2025 Breeders' Cup World Championships Road Heats Up: Weekend Racing Highlights
This weekend, the road to the 2025 Breeders’ Cup World Championships heats up with eight major races split between Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky, and Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. The $1.25 million Coolmore Turf Mile Stakes on Saturday offers an automatic starting position into the 2025 Breeders’ Cup Mile, with Aidan O’Brien's Diego Velazquez (IRE) leading the 12-horse field as the 7-2 morning line favorite, followed by Chad Brown's Program Trading (GB) at 9-2.
On the west coast at Santa Anita Park, Bob Baffert brings four two-year-old horses to the $300,000 American Pharoah Stakes, with Desert Gate as the 3-2 morning line favorite, vying for a spot in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. Saturday’s coverage also includes four additional Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series races at Keeneland, featuring the Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity (G1) and the Thoroughbred Club of America Stakes (G2) for fillies and mares.
The horse racing action continues on Sunday at Keeneland with two Win-and-you’re-in races to the Breeders’ Cup. Todd Pletcher aims for his record sixth win in the $400,000 Bourbon Stakes with Final Score as the 8-5 morning line favorite, seeking a spot in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf. The day concludes with the $650,000 Juddmonte Spinster Stakes, where Thorpedo Anna, the 2024 Eclipse Horse of the Year winner, looks to secure entry into the Breeders’ Cup Distaff.
Live coverage of this weekend’s races starts at 4:00 PM ET on Saturday on CNBC and Peacock, and on Sunday on NBC and Peacock. Don’t miss the thrilling horse racing action and tune in to watch all the excitement unfold.