The 2024 Breeders’ Cup is fast approaching, and fields are beginning to take shape for the 14-race, two-day World Championships set for Nov. 1-2 at Del Mar.
Racing is filled with the disappointing tales of horses who are bought for a seven-figure price tag but never come close to repaying their owner for signing that huge check.
Then there are horses like Royal Delta, who left her owner with no regrets about paying a king’s ransom for her, even if she did not cover a humungous price tag.
The story of Royal Delta actually has two chapters.
Breeders’ Cup races bring together the best horses from coast to coast in the United States along with some top international contenders, which can make World Championships races unpredictable.
As 3-year-olds are running out of chances to race against horses their own age in a graded stakes, the Lexus Raven Run Stakes Oct. 19 will give 10 sophomore filly sprinters the chance to add Grade 2 laurels to their resume.
Mike Smith stands alone atop the jockey rankings by winners for the Breeders’ Cup, which held its first edition of the World Championships in 1984, and for many years he had no peer.
