Apple Blossom added to BC Challenge Series, Belmont PhotO
Breeder’s cup press
LEXINGTON, Ky. & HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – The $1.25 million Apple Blossom Handicap (G1) has been added to the roster of prestigious North American races for the 2026 Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series: Win and You’re In, Breeders’ Cup Limited and Oaklawn Park announced Thursday.
The Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series is an international series of stakes races, whose winners receive automatic starting positions and fees paid toward a corresponding race during the 2026 Breeders’ Cup World Championships, held October 30-31 at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky.
The 1 1/16-mile Apple Blossom Handicap for fillies and mares 4 years and older, which provides automatic entry into the $2 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1), will be the first Breeders’ Cup Challenge race in the Distaff division this year.
“The Apple Blossom Handicap has long had a reputation as one of the premier races for fillies and mares in North America,” said Dora Delgado, Chief Racing Officer of Breeders’ Cup Limited. “Its inclusion in the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series underlines the championship quality of the race and strengthens the path to the Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff. We are proud to welcome Oaklawn Park and the Apple Blossom to the ‘Win and You’re In’ program as part of our ongoing commitment to highlighting elite racing on the road to the Breeders’ Cup World Championships.”
“This is a tremendous milestone for Oaklawn and for one of the most prestigious races in American racing,” said Louis A. Cella, president of Oaklawn. “The Apple Blossom Handicap has long been a championship-caliber event, and earning Breeders’ Cup ‘Win & You’re In’ status reflects the quality of our racing product and the elite horses that continue to compete here. This designation solidifies Oaklawn’s place on the world stage as a premier destination for top-level Thoroughbred racing.”
The Apple Blossom Handicap was first held in 1958 and has been a cornerstone of Oaklawn’s racing program for nearly seventy years. The race achieved Grade 1 status in 1982 and has continuously held this distinction since 1992. The honors list includes legendary champions such as Azeri, Zenyatta and most recently Thorpedo Anna, underscoring the race’s reputation as a proving ground for the sport’s elite female runners.
As part of the Challenge Series benefits, the Breeders’ Cup will pay the pre-registration and entry fees for the Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff for the winner of the Apple Blossom Handicap (valued at $60,000). The nominator of the winning horse will receive a $10,000 reward, provided the horse is nominated before the Challenge race. All Breeders’ Cup Challenge winners will also receive travel benefits for the World Championships: $10,000 for starters located outside Kentucky in North America and $40,000 for international starters located outside North America. The Challenge winner must be nominated for the Breeders’ Cup program by the entry deadline on October 19, 2026 to receive the rewards.
#Apple #Blossom #added #Challenge #Series