2021 Breeders' Cup Classic

38th Breeders' Cup Classic
Breeders' Cup Classic
LocationDel Mar Racetrack
DateNovember 6, 2021 (2021-11-06)
Winning horseKnicks Go
Winning time1:59.57
JockeyJoel Rosario
TrainerBrad Cox
OwnerKorea Racing Authority
Conditionsfast[1]
SurfaceDirt
Attendance26,553[2]
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The 2021 Breeders' Cup Classic was the 38th running of the Breeders' Cup Classic, part of the 2021 Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships program, and the fourth race in the so-called Grand Slam of Thoroughbred racing in North America. It was run on November 6, 2021 at Del Mar Racetrack in Del Mar, California. It proved decisive in American Horse of the Year voting as it featured the top-ranked older horse Knicks Go and the leading three-year-olds, Essential Quality and Medina Spirit. The race was won by Knicks Go.

The Classic is run on dirt at one mile and one-quarter (approximately 2000 m). The purse of $6,000,000 was the highest in North America in 2021. The race is run under weight-for-age conditions, with entrants carrying the following weights:

  • Northern Hemisphere three-year-olds: 122 lb
  • Southern Hemisphere three-year-olds: 117 lb
  • Four-year-olds and up: 126 lb
  • Any fillies or mares receive a 3 lb allowance

The race was broadcast on NBC.

  1. ^ "Chart for the 2021 Breeder's Cup Classic". Equibase. Retrieved 7 November 2021.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Going was invoked but never defined (see the help page).