The Breeders' Cup is a two-day fall thoroughbred horse racing event featuring the best thoroughbred horses in 14 different races.http://www.kentucky.com/2010/11/03/1506694/breeders-cup-draws-fields-for.html The races are based on distance and track surface, as well as age of the horses. The Breeders' Cup is considered the biggest end-of-year event for the sport.http://www.breederscup.com/bio.aspx?id=35847

In 2009, the Breeders' Cup, for the first time in its history, was held in Santa Anita, California.http://articles.latimes.com/2010/may/14/sports/la-sp-oak-tree-20100515 In 2010 the Cup returned to the legendary Churchill Downs for only the seventh time in history.http://www.horse-races.net/library/bc10-preview.htm The 2011 Breeders Cup will again be held in Louisville, Kentucky at Churchill Downs and will begin on Friday, November 4.http://www.ticketcity.com/horse-racing-tickets/breeders-cup-tickets.html

Before 1984, the sport of thoroughbred horse racing was primarily confined to a seven-week timeframe in May and June. This was due to the racing of the three Triple Crown races: the Kentucky Derby, held the first Saturday in May at Churchill Downs in Louisville; the Preakness Stakes, held two weeks later at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore; and the Belmont Stakes, held three weeks after the Preakness at Belmont Park in Elmont, NY. With the exception of ultra die hard racing fans, the sport was unable to hold the attention of the general sporting public beyond these races. This was why the Breeders' Cup was created, to not only give the sport another showcase for their talent, but also to highlight more than just 3-year old horses.http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Breeder-s-Cup---A-Gathering-Of-The-World-s-Best-Thoroughbreds/624

The races used to be held in one day. That changed in 2007, as the organizers thought it best to add a second day and additional races. So the event now begins on a Friday with 5 races, and concludes on Saturday with 9 more.http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/horse_racing/day_arrives_at_churchill_3Iuw1DXMbb6pN9RybbWnTI

The Friday events include the following:

• Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf
• Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint
• Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies
• Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf
• Breeders' Cup Ladies Classichttp://www.breederscup.com/division.aspx?divisionname=fmturf

The Saturday events are as follows:

• Breeders' Cup Marathon
• Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf
• Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile
• Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint
• Breeders' Cup Juvenile
• Breeders' Cup Sprint
• Breeders' Cup Mile
• Breeders' Cup Turf
• Breeders' Cup Classic.http://www.horse-races.net/library/bc10-preview.htm