Breeders' Cup Win And You're In Tracker: Every Qualifier From September 26 Through October 4
The road to the 2026 Breeders' Cup runs through five tracks on three continents over the next two weeks, and every one of them is carrying a Win And You're In berth. Twenty seven Breeders' Cup Challenge Series races fire off between Saturday September 26 and Sunday October 4, sending automatic starting spots to Keeneland for the World Championships on October 30 and 31, with the Classic run on the 31st. This tracker lays out every qualifier in order, what each winner books, and where MyWinners has already gone deep on the loaded weekend cards.
This Weekend's Six Qualifiers At Belmont And Santa Anita
Belmont Park runs two Challenge races on Saturday September 26. The Grade 2 Flower Bowl carries a $500,000 purse on the turf and sends its winner into the Filly And Mare Turf at Keeneland. The Grade 3 Vosburgh is run on the main track for $250,000 and books a Sprint berth. Both share the card with the Grade 1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic, which MyWinners previewed in full earlier this week, headlined by El Cordobes in a seven horse field.
Santa Anita runs its own Saturday double. The Grade 1 Goodwood is worth $300,000 on the main track and is a straight run into the Classic, with defending champion Nevada Beach back among the contenders. The Grade 2 City of Hope Mile runs on the turf for $200,000 and sends its winner to the Mile. Sunday September 27 adds two more at the same track, the Grade 2 Santa Anita Sprint Championship over six furlongs for a Sprint spot and the Grade 2 Zenyatta over one and one sixteenth miles for a Distaff spot, both worth $200,000. MyWinners covered the full Santa Anita Sunday card, including the Zenyatta contenders around Super Corredora, in our Oklahoma Derby and Breeders' Stakes Day guide.
Keeneland's Fall Stars Weekend Carries Eight Qualifiers
Keeneland opens its fall meet on Friday October 2 with three Challenge races on the card. The Grade 1 Darley Alcibiades is worth $650,000 over one and one sixteenth miles for two year old fillies and books a spot in the Juvenile Fillies. The Grade 2 Jessamine runs the same trip on the turf for $400,000 and sends its winner to the Juvenile Fillies Turf. The Grade 2 Stoll Keenon Ogden Phoenix goes six furlongs on the main track for $400,000, a Sprint qualifier.
Saturday October 3 is the biggest day of the meet. The Grade 1 Coolmore Turf Mile is worth $1.25 million and is Keeneland's marquee qualifier for the Mile. The Grade 1 Claiborne Breeders' Futurity runs one and one sixteenth miles for $650,000 and books a Juvenile spot. The Grade 2 Thoroughbred Club Of America goes six and a half furlongs on the turf for $400,000 and sends its winner into the Filly And Mare Sprint. Sunday October 4 closes the meet's Challenge slate with the Grade 1 Juddmonte Spinster, worth $650,000 over one and one eighth miles and a Distaff qualifier, alongside the Grade 2 Castle And Key Bourbon on the turf for $400,000, sending its winner to the Juvenile Turf.
Saturday October 3 Doubles Up At Belmont And Santa Anita
Belmont Park runs four Challenge races on October 3 alongside the Grade 1 Frizette and Grade 3 Matron. The Grade 1 Champagne is worth $500,000 over one mile on the main track and books a Juvenile spot. The Grade 2 Pilgrim and Grade 2 Miss Grillo each carry $250,000 purses on the turf over one and one sixteenth miles, sending winners to the Juvenile Turf and Juvenile Fillies Turf respectively. The Grade 3 Futurity runs six furlongs on the turf for $200,000 and is the meet's Juvenile Turf Sprint qualifier.
Santa Anita runs the same day with three more. The Grade 1 American Pharoah goes one and one sixteenth miles on the main track for $300,000 and books a Juvenile berth. The Grade 2 Oak Leaf runs the same trip and surface for $200,000, a Juvenile Fillies qualifier. The Grade 2 Rodeo Drive closes the trio on the turf over one and a quarter miles for $200,000, sending its winner into the Filly And Mare Turf.
Arc Weekend At Longchamp Closes Out The European Qualifiers
Sunday October 4 is also Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe day at Longchamp, and six Group 1s on the card double as Breeders' Cup Challenge races. The Arc itself, run over one and a half miles for three year olds and up, books the winner straight into the Turf. The Qatar Prix de la Foret goes seven furlongs and is a Mile qualifier. The Qatar Prix de l'Opera runs one and a quarter miles for fillies and mares and sends its winner to the Filly And Mare Turf. The Qatar Prix Jean Luc Lagardere and Qatar Prix Marcel Boussac are the two year old Group 1s on the card, run over seven furlongs and one mile respectively, booking the Juvenile Turf and Juvenile Fillies Turf. The Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp completes the sprint end of the card and is a Turf Sprint qualifier. Purses on the Arc card are set in euros and can move slightly year to year, so treat any dollar conversion as indicative rather than final.
How Qualification Works And Why It Matters For Bettors
A Win And You're In berth guarantees the race winner a starting spot in the named Breeders' Cup race at Keeneland, bypassing the connections committee that otherwise decides who fills the field. It does not guarantee a favorable post or cover entry fees on its own, but it removes the single biggest uncertainty for a horse on the fringe of the championship picture. For bettors, that turns every one of these 27 races into a genuine form line for World Championships weekend. A horse that wins its Challenge race arrives at Keeneland with its last start run at pace and under pressure against other stakes company, not on a rest. Watch how each winner comes out of the race over the following weeks. Scratches, small fields, and easy versus hard fought wins all shape how the market treats them once Breeders' Cup entries are drawn.
Full Qualifier Tracker
The table below lists every Win And You're In race in date order from September 26 through October 4, with track, grade, and the Breeders' Cup race each winner books a spot in. Use it alongside the standalone tracker table file to follow the series day by day.
| Date | Track | Race | Grade | Books A Spot In |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sept 26 | Belmont Park | Flower Bowl | G2 | Filly And Mare Turf |
| Sept 26 | Belmont Park | Vosburgh | G3 | Sprint |
| Sept 26 | Santa Anita | City Of Hope Mile | G2 | Mile |
| Sept 26 | Santa Anita | Goodwood | G1 | Classic |
| Sept 27 | Santa Anita | Santa Anita Sprint Championship | G2 | Sprint |
| Sept 27 | Santa Anita | Zenyatta | G2 | Distaff |
| Oct 2 | Keeneland | Darley Alcibiades | G1 | Juvenile Fillies |
| Oct 2 | Keeneland | Jessamine | G2 | Juvenile Fillies Turf |
| Oct 2 | Keeneland | Stoll Keenon Ogden Phoenix | G2 | Sprint |
| Oct 3 | Belmont Park | Champagne | G1 | Juvenile |
| Oct 3 | Belmont Park | Futurity | G3 | Juvenile Turf Sprint |
| Oct 3 | Belmont Park | Miss Grillo | G2 | Juvenile Fillies Turf |
| Oct 3 | Belmont Park | Pilgrim | G2 | Juvenile Turf |
| Oct 3 | Keeneland | Claiborne Breeders' Futurity | G1 | Juvenile |
| Oct 3 | Keeneland | Coolmore Turf Mile | G1 | Mile |
| Oct 3 | Keeneland | Thoroughbred Club Of America | G2 | Filly And Mare Sprint |
| Oct 3 | Santa Anita | American Pharoah | G1 | Juvenile |
| Oct 3 | Santa Anita | Oak Leaf | G2 | Juvenile Fillies |
| Oct 3 | Santa Anita | Rodeo Drive | G2 | Filly And Mare Turf |
| Oct 4 | Keeneland | Castle And Key Bourbon | G2 | Juvenile Turf |
| Oct 4 | Keeneland | Juddmonte Spinster | G1 | Distaff |
| Oct 4 | Longchamp | Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp | G1 | Turf Sprint |
| Oct 4 | Longchamp | Prix de l'Opera | G1 | Filly And Mare Turf |
| Oct 4 | Longchamp | Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe | G1 | Turf |
| Oct 4 | Longchamp | Prix de la Foret | G1 | Mile |
| Oct 4 | Longchamp | Prix Jean Luc Lagardere | G1 | Juvenile Turf |
| Oct 4 | Longchamp | Prix Marcel Boussac | G1 | Juvenile Fillies Turf |
Schedule and berths verified via the Breeders' Cup official 2026 Challenge Race Schedule, cross checked against NYRA, Keeneland and Santa Anita stakes schedule releases.
Ready To Follow The Series
Twenty seven fields worth of contenders are about to become Breeders' Cup fields. MyWinners will keep previewing the marquee cards as they come up, starting with this weekend's Belmont and Santa Anita doubles.
Bet online at app.mywinners.com, on the MyWinners: Racing & Sports app on iOS or Android, or go here to find your nearest MyWinners or Winners venue in CT.
Frequently Asked Questions
The winner of a designated Win And You're In race earns an automatic starting spot in the named Breeders' Cup race at Keeneland, bypassing the connections committee that otherwise fills the field from nominations.
Twenty seven Challenge Series races run across that span at Belmont Park, Santa Anita, Keeneland and Longchamp, covering every Breeders' Cup World Championships race except the Turf Sprint's second berth and a handful of races already settled earlier in the year.
The Grade 1 Goodwood at Santa Anita on September 26 is the only dedicated Classic qualifier in this window, worth $300,000 over one and one eighth miles.
The Breeders' Cup Challenge Series includes international partner races, and the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe card on October 4 carries six Group 1s that each send their winner directly into a Breeders' Cup turf division.
The 2026 Breeders' Cup World Championships run October 30 and 31 at Keeneland, with the Classic contested on October 31.
Image by The Javelina, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0,
