World Championships Breeders' Cup Marathon

Breeders' Cup Marathon (G2)
Distance: 1 3/4 Miles
Conditions: 3 Year Olds and Up
Distance: $500,000
Post Time: 1:20pm

A total of 13 horses were pre-entered in the Marathon but only 11 made the final field on October 31, as some withdrew or opted to go in other races.

The Breeders' Cup Marathon (G2) is one of the newest Breeders' Cup Championships races, introduced in 2008. It also is one of two $500,000 races under the World Championships banner; every other race (other than the new Juvenile Sprint introduced in 2011) has been run for at least $1 million. The Marathon had been run on the "Ladies Day" Friday before the female-only races, but was moved to Saturday for the 2011 renewal. It was originally contested at 1 1/2 miles (at Santa Anita in 2008), and then was extended to its current 1 3/4 mile distance the following year. It was ungraded for its first two runnings, was granted Grade 3 status by the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association for the 2010 running, and was upgraded again, to Grade 2, for the 2011 edition. So far no horse, trainer, jockey, or owner has repeated as a Marathon winner. The first two runnings were won by European invaders, as Muhannak won the inaugural Marathon under Pat Smullen, followed by Man of Iron the following year for Aidan O'Brien and team Coolmore. Eldaafer was the first American horse to win, in 2010 at Churchill Downs, with John Velazquez wearing the stars and stripes of IEAH Stable for trainer Diane Alvarado. There are just three Breeders' Cup Challenge "Win and You're In" races for the Marathon, the Clasico Belgrano (G2) at Palermo Racecourse in Argentina, the Greenwood Cup Handicap (G3) at Parx Racing at Philadelphia Park in Pennsylvania, and the Cougar II Handicap (G3) at Del Mar in California. It is hoped that the Marathon will give an incentive to breed for stamina in America, but giving it such a low purse does send a mixed message. At present it appears to just be a carrot to attract European stayers that would not be competitive in the Turf or Classic.

• Free past performances - from Equibase for all 15 races
• Free Breeders' Cup past performances - from BRISnet.com for all 15 races
• Free Prep Replays - listed by date in reverse chronological order
• Thoroughbred Times Marathon Coverage - news, contenders, history, and more.
• Blood Horse Marathon Coverage - news, contender list, past winners, etc.
• Daily Racing Form coverage - Full coverage with lots of news, stats, and other info.
• Breeders' Cup Marathon Coverage - News, points, polls, online prep video replays, and bios for all the contenders from Breeders' Cup
• Marathon Points Standings - from the Breeders' Cup
• Marathon contenders - from Chef-de-Race.com including dosage and pedigree info.
• Breeders' Cup Weather - What will the weather be like at Churchill Downs on November 4 and 5? Here are lots of places to find out!
• Back to Breeders' Cup Contenders main page
• Breeders' Cup Links - the full list

• Breeders' Cup Traditions - find out about the permanent Breeders' Cup trophy, the Torrie horse, the flower blankets for the winners, and the official "Down the Stretch" cocktail.
• Breeders' Cup Field Selection Rules - Details of how they determine which horses get in each race at pre-entry time.
• The Breeders' Cup Championship Day - The official page for the Breeders' Cup championship races. Just about anything you need to know about it: results, video clips, and race calls for past years, and eventually nominations, entries, and results.

Main Breeders' Cup Entries and Post Positions page

Saturday: Marathon - Juvenile Turf - Sprint - Turf Sprint - Dirt Mile - Turf - Juvenile - Mile - Classic
Friday: Juvenile Sprint - Juvenile Fillies Turf - FandM Sprint - Juvenile Fillies - FandM Turf - Ladies' Classic

Click each horse's name to view a full profile with lots of info

Note: - * by the horse's name indicates he is guaranteed a spot in the field due to winning a Breeders' Cup Challenge Win and You're In race.