A full field of a dozen 2-year-olds will compete for a “Win and You’re In” berth into the Brown Advisory Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf in Saturday’s running of the Grade 2, $250,000 Pilgrim Stakes going 1 1/16 miles on the grass at Belmont Park.
Saturday’s Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland is not only a springboard to next spring’s classics, but also a key race towards an Eclipse Award.
The American Pharoah Stakes Presented by DK Horse Saturday at Santa Anita Park is Southern California’s first two-turn dirt stakes race for 2-year-old males aiming to earn a “Win and You’re In” berth in the FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Juve
When racing fans hear the name Champagne Stakes, they think about rising star 2-year-olds, the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, Kentucky Derby prospects, and some of the great Thoroughbreds of all time among the list of winners. But for this year’s $500,000, one-mile race Saturday at Belmont Park, there will be a distinct theme from a different sport: ice hockey.
Like so many other New York stakes, the Champagne Stakes returns to a familiar locale Saturday when it will be contested at Belmont Park for the first time since 2022. The one-turn mile contest generally attracts the circuit’s top 2-year-olds and this year is no exception.
