Roiled by a pandemic that continues to impact the way the sport is conducted, racing heads toward the Breeders’ Cup Nov. 6 and 7 at Keeneland with the prospect of having one of its best events ever based on the list of pre-entries that were announced Wednesday. To borrow from Vin Scully when the Dodgers had last won the World Series prior to their victory Tuesday night, “In a year that has been so improbable, the impossible has happened.” A scattered and delayed Triple Crown allowed this year’s crop of 3-year-olds to have more time to mature before their biggest races. They thus were able to bounce back from the demands of those races and not wind up ineffective or sidelined for the rest of the year. As a result, all three Triple Crown race winners this year – Authentic, Swiss Skydiver, and Tiz the Law – are headed to the Breeders’ Cup. They are joined by two horses who were marquee names from the 2019 Triple Crown – Maximum Security, who crossed the wire first in the Kentucky Derby, and War of Will, the Preakness winner. All too often it seems horses are whisked off early to stud, and yet veterans like Improbable and Tom’s d’Etat are among those headed for a showdown with Authentic, Maximum Security, and Tiz the Law in a star-studded Classic that could decide Horse of the Year. Two of the last three winners of the Kentucky Oaks – Monomoy Girl and Serengeti Empress – are back. Monomoy Girl is one of five previous Breeders’ Cup race winners returning, including Four Wheel Drive and a high-class trio of turf mares trained by Chad Brown – Rushing Fall, Sistercharlie, and Uni. And the popular Whitmore is having a go at the Sprint for the fourth straight year. John Gosden and Aidan O’Brien, the two best trainers in Europe, are well represented per usual. Their best battle should be in the Turf, with O’Brien sending out both Mogul and Magical – who gave Gosden’s now-retired Enable such a memorable battle in the 2018 Turf – and Gosden countering with Lord North. They are among 38 horses based overseas who were pre-entered, including two from Japan. Those were among the highlights when the pre-entries for all 14 Breeders’ Cup races were revealed Wednesday morning. This will be the 37th Breeders’ Cup, and the second at Keeneland, which played host in 2015. Owing to this year’s Breeders’ Cup having to be run without fans, Keeneland already has been awarded the 2022 event. A total of 201 horses were pre-entered, with 30 cross-entered in two races, bringing the total number of pre-entries to 231. They will compete for a total of $28 million in purses. Prize money was scheduled to go up this year, but has remained at the 2019 levels owing to the pandemic. Every race is worth at least $1 million, with the Classic the richest race at $6 million. The pre-entry stage is the first of a two-step entry process. Pre-entries – due Monday, announced Wednesday – afford trainers the opportunity to put a horse into two different races. By next Monday, though, when final entries are due, a horse can only be entered in one race. Later that day, posts are drawn for all the races. Of the 14 races, nine had pre-entries exceeding the maximum number who can start on race day. In those cases, half the field in the main body of the race is made up of horses who won Win and You’re In races, plus those who earned the most points in graded stakes during the year. Everyone else is ranked in order of preference by an international panel of racing officials. :: BREEDERS’ CUP 2020: See DRF’s special section with top contenders, odds, comments, news, and more for each division With the exception of the Dirt Mile, which is limited to 12 starters, 14 can run in a Breeders’ Cup race. In the Juvenile Turf – which had 23 pre-entries – five horses qualified for the main body of the field via the Win and You’re In program, leaving two spots for the highest point earners. The next seven in the main body of the field were chosen by the panel, and the remaining nine who ended up on the outside looking in were ranked by the panel. They move into the main body of the field in order of ranking if there are defections. On draw day Monday, up to four also-eligibles are allowed in oversubscribed races, with six also-eligibles allowed in the Dirt Mile. The also-eligibles have until 8 a.m. Eastern on their respective race days to draw in. The Nov. 6 card has five Breeders’ Cup races, all for 2-year-olds. The $1 million Juvenile Turf Sprint, which has 24 pre-entries, is the first of that day’s Breeders’ Cup races. David Aragona of Daily Racing Form, who made the line for the Nov. 6 Breeders’ Cup races, has Golden Pal the 5-2 favorite. The $1 million Juvenile Turf also overflowed, with 23 pre-entrants. Sealiway is a lukewarm 9-2 choice, reflecting how wide-open the race appears. The $2 million Juvenile Fillies had the fewest-pre-entries, eight, but it’s talented at the top, with unbeaten Princess Noor the 2-1 favorite against fellow unbeatens Dayoutoftheoffice and Simply Ravishing. Another unbeaten filly, Aunt Pearl, is the 7-2 favorite in the $1 million Juvenile Fillies Turf, which has 19 pre-entries. The $2 million Juvenile has the weekend’s shortest-priced favorite in unbeaten Jackie’s Warrior, who is 7-5 in a race that lured 15 pre-entries. The Nov. 7 card follows with nine Breeders’ Cup races, headed by the finale, the Classic. Daily Racing Form’s Brad Free, who made the Nov. 7 lines, has Improbable as the 3-1 favorite among the Classic’s 11 pre-entries, which includes Swiss Skydiver, who was pre-entered in both the Classic and the Distaff. The Distaff is listed as her first preference. The Classic has plenty of depth. In addition to Authentic, Maximum Security, Tiz the Law, and Tom’s d’Etat, the race also attracted By My Standards, Global Campaign, Higher Power, Tacitus, and Title Ready The Nov. 7 card’s first Breeders’ Cup race is the $1 million Filly and Mare Sprint, which had 11 pre-entries, one of whom, Bellafina, already is out, having been retired on Tuesday. Gamine is the 2-1 favorite over Serengeti Empress. :: Play the Breeders’ Cup with DRF! Visit our Breeders’ Cup shop for Packages, PPs, Clocker Reports, Betting Strategies, and more The $1 million Turf Sprint had 22 pre-entered, including Four Wheel Drive. Imprimis is the 4-1 choice. Complexity is the 3-1 favorite in the $1 million Dirt Mile, which has 23 pre-entrants, including War of Will. Rushing Fall is 3-1 to add the $2 million Filly and Mare Turf to her 2017 victory in the Juvenile Fillies Turf. The Filly and Mare Turf lured 18 pre-entries, including 2018 winner Sistercharlie. The $2 million Sprint has 17 pre-entries. C Z Rocket is the 4-1 favorite. Ivar is the lukewarm 9-2 favorite in the $2 million Mile, in which Uni defends her title. That grass race has 18 pre-entries. Monomoy Girl is the 2-1 favorite to add this year’s $2 million Distaff to her 2018 victory. Ten others were pre-entered against her. Magical is the 3-1 favorite in the $4 million Turf, whose 11 pre-entrants include Lord North and last year’s runner-up, United.