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Race library

Major races,
clearly mapped.

Conditions, context, and practical reading notes for the races that shape the American season.

Race guide library

01Grade 1

Triple Crown, first leg

Kentucky Derby

The opening race of the Triple Crown and the best-known two minutes in American racing.

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02Grade 1

Triple Crown, second leg

Preakness Stakes

The middle jewel of the Triple Crown, run at 1 3/16 miles two weeks after the Kentucky Derby.

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03Grade 1

Triple Crown, final leg

Belmont Stakes

The final Triple Crown test, traditionally run at a demanding 1 1/2 miles and the oldest of the three classics.

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04Grade 1

Breeders' Cup championship

Breeders' Cup Classic

The richest race of the Breeders' Cup World Championships, a 1 1/4-mile dirt championship open to horses three and older.

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05Grade 1

Three-year-old filly classic

Kentucky Oaks

The premier American dirt race for three-year-old fillies, held at Churchill Downs on the Friday before the Kentucky Derby.

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06Grade 1

Saratoga summer championship

Travers Stakes

Saratoga's 1 1/4-mile championship for three-year-olds, widely known as the Midsummer Derby.

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07Grade 1

Breeders' Cup championship

Breeders' Cup Distaff

The Breeders' Cup dirt championship for fillies and mares aged three and older.

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08Grade 1

Breeders' Cup championship

Breeders' Cup Turf

The Breeders' Cup grass championship at 1 1/2 miles, and the race that most reliably draws Europe.

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09Grade 1

Breeders' Cup championship

Breeders' Cup Sprint

The Breeders' Cup dirt sprint championship: six furlongs, one turn, and very little margin for error.

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10Grade 1

Breeders' Cup championship

Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies

The Breeders' Cup dirt championship for two-year-old fillies, run at 1 1/16 miles.

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11Grade 1

Breeders' Cup championship

Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf

The World Championships grass title for fillies and mares, with a distance set to fit each host track's turf-course configuration.

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12Grade 1

Breeders' Cup championship

Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint

The World Championships grass sprint title, run over whatever short trip the host track's turf course can actually lay out.

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13Grade 1

Older dirt championship

Stephen Foster Stakes

Churchill Downs' major summer race for older dirt horses and a Breeders' Cup Classic qualifying event.

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14Grade 1

New York mile championship

Metropolitan Handicap

A prestigious one-mile dirt handicap for horses three and older, commonly called the Met Mile.

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15Grade 1

Midseason three-year-old championship

Haskell Stakes

Monmouth Park's Grade 1 summer test for three-year-olds at 1 1/8 miles on dirt.

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16Grade 2

Road to the Kentucky Derby

Fountain of Youth Stakes

A major Gulfstream Park prep that sends three-year-olds around two turns on the road to the Kentucky Derby.

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17Grade 2

Saratoga Travers prep

Jim Dandy Stakes

Saratoga's principal local prep for the Travers Stakes, run at 1 1/8 miles for three-year-olds.

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18Grade 1

Saratoga older-horse championship

Whitney Stakes

A Grade 1 Saratoga summer championship for horses three and older at 1 1/8 miles on dirt.

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19Grade 2

West Coast juvenile championship

Los Alamitos Futurity

One race under three names: the Hollywood Futurity, the CashCall Futurity, and now the Grade 2 Los Alamitos Futurity.

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Series and reference

Hubs for the bigger picture

Series guide

The Triple Crown, race by race

Order, spacing, distances, and every horse that swept all three.

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Championship guide

Every Breeders' Cup race

All 14 World Championships races with surfaces, distances, and divisions.

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Reference

The US graded stakes list

How the 2026 list breaks down and how races earn, keep, and lose grades.

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Reference

Famous US racetracks

The best-known tracks by circuit, with official sites and their 2026 Grade 1 races.

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