Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint
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The Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint is a Weight for Age stakes race for thoroughbred racehorses three years old and up. As its name implies, it will be a part of the Breeders' Cup, the de facto year-end championship for North American thoroughbred racing. The distance of the race will vary depending on the host track's turf course requirements[1].
The race will be run for the first time in 2008 during the second day of Breeders' Cup racing at that year's host track, Santa Anita Park.
The 2008 race will be held at a distance of six and 1/2 furlongs and will be contested on Santa Anita’s signature El Camino Real “downhill” turf course. In 2008 the race will also be limited to 14 starters. Besides Santa Anita, the only tracks in North America capable of contesting longer than six and 1/2 furlong turf races are Woodbine [2] and Belmont [3]. Churchill Downs, which has hosted the Breeders' Cup 6 times, only conducts turf sprints at 5 furlongs [4]. Breeders' Cup Officials have not announced a preferred distance for the race, unlike all other Breeders' Cup races.
Because of technical requirements, it is not eligible for classification as a graded stakes race in its first two runnings[5].
The initial purse will be $1 million US.
