The weekend racing fans wait for all year long is almost here as the top horses in the country and around the world travel to Keeneland for the 2026 Breeders’ Cup World Championships. The action kicks off on Friday, Oct.
The marquee North American race for fillies and mares on the dirt has long been the Breeders’ Cup Distaff, a staple of the World Championships since the inception of the event in 1984.
Anyone who watched the 2022 Breeders’ Cup World Championships in person or on TV will always remember the Longines Classic first. A truly grand finale, the last of 14 World Championship races was a display of racing brilliance, as undefeated Flightline closed out his career with an 8 ¼-length runaway win.
The $7 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic is year-in, year-out, an important race in determining several Eclipse Award winners, depending on the outcome. Three-year-olds who shine when facing older horses can clinch champion honors within their division, and on occasion even be named Horse of the Year.
