's Big Ass Fans Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1), has won four of six starts this year, punctuated by front-running victories in the Pegasus World Cup (G1) at Gulfstream Park, the Whitney (G1) at Saratoga - in which he gained an automatic starting position into the Classic - and the Lukas Classic (G3) at Churchill Downs in his most recent start on Oct. Trainer Brad Cox, who tied the record for most victories in a World Championships with four at Keeneland last year, trains the standout older horse and top 3-year-old coming into this year's Breeders' Cup. Five of the Top 15 Longines World's Best Racehorses are pre-entered in the Classic. On 14 occasions, the winner of the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic also has been named Horse of the Year, and this year's Classic will once again have ramifications on the coveted year-end title. The $6 million Longines Breeders' Cup Classic (G1), the climactic event of the Championships, will be run on the main track at 1 ΒΌ miles with a first-place owner's prize of $3.1 million. We also thank our breeders and nominators, whose support of our $31 million in purses and awards is a true testament to their commitment to the Championships." "International competition at its highest level is the hallmark of the Breeders' Cup, and we thank the horsemen and women who prepare these outstanding equine athletes for the biggest races in their careers for their participation. "We are very proud of the magnificent array of talent of Group and Graded Stakes winners from around the world who have been pre-entered for this year's World Championships," said Drew Fleming, Breeders' Cup President and CEO. In addition, 46 pre-entered horses earned automatic starting positions into the World Championships races through the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series.
The eight returning champions for this year's Breeders' Cup are Knicks Go, Essential Quality, Tarnawa, Audarya (FR), Order of Australia (IRE), Gamine, Glass Slippers (GB) and Golden Pal.
The World Championships conclude live and in prime time on NBC from 8-9 p.m. The Breeders' Cup will be televised live on NBC, NBCSN and TVG. There will be nine Breeders' Cup races on the Saturday program. On "Future Stars Friday," there will be five World Championships races exclusively for 2-year-olds. The 38th Breeders' Cup World Championships, Thoroughbred racing's most prestigious two-day global event, consisting of 14 races with purses and awards totaling more than $31 million, will be held at Del Mar racetrack in Del Mar, California, on Friday, Nov. The 56 international horses are a record number of international pre-entries for the Breeders' Cup and span seven countries: Great Britain (26), Ireland (17), Japan (8), France (2), Argentina (1), Peru (1) and South Africa (1). OCT 27 - Led by Knicks Go and Essential Quality, the multiple Grade 1-winning favorites for the $6 million Longines Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) $2 million Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1) favorite Letruska and defending Longines Breeders' Cup Turf (G1) winner Tarnawa (IRE), 196 horses, including 56 from overseas, and eight returning champions, have been pre-entered for the 2021 Breeders' Cup World Championships. 2021 Breeders' Cup Classic Recap - Knicks Go