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Record 255 Pre-Entries Set the Stage for Breeders’ Cup Weekend at Keeneland

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The richest weekend in American racing has never drawn a crowd like this. A record 255 pre-entries, representing a record 222 individual horses, have been accepted for the Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Keeneland on October 30-31, and the two-day festival of 14 Grade 1 races worth more than $34 million in purses is shaping up as a genuinely global showdown in the heart of Kentucky horse country.

The international flavor runs deep. Seventy-nine contenders were bred overseas, in 10 countries across six continents, the second-highest total in the event’s history behind only the 80 who lined up in 2024. Fifty-eight horses earned their places through the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series, the “Win and You’re In” program that spans 95 qualifying races in 14 countries, and a dozen previous Breeders’ Cup winners are back for another run, among them Notable Speech, Immersive and Shisospicy. Keeneland hosts the championships for the fourth time, following editions in 2015, 2020 and 2022.

Forever Young Leads a Stacked Classic

The $7 million Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1), run as the final race on Saturday at 6:16 p.m. ET, drew 11 pre-entries and a headline act. Japan’s Forever Young, trained by Yoshito Yahagi for owner Susumu Fujita, returns to defend his title and try to become only the second horse ever to win the Classic twice, after Tiznow in 2000-01. His 2026 campaign has done nothing to dim the spotlight: a second Saudi Cup victory in February, a runner-up finish in the Dubai World Cup in March, and a 3 1/4-length score in the September 18 Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont. At the October 26 post-position draw, Forever Young landed post 5 and was installed as the 2-1 morning-line favorite in an eight-horse field.

His rivals are hardly background players. Sovereignty, the reigning Horse of the Year who swept the 2025 Kentucky Derby, Belmont and Travers before adding the 2026 Whitney, is the 5-2 second choice from post 2. Golden Tempo, the 3-year-old who won this year’s Kentucky Derby and Belmont, drew post 3 at 5-1 and leads the younger charge against their elders. The rest of the Classic cast includes Pacific Classic winner Knightsbridge, Magnitude, Phileas Fogg, Preakness winner Napoleon Solo, Pennsylvania Derby winner The Puma and Blue Grass winner Further Ado.

“This historic level of participation is a testament to the strength and prestige of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships,” said Breeders’ Cup president and CEO Drew Fleming. With a defending champion from Japan, a reigning Horse of the Year and a dual classic-winning 3-year-old all converging on one Saturday evening in Lexington, the numbers suggest the racing will live up to the billing.

Photo: Forever Young in morning training at Keeneland ahead of his Breeders’ Cup Classic defense. Credit: Anne M. Eberhardt / Breeders’ Cup.

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Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October Sale Wraps With $65.9 Million in Trade, Not This Time Colt Tops Final Day at $500,000

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October 29, 2026

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The North American yearling sale season went out on a strong note in Lexington. The four-day Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October Yearlings Sale, held October 19-22 at the Newtown Paddocks, turned over 1,096 yearlings for $65,920,000, producing an average of $60,146 and a median of $30,000 that held steady against last year’s record-setting renewal. With an RNA rate of 18.6 percent, buyers and sellers alike found a deep, workable market from the first hip to the last.

Thursday’s final session found its headline late, when Hip 1455, a colt by Not This Time, sold for $500,000 to West Coast Racing. Consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency as agent for Summer Wind Equine, the Kentucky-bred colt is the first foal out of the Uncle Mo mare Mozay and comes from a family stacked with top-level performers, including Grade and Group 1 winners Sandman, Music Note, Mystic Guide and Musical Chimes.

Fillies and Colts Round Out a Deep Final Day

The session’s top filly was not far behind the colt. Hip 1541, a daughter of Into Mischief out of graded stakes winner Painting, brought $485,000 from Good Horse for Morplay Racing and was consigned by Hill ‘n’ Dale at Xalapa. Third on the day was Hip 1498, an Authentic colt out of Nora’s Joy who sold for $400,000 to Gold Square LLC from the Woods Edge Farm consignment, with trainer Chad Summers signing the ticket.

As strong as the finale was, the sale’s biggest fireworks came earlier in the week. Tuesday’s session produced the two overall toppers, an Uncle Mo filly and an Into Mischief colt who each changed hands for $800,000, setting the tone for four days of competitive bidding.

“It was a near record breaking sale for the 2026 Kentucky October Yearlings sale,” said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning. With gross receipts north of $65 million and a median that refused to budge from last year’s record pace, the October sale once again proved its reputation as the dependable final stop of the yearling season, and a reliable barometer for the bloodstock market heading into 2027.

Photo: Yearlings on show at the 2026 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October Sale at Newtown Paddocks in Lexington. Credit: Fasig-Tipton.

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