Starting Tuesday, all non-nominated yearlings and horses of racing are
eligible to join the Breeders’ Cup through a new Open Enrollment program.
In September of last year the Breeders’ Cup Board passed sweeping changes to
its worldwide nomination program 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.
This Open Enrollment period, which will end June 30, is available to any
previously non-nominated horse sired by any stallion standing anywhere in the
world that has been nominated to the Breeders’ Cup in 2011.
The fee payment structure is as follows:
· Yearlings (Born in 2010): US$3,000
· Two-year-olds (Born in 2009): US$6,000
· Three-year-old and older (Born in 2008 and Earlier): US$25,000
Upon expiration of the one-time open enrollment, the late nominations fees will
revert to standard rates for horses that were not previously nominated (e.g.,
$100,000/$200,000 Horses of Racing Age fee).
Earlier today, Bowman’s Flight (Stevie Wonderboy), a two-year-old colt owned
by All Along LLC, was the first horse of racing age to nominate under the Open
Enrollment program for a fee of $6,000. Under the previous system, All Along LLC
would have been required to pay a fee of $100,000 to make Bowman’s Flight
eligible to the program.
“The open enrollment program is a great opportunity for North American
owners, and those in the international market, to nominate their racing stock at
extremely favorable prices,” said Dora Delgado, Breeders Cup Senior Vice
President, Racing & Nominations. “We want to provide those who did not nominate
under the previous system, especially in the yearling category at $3,000 per
individual, the chance to take advantage of the full benefits of the Breeders’
Cup program during the next five months.”
These 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. In 2011, any horse that wins a Challenge race will, in addition to
having an automatic starting position in the corresponding Championship race,
will also have its entry fees paid and will receive a travel allowance when they
start in the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, which offers $26 million in
purses and awards. Additionally foal nominators of every Breeders’ Cup Challenge
winner will receive a $10,000 nominator award.
Non-nominated horses may be enrolled online at
www.members.breederscup.com.
In addition to the Open Enrollment, Breeders’ Cup introduced in 2011 a new
International Stallion Nominations program. To date, more than 180 overseas
stallions have been nominated to the Breeders’ Cup program. Beginning this year,
all foals sired by Breeders’ Cup nominated international stallions will be
automatically eligible to participate in Breeders’ Cup World Championships
races. To qualify for the new program, owners of stallions standing outside of
the United States and Canada in the Northern Hemisphere will pay an annual
nomination fee equal to 50 percent of their stallion’s published stud fee and
owners of stallions standing in the Southern Hemisphere will pay a nomination
fee equal to 25 percent of their stallion’s published stud fee.