Every year, the road to the Breeders’ Cup World Championships starts months before with a series of qualifying races that are known as the Breeders‘ Cup Challenge Series. The series has expanded over the years and it has consistently given fans and bettors a preview of some of the runners who’ll vie for Breeders’ Cup glory in the fall.

Below are some fun facts to know about the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series and the “Win and You’re In” races that will lead all the way up to the 40th Breeders’ Cup World Championships on Friday, Nov. 3, and Saturday, Nov. 4, at Santa Anita Park in Southern California.

1. This year marks the 16th year of the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series. The Breeders’ Cup World Championships date back more than two decades earlier, having been first run in 1984. 

2. The 2023 Challenge Series actually began in 2022 with the  first race of the series being the Gran Premio International Carlos Pellegrini run at San Isidro Racecourse in Argentina. It was a “Win and You’re In” qualifier for the Longines Breeders’ Cup Turf and it was won by a horse named The Punisher.

3. Television coverage of Challenge Series races can be found on a total of five live broadcasts across NBC, CNBC, and Fox throughout the year. The coverage began on June 10 with three “Win and You’re In” races from Belmont Park. The coverage on NBC and CNBC will be simul-streamed on Peacock and NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app. The next of the remaining four broadcasts is Saturday, July 22 on NBC starting at 5 p.m. ET featuring the Haskell Stakes. The Haskell is a “Win and You’re In” race for the Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic.

4. The series began in 2007 with 24 "Win and You're In" races from two countries. By 2014, it consisted of 71 races across 13 countries. For 2023, there are 80 races in the series that will take place in 11 countries.

5. After a successful restructuring in 2022, the 2023 series in the U.S. will again feature a regional qualifying program to balance divisional competition across the country. In 10 of the 14 race divisions, there will be one Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series race per region, identified as East, Midwest, and West. Breeders’ Cup will promote these regional rivalries on the road to the World Championships. The exception to the regional format will be the Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic division, which will have six domestic qualifying races. New this year, all North American Challenge races must be graded to be included in the series.

6. On Memorial Day, Exaulted kicked off the 2023 United States series with his victory in the Shoemaker Mile at Santa Anita Park. The victory earned him an automatic berth into the FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Mile presented by PDJF. As with all “Win and You’re In” races, Breeders’ Cup will also cover his entry fees for the race.

Exaulted wins the Shoemaker Mile. (Evers/Eclipse Sportswire)

7. Three  “Win and You’re In” races were held on the June 10 Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets undercard at Belmont Park. Cody's Wish, Clairiere, and Caravel won the Hill ‘n’ Dale Metropolitan Handicap, Ogden Phipps Stakes, and Jaipur Stakes and earned automatic berths to the Big Ass Fans Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff, and Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint, respectively.

8. In 2022, there were 38 Breeders’ Cup Challenge winners who ended up participating in the Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Keeneland. Seven of them ended up winning their respective divisional Breeders’ Cup races.

9. Longines Breeders' Cup Classic 2022 winner Flightline led the septet of Breeders' Cup Challenge winners that won Breeders' Cup races. The eventual 2022 Horse of the Year earned his “Win and You’re In” berth last August at Del Mar when he won the TVG Pacific Classic. Other 2022 Breeders’ Cup winners who earned berths through the Challenge Series included Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff winner Malathaat, Qatar Racing Breeders' Cup Sprint winner Elite Power, FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile presented by PDJF winner Modern Games, Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint winner Goodnight Olive, FanDuel Breeders' Cup Juvenile presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance winner Forte, and NetJets Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies winner Wonder Wheel.

10. Five “Win and You’re In” races for Breeders’ Cup 2023 will be held at Santa Anita Park, the site of this year’s World Championships. In addition to the aforementioned Shoemaker Mile, Santa Anita will also host the Awesome Again Stakes on Sept. 30 as a prep for the Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic, and three more Breeders' Cup Challenge races on Oct. 7 including the American Pharoah Stakes, the Rodeo Drive Stakes, and the Chandelier Stakes as prep races for the FanDuel Breeders' Cup Juvenile presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance, the Maker's Mark Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf, and the NetJets Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, respectively.