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The term ‘Thoroughbred’, written with an initial capital letter, refers to a breed of horses, to which all racehorses belong. Of course, the term ‘throughbred’ is used to describe to any pureblooded horse, of unmixed ancestry or descent, but, strictly speaking, refers exclusively to the Thoroughbred breed.

The Throughbred breed of horses was originally developed in Britain by crossing Arabian stallions with heavier native mares, thereby producing offspring blessed with both speed and stamina. Indeed, the ancestry of the breed can be traced back to three so-called foundation sires – namely the Byerley Turk, the Darley Arabian and the Godolphin Arabian – who were imported to Britain in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. That said, the origin of the Byerley Turk is disputed and he may, in fact, have been foaled in Britain, but if there is insufficient evidence either way.

As a compound adjective, ‘Thoroughbred’ was first recorded around the turn of the eighteenth century and, obviously, formed by combining the adjective ‘thorough’, in the sense of ‘complete in every regard’, with the past participle of the verb ‘to breed’. Students of etymology may be interested to know that ‘thorough’ and ‘breed’ ancient words, both of which were first recorded before the end of the first millenium CE. ‘Thorough’ is derived from the Old English word ‘thuruh’, which in turn is a variant of ‘thurh’, meaning ‘through’. The verb ‘to breed’, on the other hand, comes from the Middle English word ‘breden’, which had its roots in the Old English word ‘bredan’, meaning ‘to nourish’.

The first Grade 1 steeplechase of the British National Hunt season is the Lancashire Chase, better known, for sponsorship purposes, as the Betfair Chase, which is run at Haydock Park in November. In fact, at the time of writing, the next renewal is scheduled for November 23, 2024, making the race the first Grade 1 contest, of any description, on the 2024/25 National Hunt calendar.

The Betfair Chase is run over a distance of three miles and one and a half furlongs and, novice chases aside, is one of just four Grade 1 steeplechases over distances of three miles or beyond during the season. The others are the King George VI Chase, the Cheltenham Gold Cup and the Aintree Bowl. In fact, at various points in its history, the Betfair Chase has served as the first leg of two £1 million bonus schemes, known as the “Betfair Million” and the “Chase Triple Crown”, also involving the King George VI Chase and the Cheltenham Gold Cup. Kauto Star, who won the Betfair Chase four times, King George VI Chase a record five times and the Cheltenham Gold Cup twice, collected the Betfair Million in 2008/09.

The Betfair Chase was inaugurated in 2005, but it would be fair to say that the nature of the race has changed in recent years. In 2008/09, the once-famous, permanent drop fences at Haydock Park were replaced with less demanding, portable versions, in 2013/14, the Betfair Chase, along with all steeplechases run at the Merseyide course, was transferred to the outer Flat course and , in 2017/18, the distance was increased by a furlong and a half.

The 2024 Breeders’ Cup World Championships is due to be held at Del Mar Racetrack in Southern California in early November and, as is customary, will be a two-day, season-ending spectacle, featuring the crème de la crème of thoroughbred talent not just from North America but from around the world .

The Breeders’ Cup was, in fact, the brainchild of visionary thoroughbred pioneer John R. Gaines, who on April 23, 1982 announced plans for a year-end championship day of racing, at a major venue, in an effort to sell the sport to the general public. The inaugural Breeders’ Cup – a one-day, seven-race affair, but nonetheless worth $15 million in total prize money – was duly staged at the now-defunct Hollywood Park Racetrack in Inglewood, California on November 10, 1984.

The Breeders’ Cup has since been staged annually at various iconic venues across North America, all bar one of which have been in the United States, and in 2007 was extended to two days. The current programme features 14 Grade 1 races, in a variety of disciplines and age ranges, on dirt and turf, each worth $1 million and, collectively, worth $28 million. The so-called Breeders’ Cup Challenge series consists of qualifying “Win & You’re In” races across the United States and around the world, each offering automatic, free entry into the corresponding Championship race. In Britain, for example, both the Prince of Wales’s Stakes and the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot offer automatic entry into the Breeders’ Cup Turf.

Now in its forty-first year, Breeders’ Cup World Championships have evolved into a two-day, 14-race extravaganza, worth $34 million in purses and awards. Of all 14 races, the most prestigious and valuable is the Breeders’ Cup Classic, run over a mile and a quarter, on dirt, open to horses aged three years and upwards and worth $7 million in total prize money. Indeed, the Breeders’ Cup Classic arguably rivals the Kentucky Derby, which, despite recent increases in prize money, is still worth only $5 million, as the most prestigious American horse race.

Notable winners of the Breeders’ Cup Classic down the years include Cigar, Curlin, Zenyatta and the American Triple Crown winner American Pharoah. The only horse to have won the race twice, though, was Tiznow, trained by Jay Robbins, who prevailed as a three-year-old in 2000 and as a four-year-old in 2001.

Supplemented for a not-insignificant $360,000 for his first attempt, at Churchill Downs, the son of Cee’s Tizzy bravely held off the so-called “Iron Horse”, Giant’s Causeway, to win by a neck. A year later, he headed to Belmont Park where, under tight security in the wake of 9/11, he edged out the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner Sakhee, who was making his dirt debut, by a nose. Boston-born Chris McCarron, who retired from the saddle the following June, with 7,141 winners and $264 million in total prize money to his name, rode Tiznow to victory on both occasions.