MassCap to be part of Breeders’ Challenge

EAST BOSTON – The historic Massachusetts Handicap at Suffolk Downs will be one of five Classic Division races and one of 49 international stakes races in this year’s Breeders’ Cup Challenge, a series of automatic qualifiers for the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, the Breeders’ Cup and Suffolk Downs announced today.The MassCap, which will carry a guaranteed purse of $500,000, joins four prestigious Grade I stakes – the Whitney Handicap (Saratoga), Pacific Classic (Del Mar), Jockey Club Gold Cup (Belmont Park) and Goodwood Stakes (Oak Tree at Santa Anita) – as qualifying races for the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic, the richest event of the two-day, 14-race, $25.5 million Breeders’ Cup World Championships to be held October 24 and 25 at Oak Tree at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif.In the Breeders’ Cup Challenge “Win and You’re In” format, the winners of the MassCap and the four other Classic Division races will automatically qualify for entry in the Breeders’ Cup Classic.”We are both honored and excited that the MassCap is part of the Breeders’ Cup Challenge and to be included with such a prestigious group of races in the Classic Division,” said Richard Fields, the largest shareholder of Suffolk Downs. “The MassCap has an illustrious past and its association with the Breeders’ Cup Classic can only add to its strong tradition.”Two of the last 10 MassCap winners, Cigar and Skip Away, have gone on to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic. A total of 11 starters from the last 10 MassCaps have proceeded to compete in the Breeders’ Cup Classic in the same year. In addition to Cigar and Skip Away, the list includes Funny Cide, Macho Uno, Evening Attire, Include, Vision and Verse, Gander and Behrens.The 66th MassCap will be run on Saturday, Sept. 20, five weeks prior to the Breeders’ Cup Classic. First run in 1935, the MassCap made a triumphant return in 2007 when new ownership brought it back after a two-year absence. Last year’s race was won by Grade I winner Brass Hat.”The MassCap is a key component of ownership’s commitment to providing a first-class racing experience to the passionate sports fans in the Boston market,” said Suffolk Downs Chief Operating Officer Chip Tuttle. “Being part of the Breeders’ Cup Challenge certainly supports this vision.”Suffolk Downs is New England’s preeminent thoroughbred racing venue. Founded in 1935, it has hosted Hall of Fame horses Seabiscuit, Whirlaway and Cigar, among others, and has been the site of performances by world-renowned entertainers, including the Beatles and Aerosmith. For additional information about Suffolk Downs, call (617) 567-3900 or visit www.suffolkdowns.com.-30-