Incentive Program for Breeders’ Cup World Championships Enters Third Year

LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 8, 2024) ― Breeders’ Cup Limited today released the 2024 schedule for the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Dozen, an incentive-based participation bonus program for horsemen pointing runners to the dirt races in the Breeders’ Cup World Championships. Launched in 2022, the 12-race program is comprised of existing graded stakes races scheduled from May through October at six tracks throughout the United States.

"We are happy to once again offer our lucrative Dirt Dozen program," said Dora Delgado, Executive Vice President and Chief Racing Officer of Breeders’ Cup Limited. “Each year $525,000 is offered in awards, and many horsemen benefit from the credits offered towards entry fees for our Championship dirt races. We look forward to extending this incentive once again to connections preparing for a dirt division race at Del Mar this November."

The Dirt Dozen program will again award bonus credits funded by the Breeders’ Cup for first through third finishes in the 12-race schedule. Horsemen may use those credits toward entry fees for one of six Breeders’ Cup World Championships dirt races: the $2 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1), $2 million Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1), $2 million FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1), $2 million NetJets Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1), $1 million PNC Bank Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1), and the $1 million Big Ass Fans Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1).

In Dirt Dozen races in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup race divisions, the bonus tier is allocated at $30,000 for first, $15,000 for second, and $7,500 for third. In Dirt Dozen races in the $1 million Breeders’ Cup race divisions, the bonus tier will award $15,000 for first, $7,500 for second, and $3,750 for third. Horses may bankroll multiple awards earned and apply towards their Championship entry fees.

The Dirt Dozen program begins May 4 with the Derby City Distaff presented by Kendall-Jackson Winery (G1) at Churchill Downs. The first three finishers in the race will earn credits toward entry fees for a potential start in the PNC Bank Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint. Nominations for the Derby City Distaff close Wednesday, April 10.

The Dirt Dozen concludes Sept. 29 with the Zenyatta Stakes (G2) at Santa Anita Park, where the first three finishers in the race will earn credits toward entry fees for a potential start in the Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff.

Further information on rules and participation in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Dozen program is available on the Breeders’ Cup Members site. 

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 an 80-race series hosted by 11 countries, and the U.S.-based Dirt Dozen Bonus Series. The Breeders’ Cup supports and operates under the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA), which, for the first time, establishes a national, uniform set of rules applicable to every Thoroughbred racing participant and racetrack. HISA seeks to enhance the safety of both horse and rider and to protect the integrity of the sport to the benefit of all racing participants, fans, and bettors.

The 2024 Breeders’ Cup World Championships, consisting of 14 Grade 1 Championship races and $33 million in purses and awards, will be held Nov. 1-2 at Del Mar in Del Mar, California. The 2025 World Championships will also be held at Del Mar on Oct. 31-Nov. 1. 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. 

ABOUT DEL MAR  Opened in 1937, San Diego’s iconic — and the nation’s only — seaside racetrack features the world’s top racehorses, trainers, and jockeys, as well as the best in fashion and classic California culture "where the turf meets the surf.” What began as a Hollywood hotspot in the era of the racetrack’s founder, Bing Crosby, is now one of America's foremost racetracks and a premier Southern California destination, as well as a national leader in racetrack safety.