The winner’s share of the $5-million Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) will be boosted from $2.7-million to $3.7-million if unbeaten five-year-old mare Zenyatta and BlackBerry Preakness Stakes (G1) winner Rachel Alexandra both start in the race, Breeders’ Cup officials announced on Friday.
Adding the $1-million would make the winner's share of the Classic the richest of any race in the world this year.
The 26th Breeders' Cup World Championships will be hosted by the Oak Tree Racing Association at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California, on November 6-7.
"Racing fans around the world have made it clear that they would like to see Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta face each other and the best horses from the U.S. and Europe in the Breeders' Cup Classic," Breeders’ Cup Ltd. President Greg Avioli said. "While we respect that the race has not been under consideration by Rachel Alexandra's connections, we wanted to make sure that the Breeders' Cup did everything in its power to make the prospect of competing at Santa Anita in November as attractive as possible."