Breeders Cup Racing on Friday and Saturday Next

It's time again for our yearly treat of seeing some of the best race horses in the world compete against each other at the Breeders Cup Championships.  The races will take place on Friday, 30 October, and on Halloween, Saturday, 31 October.  This year there will be no Marathon or Juvenile Sprint races.  The fields are restricted to the top 14 horses in each race that qualify for the Championships.  For several years all the races for the female horses were run on Friday, with only the boys (and the few girls competing against the boys) running on Saturday.  I complained about that a lot - I felt that the fillies and mares were being down-graded racing them on a Friday and not on Saturday.  That happens no longer, although the Distaff, the female Championship race is still run on Friday.
   This year, the Breeders Cup will take place at Keeneland Race Track in Lexington, Kentucky.  Following are the race start times (all Eastern Daylight Time) as currently planned, with the title of the race, the length of the race and the total purse money.
   The Friday afternoon, October 30 races are:
3:30     Juvenile Turf           8 furlongs (1 mile) on the grass course    $1 million   (2-year-old boys)
4:10     Dirt Mile                 8 furlongs (1 mile) on the dirt course       $1 million   (all sexes, 3 & up)
4:50     Juvenile Fillies Turf    8 furlongs (1 mile) on the grass            $1 million   (2-year-old girls)
5:35     Distaff                     9 furlongs (1 1/8 miles) on the dirt           $2 million   (females, 3 & up)

   The Saturday afternoon races on All Hallows Eve, October 31, are:
12:05   Juveniles Fillies    8.5 furlongs (1 1/16 miles) on the dirt      $2 million   (2-year-old girls)
12:45   Turf Sprint            5.5 furlongs  (11/16 miles) on the grass   $1 million   (all sexes, 3 & up)
1:25     Fillies & Mares Sprint    7 furlongs  (7/8 mile) on the dirt     $1 million   (females, 3 & up)
2:10     Fillies & Mares Turf    9.5 furlongs (1 3/16 mile) on grass    $2 million   (females, 3 & up)
2:50     Sprint                     6 furlongs (3/4 mile) on the dirt course    $1.5 million (all sexes, 3 & up)
3:30     Mile Turf               8 furlongs (1 mile) on the grass                $2 million   (all sexes, 3& up)
4:10     Juvenile Colts        8.5 furlongs (1 1/16 miles) on the dirt      $2 million   (2-year-old boys)
4:50     Turf                      12 furlongs (1 1/2 miles) on the grass        $3 million   (all sexes,3 & up)
5:35     Classic                  10 furlongs (1 1/4 miles) on the dirt          $5 million   (all sexes, 3 & up)

At this point in time. American Pharoah, the 2015 Triple Crown Champion, is scheduled to run in the Classic on Saturday.