Breeders' Cup Classic

Introduction

The Breeders’ Cup Classic is the crown jewel of American thoroughbred horse racing and typically the finale of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships. Established in 1984, this Grade 1 race has become the defining year-end contest for the best dirt horses, often settling Horse of the Year debates and cementing legacies. With a blend of history, prestige, and sheer excitement, the Classic stands as a monument to the sport’s enduring allure.

Breeders’ Cup Classic History

When the Breeders’ Cup was inaugurated in 1984, the Classic was envisioned as the culminating event, a championship to decide the best of the best in North American thoroughbred racing. Over the years, the race has perennially lived up to its billing, attracting not just the top American talent but also occasional entries from abroad. With a purse that rose to $7 million in 2024, it is one of the richest horse races in the world.

The Classic is open to thoroughbreds aged three years and older. It is run over a distance of 1 1/4 miles on a dirt track, and provides a stern examination of stamina, speed, and tactical skill.

2025 Breeders’ Cup Classic Challenge Series Races

2025 Breeders’ Cup Classic Trends

• 22 of the last 23 Classic winners had 3-8 runs that season (’22 winner Flightline only 2 starts – machine!!)
• 40/41 ran 1-2-3 LTO (24 x 1st; 9 x 2nd; 6 x 3rd)
• 37/41 won a G1 that season
• 41/41 aged 3-5 (6yo+ 0/37) – 3yo 14 wins; 4yo 17 wins; 5yo 10 wins
• 12/14 40+ day layoffs posted Bullet and/or Stamina works since last run (’24 winner Sierra Leone did not)
• 11/14 3yo winners ran in at least one Triple Crown race (1 exception was a Euro)
• 24 of the last 29 posted 100+ Beyer last time but below previous best (’19, ’20, ’22, ’23, ’24 new or equal Beyer top LTO)
• 5 of last 6 winners posted new or equal Beyer top figure last time
• Where no distance form, check breeding for stamina credentials
• Bob Baffert 4, John Sadler 2, Steve Asmussen 2, Bill Mott 2

How the runners fit

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2025 Breeders’ Cup Classic Pace

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Key Trials

Go to breederscup.com for race videos.

Trends Contenders

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Classic Form Review

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Classic Form Contenders

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Breeders’ Cup Classic Results

Key: PP – post position; RS – run style (lengths behind leader: 4 <½L, 3 ½L- 1½L, 2 1¾L – 3½L, 1 > 3½L); Odds – return for a 1 unit stake; SR – Equibase speed figure

Noteworthy Classic Winners

All winners of the Breeders’ Cup Classic are noteworthy, but some have really stood out even from their illustrious peers. These are a few of our favourites…

Sunday Silence (1989)

Sunday Silence’s win over his arch-rival Easy Goer in the 1989 Classic is the stuff of legend, a dramatic duel that is etched in the annals of horse racing history. This was a shootout between two superstars who had carved up the Triple Crown between them. In that trio of championship races, Sunday Silence had taken the first two – the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes – but was no match for Easy Goer over the longer trip of the Belmont, eventually finishing a remote second.

Back at ten furlongs, Sunday Silence again asserted his superiority; but, off sizzling early fractions set by Slew City Slew, only just:

Cigar (1995)

“The incomparable, invincible, unbeatable Cigar”, as the commentator noted, tasted victory in the 1995 Classic to cap a perfect season and secure his status as one of the all-time greats.

Tiznow (2000, 2001)

Though some have come close, notably the wonder mare Zenyatta, the only horse to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic twice is Tiznow, his back-to-back victories earned at the turn of the century. It was a hugely emotional win in 2001, as the first major sporting event to take place in the state of New York following the 9/11 tragedy, and the stretch drive with the game British-trained Sakhee is among the most memorable moments in the sport.

American Pharoah (2015)

In 2015, American Pharaoh became the first Triple Crown winner to add the Breeders’ Cup Classic to his palmarès, completing what is now known as the “Grand Slam” of American horse racing. His romp in the first Breeders’ Cup held at Keeneland, the spiritual home of thoroughbred breeding in North America, was little more than a lap of honour for the superlative horse of his generation.

Flightline (2022)

There has been a general downgrade in terms of speed figures for US (and indeed European) middle distance horses as the fashion to breed for speed has taken hold. But in 2022, Flightline was a glorious freak of an exception. Unbeaten in six races across two seasons, he arrived at the Classic having recorded one of the largest Beyer speed figures ever in the Pacific Classic at his home track, winning that legitimate Grade 1 by nineteen and a half lengths (!) from the Dubai World Cup winner, Country Grammer. Questions were murmured about whether he’d ‘bounce’ off such a huge effort, and whether he would be ‘spoiled’ by the pace-setting Life Is Good, himself a champion and Dirt Mile winner a year prior. In the end, Flightline answered all questions, romping away from his rivals by more than eight lengths in commanding fashion: