Santa Anita, Keeneland, and Del Mar Announced as Next Breeders' Cup Venues

By Evan Chronis | August 20, 2018

With the Breeders' Cup® headed to Churchill Downs® in November, we're already looking forward to the hosting sites for the two-day World Championships for the next three years.

It was announced on Friday that Santa Anita, Keeneland and Del Mar would play host to the race for the following three years, respectively. 

The newly-announced slate of tracks keeps in line with the Breeders' Cup recent trend of oscillating between California and Kentucky venues year after year. The last time this streak was broken was when the race was held at Monmouth Park in New Jersey for the 2007 Breeders' Cup.

Breeders' Cup Win & In Update

Santa Anita Park 2019

History will be made next year as Santa Anita will host the Breeders' Cup for a record-breaking 10th time. The track debuted as a venue in 1986 (the third year of the race) and with this recent announcement will have acted as host seven times since 2008. Santa Anita is one of two venues, along with Churchill Downs®, to host the Breeders' Cup in consecutive years, accomplishing the feat in 2008-09 and 2012-13. 

In 2016, Santa Anita set the highest two-day attendance record with 118,484 guests. 

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Keeneland 2020

This will be the second time that Keeneland hosts the Breeders' Cup after a successful debut performance in 2015. For those interested in thoroughbred racing history, the 2015 event is storied for being where Triple Crown™ winner American Pharaoh completed the first ever Grand Slam of Thoroughbred Racing. 

Keeneland went under serious renovations in preparation for its hosting duty in 2015 — in its previous state, the track wasn't fit to handle crowds the size expected out of a Breeders' Cup venue. 

Del Mar Thoroughbred Club 2021

The Del Mar Fairgrounds left quite the impression on the Breeders' Cup selection committee in 2017. Record levels of bets were placed and the race overall was considered a rousing success. As Gun Runner crossed the finish line first last November, onlookers stated their excitement about the next time the event would return to Del Mar. 

The 2021 Breeders' Cup will be the second time that Del Mar hosts, and will have to put up an impressive performance to live up to the expectations set by its predecessor. 

Be at the Breeders' Cup 2018!

We now know the next four locations of the Breeders' Cup World Championships®, meaning that you can start planning your trip! There's no better way to start your relationship with the season-ending event than attending the race this year at Churchill Downs®. Through Breeders' Cup Experiences, you can secure a premium seat at the race with unmatched hospitality. 

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