Betty's Critters - & History Views

 If everything flows right, with no injuries or illness, 103 of the top racing Thoroughbreds in the world will compete in 9 races with purses totaling $21 million on Saturday, 5 November, at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky.  The Breeders Cup World Championship races will hold their 39th annual event on Friday and Saturday this week.  The 5 races specifically for 2-year-olds have already been detailed in my blog.  This post is about the 9 races that will ask the most out of the 103 horses, aged 3 through 8 years, running for glory and huge purses at Keeneland.    All nine of the races will be televised.  USA Network and Fanduel Sports will broadcast the first six races, probably beginning at 11:30 a.m. EDT (9:30 MDT), as the first Breeders Cup race is scheduled to enter the starting gate at 11:50 a.m. EDT.  NBC will carry the final 3 Breeders Cup races of the day - the Distaff is set to enter the starting gate at 3:55 p.m. EDT (1:55 MD...

 This 39th edition of the Breeders Cup World Championship Races take place at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky.  This is their third time as hosts, the two previous being 2015 (with American Pharoah winning the Classic, after the Triple Crown) and the 2020 edition with only a television audience due to the pandemic.    The Friday, November 4th, races feature the 2-year-olds, or "juveniles," of racing.  To enter any Breeders Cup race, the stallion must be nominated and pay a fee for each year's foals, the owners of the foals must pay fees, and then, once they reach racing age, the Thoroughbreds must earn enough points to be eligible to enter their race - proving they are fit and fleet enough to be contenders.  Thus, the five races set for Friday are touted as "Future Stars Friday."    The five races consist of a sprint race that both sexes may enter, with the fillies receiving a 3-pound weight concession for running against the boys; an...

This year's Breeders Cup venue is at Keeneland Race Course, at 4201 Versailles Road, Lexington, Kentucky.  This is he third time that Keeneland has hosted the Breeders Cup World Championship races: the first year was 2015, when American Pharoah the Triple Crown winner won the final race of the day, the Classic by 6 1/2 lengths; 2020 saw the Breeders Cup races being run without an audience - other than on television and track workers who were doing their jobs - due to the Covid-19 pandemic.    Keeneland opened for racing in 1936.  The main dirt course is 1 and 1/16 miles; the turf course is 7 1/2 fulongs (15/16ths of a mile).    This year is the 39th gathering for the Breeders Cup races.  There will be 5 Juvenile races on Friday, November 4th, and 9 races on Saturday, 5 November.  The fourteen races have guaranteed purses worth $29 million.  The USA Network and Fanduel Sports will televise the Breeders Cup races on Friday, and the first 6 race...