Breeders’ Cup Returns to Del Mar for 42nd Edition
The 2025 Breeders’ Cup World Championships will take place from 31 October to 1 November at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in California. Now in its 42nd year—and returning to Del Mar for the fourth time—the event features 14 Grade 1 races across two days, with more than $34 million in purses and awards. Widely regarded as one of the sport’s top showpieces, the Breeders’ Cup is expected to draw a truly international field of first-class thoroughbreds.
Dubai Racing– Breeders’ Cup Challenge Alliance Reshapes International Racing
This year’s edition carries added significance for horse racing in Dubai, following a landmark partnership announced on 16 February 2025 between Dubai Racing Club and the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series. For the first time, four winners from the 2025 Dubai World Cup meeting have earned automatic entry into corresponding Breeders’ Cup races via the “Win and You’re In” programme. Dubai World Cup Winners Earn Breeders’ Cup.
Global Calendar Gains New Depth Through Reciprocal Entry
Under the agreement, the winners of the Dubai World Cup, Dubai Golden Shaheen, Dubai Sheema Classic, and Dubai Turf will receive complimentary berths into the Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic, Cygames Breeders’ Cup Sprint, Longines Breeders’ Cup Turf, and FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Mile respectively. In return, Breeders’ Cup champions will be invited to compete at the 2026 Dubai World Cup meeting next March, further strengthening the global racing calendar.
Dubai Stars Earn Their Spots: Meet the 2025 Qualifiers
The winners of the designated races at this year’s Dubai World Cup meeting on 5 April 2025 have secured automatic qualification for corresponding races at the 2025 Breeders’ Cup World Championships:
Hit Show, ridden by Florent Geroux, surged from mid-pack to outduel fellow American raider Mixto in the $12 million, 1¼-mile G1 Dubai World Cup, earning a complimentary berth in the $7 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1)—the marquee event of the Championships.
Dark Saffron, under Connor Beasley, made history as the first 3-year-old to win the $2 million G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen, delivering a seismic 65-1 shock with a front-running masterclass against the world’s top dirt sprinters. The victory secured his place in the $2 million Cygames Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1)
Danon Decile, the Japanese Derby winner piloted by Keita Tosaki, executed a precision sling-shot manoeuvre to capture the $6 million G1 Longines Dubai Sheema Classic, booking his ticket to the $5 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1).
Soul Rush, trained in Japan and ridden by Cristian Demuro, came from midfield, switched wide at the furlong pole, and surged late to snatch the $5 million G1 Dubai Turf by a stride. He now heads to the $2 million FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1)
Challenge Series Pathway to Del Mar: Entry and Travel Benefits for Dubai Winners
As part of the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series incentives, the quartet of Dubai World Cup meeting winners will have their entry fees fully covered for their respective race divisions at the 2025 Breeders’ Cup World Championships. In addition, Breeders’ Cup Limited will provide a travel allowance to all starters based outside North America, supporting international participation at the highest level. To access these benefits, Challenge Series qualifiers must be officially nominated to the Breeders’ Cup programme by the pre-entry deadline of 20 October 2025
Equal Inter-Continental Rewards: Del Mar Winners Bound for Meydan
At the heart of the partnership between Breeders’ Cup Limited and Dubai Racing Club lies a commitment to reciprocal opportunity and global prestige.
The 2025 Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic winner will earn an automatic starting position and complimentary entry into the 2026 Dubai World Cup. Likewise, the victor of the 2025 Cygames Breeders’ Cup Sprint will secure a paid berth in next year’s Dubai Golden Shaheen. The 2025 Longines Breeders’ Cup Turf champion will receive a guaranteed start and covered fees for the 2026 Dubai Sheema Classic. Finally, the winner of the FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Mile will be granted automatic entry into the 2026 Dubai Turf, with all associated costs covered.
Senior Leadership Perspectives: Reflections on a New Partnership of International Racing Cooperation
“Breeders’ Cup Limited is very pleased to expand our international Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series with the addition of the Dubai World Cup, the Dubai Golden Shaheen, the Dubai Sheema Classic, and the Dubai Turf,” observed Drew Fleming, President and CEO of Breeders’ Cup Limited.
President Fleming continued, “This partnership with our friends at the Dubai Racing Club speaks to continued progress made toward the global unification of our great sport and rewards international contenders for competing at the highest level. We appreciate the spirit of collaboration and the shared pursuit of excellence that brought this opportunity about and look forward to welcoming four Breeders’ Cup Challenge winners from Meydan to Del Mar.”
“The Breeders’ Cup is one of the biggest and most important international meetings on the calendar,” commented Sheikh Rashed Bin Dalmook Bin Juma Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Racing Club.
“We are delighted to enter into this partnership, allowing four winners from the Breeders’ Cup an automatic place at the Dubai World Cup meeting.
“We thank the Breeders’ Cup team also for expanding their Challenge Series, which means we will see four winners from Dubai World Cup night compete in America,” Chairman Sheikh Rashed Bin Dalmook Bin Juma Al Maktoum went on to say.
“As racing becomes more global, this kind of partnership can only benefit owners and trainers and raise the bar higher when it comes to international competition,” he concluded.
Elevating International Horse Racing: Unity in a New Era of Reciprocal Competition
This reciprocal arrangement between the Dubai World Cup and Breeders’ Cup meetings not only elevates the global prestige of both events but also ensures that the world’s elite horses, trainers, and jockeys are showcased on multiple continents. A partnership which aligns with broader trends in international racing, increasing the fluidity of global competition, and the strategic importance of cross-continental exposure for top stables.
Join ES Sport and follow the global racing journey from Del Mar to Dubai. Track the build-up from Breeders’ Cup qualifiers through the key Dubai Racing Carnival meetings—Opening Night (7 Nov), Festive Friday, Fashion Friday, and Emirates Super Saturday (28 Feb). It all leads to the grand finale: the 30th edition of the Dubai World Cup on 28 March 2026, the world’s most spectacular race day, with US$30.5 million in prize money and the sport’s finest on show.
About Dubai Racing Club
Dubai Racing Club (DRC) organises and hosts horseracing at Meydan Racecourse, from November through to April, including the Dubai Racing Carnival and the Dubai World Cup – known as the world’s most spectacular race day. The Dubai Racing Carnival runs from 7, November 2025 until 13, March 2026.
Today, the Dubai World Cup is the highlight of Dubai’s sporting and social calendar and attracts the best horses and riders from all over the world, with a total prize money of US$ 30.5 million for the showcase of nine races, including US$ 12 million at stake in the title contest. In 2026, the 30th edition of the Dubai World Cup will take place on Saturday, 28 March.
About Breeders’ Cup
Breeders’ Cup Limited administers the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, Thoroughbred racing’s year-end Championships, as well as the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series: Win and You’re In, which provides automatic starting positions into the Championships races through partnerships with host countries around the globe, and the U.S.-based Dirt Dozen Bonus Series. The Breeders’ Cup operates under the national, uniform rules and regulations of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) and its Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit (HIWU).
The 2025 Breeders’ Cup World Championships, featuring 14 Grade 1 Championship races run during a two-day festival worth more than $34 million in purses and awards, will be held Oct. 31-Nov. 1 at Del Mar in Del Mar, California. The Championships will be televised live by NBC Sports. Press releases appear on the Breeders’ Cup website, BreedersCup.com. You can also follow the Breeders’ Cup on social media.
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