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The Breeders' Cup announced Tuesday that a new race, the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Sprint, has been added to the Breeders' Cup World Championships beginning this year at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The Breeders' Cup Juvenile Sprint will be run as a six furlong race open to two-year-old colts, geldings and fillies, and will be contested on the main track for a purse of $500,000. The new race will have a maximum of 14 starters.

The Breeders' Cup Juvenile Sprint becomes the 15th race of the two-day, $26 million Breeders' Cup World Championships, which will be held November 4-5 at Churchill Downs. The new race will be run on Friday, November 4.

The creation of Juvenile Sprint was developed through the combined efforts of Breeders' Cup Wagering Committee, chaired by David Willmot, and the Breeders' Cup Racing and Nominations Committee, chaired by Clem Murphy.

"Our goal in the Wagering Committee focused on creating a Breeders' Cup race that would generate not only betting interest for the public but also provide an additional opportunity for the two-year-old crop from which our owners and breeders could benefit." Willmot said. "A six-furlong sprint race for juveniles has the potential to provide highly competitive fields in this new division."

Murphy commented: "In discussions with horsemen on selecting a new race, an overwhelming majority requested that we add a Juvenile Sprint to the Championships program. There are a number of talented two-year-old sprinters around the world who are not suited or may not be ready to run the two turns at 1 1/16 miles of the Juvenile or Juvenile Fillies in early November. The Juvenile Sprint provides horsemen with an alternative."

This is the first expansion of the World Championships program since 2008, when the number of races was increased from 11 to 14 for the 25th running at Santa Anita Park.

The Breeders' Cup began in 1984 with seven races and purses of $10 million. An eighth race, the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf (Grade 1), was added in 1999. The Breeders' Cup was expanded to 11 races for the 2007 running at Monmouth Park.

Total purses for the two-day Championships this year will remain at $26 million, which includes purses for the undercard races on both days. The purse of this year's Breeders' Cup Sprint (Grade 1) will be $1.5 million. It was contested at a $2 million purse in 2010.

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