MAIN Recreation Sports Horse Racing 2009 Breeders' Cup

It's the "World Cup" of thoroughbread racing - as top horses from around the globe meet to compete in the Breeders Cup World Championship.

The Breeders' Cup is comprised of 8 separate and sensational races that take place each year in the fall at a different NTRA racetrack.

This year, however, marks the only time in Breeder Cup history that the event will be held at the same site for two consecutive years — at Oak Tree at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California.

As always, ESPN takes the reins again this year as the official television broadcaster airing all the big races in their entirety from November 6 - 7 2009 on ESPN & ESPN 2.

The Breeders' Cup World Championships caps the annual racing season with the richest races in the sport, honoring the fastest sprinters, most promising two-year-olds, and the best turf horses.

The very best of the best eventually compete in the final race for the ultimate in prestige and the richest purse in horse racing: the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic.

In keeping with its star status as the ultimate in thoroughbred horse racing, the very first Breeders Cup took place at Hollywood Park in 1984. Almost immediately, the race took on the glamour of the Oscar Awards, giving the sport a high-profile and very much anticipated end-of-year finale.

The Breeders' Cup Classic is open to horses of both sexes as are the Spring, the Mile and Turf races. The remaining four are the Juvenile, the Juvenile Fillies, Distaff and the Filly & Mare Turf for females ages three and up.

Whichever the groups of horses are in contention, it's certain that national pride is on the line each time. Intense rivalry develops in almost each successive race among owners and trainers, primarily from the U.S., England, Ireland, France, Germany & Japan over who will claim the best horse in competition.

More about the Breeders Cup around the Web:

Elsewhere on the Web - check out more facts, odds & predictions on who will shine at this year's horse race plus related history & trivia, photos & video clips, news headlines, the latest turf reports and additional information on the year's biggest horse race, the Breeders Cup ...

Breeders Cup World Championships - The official site with complete stats, winners & information on past championships, pictures & related video clips, interesting facts & trivia, online ticket ordering plus posters & T-shirts in the online shop.

ESPN Horse Racing - Featuring official Breeders Cup TV coverage including feature stories, news, pictures & video.

Breeders Cup Coverage from Daily Racing Form - Exensive converage including news headlines, TV schedule, wagering menu, fields & odds reporting, clocker reports & turf conditions.

Breeders Cup - Complete history including top Breeders Cup winners, race discriptions, a list of racetracks that have hosted the Breeders Cup dating back to 1984 plus related links, from Wikipedia.

also see -> Kentucky Derby | Belmont | Preakness | Ascot Week