No fewer than 25 qualifying Breeders Cup Challenge Races will take place around the world over the next two weekends.

The opening of the Santa Anita fall season on September 26 as well as Belmont Park’s important final Breeders’ Cup preps highlight the action on September 27 and 28 while Keeneland’s opening on October 3 with a return to conventional dirt and Longchamp’s historic Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe card in Paris on October 5 bookends the busiest Challenge period on the calendar.

The furious action starts on September 26 at Newmarket in England when the G2 Shadwell Rockfel will offer an automatic start in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf and extends there the following day when the G2 Juddmonte Royal Lodge will award a starting berth to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf.

September 27 has long been circled on the calendar as Belmont and Santa Anita will offer their final preps for several BC divisions, with 11 Challenge races on tap.

Belmont presents a quartet of G1 “Win and You’re In” races - the Flower Bowl (Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf), Joe Hirsch Turf Classic (BC Turf), Beldame (BC Distaff) and Jockey Club Gold Cup (BC Classic).

Santa Anita has five G1 Challenge races - the Rodeo Drive (BC Filly & Mare Turf), Chandelier (BC Juvenile Fillies), FrontRunner (BC Juvenile), Zenyatta (BC Distaff) and the Awesome Again (BC Classic).l

The following weekend sees 14 Challenge races as Keeneland ushers in a return to conventional dirt racing by hosting seven “Win and You’re In” races.

The start on October 3 with the G3 Ogden Phoenix (BC Sprint) and the G1 Alcibiades (BC Juvenile Fillies).

On October 4 three more Challenge races will be highlighted by two-time reigning Horse of the Year and Breeders’ Cup Mile winner Wise Dan’s presence in the G1 Shadwell Turf Mile (BC Mile).

The G1 Breeders’ Futurity (BC Juvenile) G2 Toroughbred Club of America (BC Filly & Mare Sprint) are also on the card.

At Santa Anita the Sprint Championship (BC Sprint), G1 Spinster (BC Distaff) and G3 Dixiana Bourbon (BC Juvenile Turf) wil be the features while Belmont will highlight the 2-year-olds as the G1 Champagne (BC Juvenile) and G1 Frizette (BC Juvenile Fillies) will offer guaranteed berths and are expected to feature divisional leaders Competitive Edge and Condo Commando, the undefeated winners of Saratoga’s G1 Hopeful Stakes and G1 Spinaway respectively.

In Europe October 5 looms as the racing’s day of days as Longchamp’s Arc card is one of the strongest in the entire world.

The five GI “Win and You’re In” races include the historic Arc, the Prix Marcel Boussac (BC Juvenile Fillies Turf), Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere (BC Juvenile Turf), Prix de Foret (BC Mile) and Prix de l’Opera (BC Filly & Mare Turf).