Each week a panel of media members, horseplayers, and Breeders’ Cup World Championships officials release a poll tabulating their votes on the nation's top contenders for the 2021 Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic.
Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport involving two or more horses ridden by a jockey over a set distance. Although its origins are somewhat unclear, the sport has been enjoyed by horse lovers and betting enthusiasts alike for centuries. Whether you are already a fan or just looking to find out more, continue reading to familiarize yourself with a brief history of horse racing.
The path to the 2021 Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Del Mar on Nov. 5-6 is a road with plenty of ups and downs as talented racehorses vie for a spot in one of 14 championship races and $31 million in purses and awards.
The field for the Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic begins to take shape in early summer after the Triple Crown races conclude. Last weekend an expenses-paid berth to the $6 million Classic was awarded to Knicks Go for winning the $925,000 Whitney Stakes at Saratoga Race Course.
The sport of horse racing has evolved greatly in the last 100-plus years, and to move forward it required more than the heroics of a legion of its greatest runners and most skilled trainers and jockeys.
It needed the help of patrons.
People like Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney.
For decades, C.V. “Sonny” Whitney was one of racing’s leading figures. He was born into one of racing’s most successful families and continued its prosperity as both an owner and breeder.
