The Breeders’ Cup announced July 8 that 107 horses were nominated to the program through the recently conducted "open enrollment" period.
Among the horses nominated during the open enrollment period that ended June 30 were grade/group I winners Canford Cliffs, Cape Blanco, Dubawi Heights, Gitano Hernando, Miss Match, Overdose, So You Think, Stacelita, and Treasure Beach.
Of the 107 open enrollment nominees, 24 are ages 3-years-old or older, 63 are 2-year-olds, and 20 are yearlings.
The complete list of open enrollment nominees will be posted July 15 on at www.members.breederscup.com
The open enrollment fee payment structure was:
--Yearlings (born in 2010) $3,000
--2-year-olds (born in 2009), $6,000
--3-year-old and older (born in 2008 and Earlier), $25,000
With the expiration of the one-time open enrollment, the late nominations fees revert to standard rates for horses that were not previously nominated (e.g., $100,000/$200,000 horses of racing age fee).
In September of last year the Breeders’ Cup board passed changes to its worldwide nomination program in an effort to increase the number of eligible runners for the 2011 Breeders’ Cup World Championships. Among those changes was the offer of a special one-time, fee-based program this year for previously non-nominated horses.
“We are tremendously pleased with the global response to this one-time open enrollment program from owners and breeders from around the world. They were able to take advantage of this program to nominate their racehorses at prices that were extremely favorable,” said Dora Delgado, Breeders’ Cup senior vice president, racing and nominations.
The newly nominated horses will experience the same benefits as those runners nominated as foals under the previous system. They will receive full eligibility to the redesigned Breeders’ Cup Challenge “Win and You’re In” series. Any horse that wins a Challenge race in 2011, in addition to having an automatic starting position in the corresponding Championships race, will also have its entry fees paid and receive a travel allowance when they start in the Breeders’ Cup, which offers $26 million in purses and awards. Additionally foal nominators of every Breeders’ Cup Challenge winner will receive a $10,000 nominator award.
Canford Cliffs was among those nominated during the Breeders' Cup Open Enrollment period.
Trevor Jones