Get ready, racing fans! As usual, the $2 million, Grade 1 Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff is shaping up to be among the most competitive and exciting races of the Nov. 6-7 Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Keeneland.

Before the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve, we took a look at the “classic” distance of 1 ¼ miles, the challenge it poses specifically to 3-year-olds, and why the ability to excel when stretching out to this distance often separates the great from the good.