Apple Blossom Handicap Added to BC Challenge Series

The $1.25 million Apple Blossom Handicap (G1) has joined the roster of prestigious North American races for the 2026 Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win and You're In, Breeders' Cup Limited and Oaklawn Park announced Jan. 22. The Breeders' Cup Challenge Series is an international series of stakes races, the winners of which receive automatic starting positions and fees paid into a corresponding race at the 2026 Breeders' Cup World Championships, scheduled to be held Oct. 30-31 at Keeneland. Offering an automatic berth into the $2 million Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1), the 1 1/16-mile Apple Blossom Handicap for fillies and mares 4-years-old and up will be the first Breeders' Cup Challenge race in the Distaff division this year. "The Apple Blossom Handicap has a long-standing reputation as one of the premier races for fillies and mares in North America," said Dora Delgado, chief racing officer for Breeders' Cup Limited. "Its inclusion in the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series underscores the race's championship quality and strengthens the pathway to the Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff. We are proud to welcome Oaklawn Park and the Apple Blossom into the 'Win and You're In' program as part of our continued commitment to showcasing elite racing on the road to the Breeders' Cup World Championships." "This is a tremendous milestone for Oaklawn and for one of the most prestigious races in American racing," said Louis A. Cella, president of Oaklawn. "The Apple Blossom Handicap has long been a championship-caliber event, and earning Breeders' Cup 'Win and You're In' status reflects the quality of our racing product and the elite horses that continue to compete here. This designation further solidifies Oaklawn's place on the world stage as a premier destination for top-level Thoroughbred racing." First run in 1958, the Apple Blossom Handicap has been a cornerstone of Oaklawn's racing program for nearly seven decades. The race achieved grade 1 status in 1982 and has held that distinction continuously since 1992. Its roll of honor includes legendary champions such as Azeri, Zenyatta, and most recently Thorpedo Anna, underscoring the race's reputation as a proving ground for the sport's elite female runners. As part of the benefits of the Challenge Series, Breeders' Cup will pay the pre-entry and entry fees to the Breeders' Cup Distaff for the winner of the Apple Blossom Handicap (a $60,000 value). The nominator of the winning horse will receive a $10,000 award, provided the horse is nominated before the Challenge race. All Breeders' Cup Challenge winners also receive travel benefits to the World Championships: $10,000 for starters based outside of Kentucky in North America and $40,000 for international starters based outside of North America. The Challenge winner must be nominated to the Breeders' Cup program by the pre-entry deadline of Oct. 19 to receive the rewards.