The 2017 Breeders' Cup Challenge series provided winners of the designated races an automatic "Win and You're In" Berth in the 2017 Breeders' Cup. Races were chosen by the Breeders' Cup organization and included key prep races in the various Breeders' Cup divisions from around the world.
On April 12, 2017, the Breeders Cup organization announced that the 2017 Breeders' Cup Challenge would consist of 81 races from 13 countries. Compared to the 2016 Challenge Series, three races were added: the Belmont Sprint Championship Stakes, the Highlander Stakes and the First Lady Stakes.[1] The Gold Cup at Santa Anita, Belmont Oaks and Canadian Stakes were discontinued from the series.
Fifty pre-entrants in the 2017 Breeders' Cup qualified via the Challenge series, which was particularly important as seven of the Breeders' Cup races were oversubscribed. A maximum of 14 horses (12 in the Turf Sprint) are allowed to start in each race. Winners of the Challenge races are given automatic entries, while other pre-entries are ranked by a points system and the judgement of a panel of experts.[2] [3]
A few challenge series winners could not compete at the 2017 Breeders' Cup due to injury or retirement. Two-time Eclipse Award winner Songbird qualified for the Distaff by winning the Ogden Phipps Stakes but was retired in August due to injury. [4] Bal a Bali, winner of the Shoemaker Mile Stakes, was retired in October because he was not training at a high enough level.[5] Ulysses was a late scratch due to an ankle injury.[6]
Five winners of Challenge series races went on to win their respective division at the Breeders' Cup:
The winners of the 2017 Breeders' Cup Challenge series races are shown below.[7] [8] The last column shows if the winner was subsequently pre-entered in the corresponding Breeders' Cup race[9] and if so, whether they finished in the top three positions.[10] [11]
| Month | Race | Track | Location | Division | Winner | BC Status | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Paddock Stakes | Kenilworth | South Africa | Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf | Bela Bela | not entered | ||||||
| January | Queen's Plate | Kenilworth | South Africa | Breeders' Cup Mile | Legal Eagle | not entered | ||||||
| February | February Stakes | Tokyo | Japan | Breeders' Cup Classic | Gold Dream | not entered | ||||||
| April | Doncaster Mile | Randwick | Australia | Breeders' Cup Mile | It's Somewhat | not entered | ||||||
| April | TJ Smith Stakes | Randwick | Australia | Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint | Chautauqua | not entered | ||||||
| April | Queen of the Turf Stakes | Randwick | Australia | Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf | Foxplay | not entered | ||||||
| May | Gran Premio Criadores | Palermo | Argentina | Breeders' Cup Distaff | Kiriaki | not entered | ||||||
| May | San Isidro | Argentina | Breeders' Cup Turf | Sixties Song | not entered | |||||||
| May | Santiago | Chile | Breeders' Cup Mile | Top Casablanca | not entered | |||||||
| June | Santa Anita | California | Breeders' Cup Mile | Bal a Bali | injured | |||||||
| June | Yasuda Kinen | Tokyo | Japan | Breeders' Cup Mile | Satono Aladdin | not entered | ||||||
| June | Belmont Park | New York | Breeders' Cup Distaff | Songbird | injured | |||||||
| June | Metropolitan Handicap | Belmont Park | New York | Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile | Mor Spirit | entered | ||||||
| June | Hipódromo da Gávea | Brazil | Breeders' Cup Turf | Voador Magee | not entered | |||||||
| June | Churchill Downs | Kentucky | Breeders' Cup Classic | Gun Runner | won | |||||||
| June | Fleur de Lis Handicap | Churchill Downs | Kentucky | Breeders' Cup Distaff | Forever Unbridled | won | ||||||
| June | Monterrico | Peru | Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf | Birdie Gold | entered | |||||||
| June | Takarazuka Kinen | Hanshin | Japan | Breeders' Cup Turf | Satono Crown | not entered | ||||||
| July | Gulfstream Park | Florida | Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint | Curlin's Approval | entered | |||||||
| July | Smile Sprint Handicap | Gulfstream Park | Florida | Breeders' Cup Sprint | Imperial Hint | second | ||||||
| July | Woodbine | Canada | Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint | Green Mask | not entered | |||||||
| July | Belmont Park | New York | Breeders' Cup Sprint | Mind Your Biscuits | third | |||||||
| July | Del Mar | California | Breeders' Cup Sprint | Ransom the Moon | entered | |||||||
| July | Ascot | England | Breeders' Cup Turf | Enable | not entered | |||||||
| July | Haskell Invitational | New Jersey | Breeders' Cup Classic | Girvin | not entered | |||||||
| July | Del Mar | California | Breeders' Cup Distaff | Stellar Wind | entered | |||||||
| August | Sussex Stakes | Goodwood | England | Breeders' Cup Mile | Here Comes When | not entered | ||||||
| August | Whitney Handicap | New York | Breeders' Cup Classic | Gun Runner | won | |||||||
| August | Arlington | Illinois | Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf | Dacita | entered | |||||||
| August | Arlington | Illinois | Breeders' Cup Turf | Beach Patrol | second | |||||||
| August | Del Mar | California | Breeders' Cup Classic | Collected | second | |||||||
| August | Del Mar | California | Breeders' Cup Turf | Hunt | entered | |||||||
| August | Prix Jacques Le Marois | France | Breeders' Cup Mile | Al Wukair | not entered | |||||||
| August | Juddmonte International | England | Breeders' Cup Turf | Ulysses | scratched | |||||||
| August | England | Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf | Enable | not entered | ||||||||
| August | Nunthorpe Stakes | England | Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint | Marsha | entered | |||||||
| August | Personal Ensign Stakes | New York | Breeders' Cup Distaff | Forever Unbridled | won | |||||||
| August | New York | Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint | By the Moon | entered | ||||||||
| August | New York | Breeders' Cup Turf | Sadler's Joy | entered | ||||||||
| August | New York | Breeders' Cup Sprint | Drefong | entered | ||||||||
| August | Del Mar | California | Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile | Giant Expectations | entered | |||||||
| September | T. Von Zastrow Stutenpreis | Baden-Baden | Germany | Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf | Ashiana | not entered | ||||||
| September | Saratoga | New York | Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies | Lady Ivanka | scratched | |||||||
| September | Grosser Preis von Baden | Baden-Baden | Germany | Breeders' Cup Turf | Guignol | not entered | ||||||
| September | Leopardstown | Ireland | Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf | Nelson | withdrawn[12] | |||||||
| September | Leopardstown | Ireland | Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf | Hydrangea | not entered | |||||||
| September | Leopardstown | Ireland | Breeders' Cup Turf | Decorated Knight | entered | |||||||
| September | Curragh | Ireland | Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf | Happily | entered | |||||||
| September | Curragh | Ireland | Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint | Caravaggio | not entered | |||||||
| September | Churchill Downs | Kentucky | Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies | Patrona Margarita | not entered | |||||||
| September | Iroquois Stakes | Churchill Downs | Kentucky | Breeders' Cup Juvenile | The Tabulator | entered | ||||||
| September | Woodbine | Canada | Breeders' Cup Mile | World Approval | won | |||||||
| September | Woodbine | Canada | Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf | Capla Temptress | entered | |||||||
| September | Woodbine | Canada | Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf | Untamed Domain | second | |||||||
| September | Rockfel Stakes | England | Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf | Juliet Capulet | entered | |||||||
| September | England | Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf | Roaring Lion | not entered | ||||||||
| September | Belmont Park | New York | Breeders' Cup Sprint | Takaful | entered | |||||||
| September | Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational Stakes | Belmont Park | New York | Breeders' Cup Turf | Beach Patrol | second | ||||||
| September | Santa Anita | California | Breeders' Cup Juvenile | Bolt d'Oro | third | |||||||
| September | Santa Anita | California | Breeders' Cup Distaff | Paradise Woods | third | |||||||
| September | Santa Anita | California | Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies | Moonshine Memories | entered | |||||||
| September | Santa Anita | California | Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf | Avenge | entered | |||||||
| September | Santa Anita | California | Breeders' Cup Classic | Mubtaahij | entered | |||||||
| September | Nakayama | Japan | Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint | Red Falx | not entered | |||||||
| October | Prix de l'Opéra | Chantilly | France | Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf | Rhododendron | second | ||||||
| October | France | Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf | Happily | entered Fillies Turf | ||||||||
| October | France | Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf | Wild Illusion | not entered | ||||||||
| October | Keeneland | Kentucky | Breeders' Cup Sprint | Whitmore | entered | |||||||
| October | Keeneland | Kentucky | Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies | Heavenly Love | entered | |||||||
| October | Belmont Park | New York | Breeders' Cup Juvenile | Firenze Fire | entered | |||||||
| October | Belmont Park | New York | Breeders' Cup Classic | Diversify | withdrawn[13] | |||||||
| October | Keeneland | Kentucky | Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf | Zipessa | entered | |||||||
| October | Keeneland | Kentucky | Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint | Finley'sluckycharm | entered | |||||||
| October | Keeneland | Kentucky | Breeders' Cup Mile | Suedois | entered | |||||||
| October | Keeneland | Kentucky | Breeders' Cup Juvenile | Free Drop Billy | entered | |||||||
| October | Santa Anita | California | Breeders' Cup Sprint | Roy H | won | |||||||
| October | Belmont Park | New York | Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf | War Flag | entered | |||||||
| October | Belmont Park | New York | Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies | Separationofpowers | entered | |||||||
| October | Keeneland | Kentucky | Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf | Flameaway | entered | |||||||
| October | Keeneland | Kentucky | Breeders' Cup Distaff | Romantic Vision | entered | |||||||
| October | Keeneland | Kentucky | Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf | Rushing Fall | won | |||||||