The Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships, more popularly known simply as the Breeders' Cup, is an annual series of thoroughbred horse races created as a year-end championship for North American thoroughbreds. These races also attract top horses from other parts of the world, especially Europe.

The Breeders’ Cup Championships is sponsored by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) and it is held on a single day at a predetermined site, usually in the United States or Canada.

Currently, there are eight races on the Breeders' Cup card, all classified as Grade I races. The order of the first five listed races varies from year to year, but the 'Juvenile', 'Turf', and 'Classic' are traditionally the last three races. All races, unless otherwise indicated, are for any horse, regardless of sex, 3 years old and up, and are held on a dirt track.

The Breeders' Cup World Championships is composed of the following eight races:

• Breeders’ Cup Distaff
• Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies
• Breeders’ Cup Mile
• Breeders’ Cup Sprint
• Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf
• Breeders’ Cup Juvenile
• Breeders’ Cup Turf
• Breeders’ Cup Classic

List of Breeders’ Cup Classic Winners

History of the Breeders’ Cup

1982

Breeders' Cup Limited was founded with the aim of staging an annual series of championship thoroughbred races with a multi-million-dollar total purse. The races were to be held each year in order to gather the best thoroughbreds in North America in one track and enhance the popularity of the sport of horseracing.

Since 1984

The Breeders’ Cup has been held each year without interruption since the first staging in 1984. Listed below are the venues where it has been held and where future ones will be held.

1986

A separate $250,000 Breeders’ Cup Steeplechase, held two weeks earlier than the series at a different track, was added to the calendar. It was discontinued after 1993.

1999

The Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf was added to the Program.