With the 40th anniversary championships at Santa Anita not far away, Breeders’ Cup president and CEO Drew Fleming answers our questions
Drew Fleming, the president and CEO of Breeders’ Cup Ltd, has been at the helm of the two-day championships since 2019. With the 40th anniversary edition of the Breeders’ Cup at Santa Anita fast approaching, he answers questions regarding crucial aspects of the event, including equine welfare and the international reach of the great 14-race extravaganza.
TRC: What ignited your interest in horse racing?
Drew Fleming: I was born and raised in Lexington – my mother was a schoolteacher and my father was a tax lawyer. I didn’t begin visiting the racetrack until I was 12, but once I did, I caught the bug instantly.
Going to Keeneland, I experienced some of the best racing in the world with my dear friend Gatewood Bell, who is now the track’s vice-president of racing. In high school, our teachers knew we might not be there after lunchtime when we decided to wear blazers to class, because we would sneak out and go to Keeneland.
I grew up seeing how the racing industry can serve as the lifeblood of an entire community, and that has continued to have an impact on me throughout my career.
After I went to college and law school and started practising as a corporate law
yer, Gatewood and I decided to invest in horses together. Being involved on the ownership front took my passion for the sport and for the horses themselves to the next level.
As a lawyer, I worked with the Breeders’ Cup among other international equine clients, and that was the catalyst for pursuing a full-on career within the sport. After joining Breeders’ Cup Limited in 2016 as senior vice-president of business, then chief operating officer, I was honored to step to the helm as President and CEO in November 2019.
The opportunity to follow in the accomplished footsteps of my mentor, then-Breeders’ Cup CEO Craig Fravel, was remarkable. I was already deeply invested, not only thanks to my lifelong love for the sport, but because of my passion to see it persevere through changing and challenging times.
What is the Breeders’ Cup doing to ensure the wellbeing of its equine participants?
The Breeders’ Cup puts equine safety first and foremost, which is why we have implemented the most comprehensive safety standards and protocols of any race meeting in the US.
Our ecosystem of care includes three primary aspects. To ensure the integrity of our races and the health and wellbeing of the horses, we conduct rigorous out-of-competition testing well in advance of each race.
To ensure every horse is fit to run, we enforce expansive veterinary oversight, which includes hands-on veterinary inspections, reviews of each runner’s veterinary history, use of enhanced diagnostic tools such as PET scans, and a mandatory security check-in for international contenders on October 29 and for domestic horses on October 31, so vets can monitor competitors around the clock.
To make sure we are racing on the safest surfaces possible, we have the nation’s leading track surface experts on-site to examine the racing surfaces and ensure conditions are consistent and safe for racing.
The Breeders’ Cup is also a strong supporter of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) and the work it does. Among many other things, HISA’s new collaborations with Amazon Web Services and Palantir are going to provide us with ways to revolutionize how the industry uses data, to uncover key insights into safety and provide us with answers to questions that have long vexed the sport.
Machine learning and big data have driven critical innovations in almost all other industries, and now that HISA requires the reporting of uniform and consistent data, these cutting-edge developments are just on the horizon for horse racing.
Where do you see the Breeders’ Cup in the future? Is there room for improvement and innovation?
There is always room for improvement as we work to fulfil our role as a leader in the Thoroughbred industry, not only by hosting the best and safest races in the world, but also by setting the standard for integrity and innovation in the sport.
Sports betting, research, innovation and investment are among our core focus areas. We are also intently focused on ensuring that we are using the latest technologies, media and betting platforms to reach fans new and old wherever they are and raise their level of interest in Thoroughbred racing.
Every decision we make is in the best interests of the athletes - both human and equine - the fans, and the sport and its future.
The Breeders’ Cup World Championships are a truly global affair. What are your priorities on an international level?
It is imperative that we work together with our international partners to grow the sport and showcase its beauty and excitement to new fans around the world.
It is exciting to see the Breeders’ Cup continue to grow each year on an international level, which has led to increased competition, larger purses and a stronger fanbase. International commitment is a vital component of the ongoing success of the Breeders’ Cup, and we greatly appreciate the owners and trainers who go to great lengths to travel to the US to compete on racing’s greatest stage.
We are also very proud of the Breeders’ Cup Global Pool, which we pioneered. Last year, 26 countries came together to offer combined wagering, while seven others offered a separate pool. We had a total simulcast handle of more than $195 million in 2022, and we anticipate a continued increase in handle for this year’s World Championships and beyond.
Several months ago, Breeders’ Cup shared a public interest in returning to New York. Is that still a possibility?
We have a great relationship with the New York Racing Association and its CEO David O’Rourke, who is a personal friend of mine. We would love to be back in New York. The facilities at Belmont Park are currently undergoing significant renovations, and we are very supportive of NYRA and others in the state as they renovate and invest in one of US racing’s signature venues, in the hopes of returning the Breeders’ Cup World Championships to New York in the future.
The Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series: Win and You’re In has been a great success in provoking interest in the Breeders’ Cup throughout the year. Are there further refinements to the series in the pipeline?
The Challenge Series has been a home run for the Breeders’ Cup and the sport at large. It consists of 80 domestic and international stakes races, the winners receiving automatic qualifying positions, with fees paid, into a corresponding race of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships.
It was launched in 2007, and 637 horses have since won Challenge Series races and gone on to participate in the World Championships. Breeders’ Cup Challenge winners have won 82 Breeders’ Cup races.
We are always looking for ways to innovate and make the series better. Every Challenge race this season had Grade/Group status, and you will continue to see us striving to attract quality contenders from around the world through this series and through our direct recruitment efforts.
What is your favourite Breeders’ Cup memory?
There are so many incredible memories that it’s impossible to name just one. Seeing American Pharoah become the first Grand Slam winner in 2015 at Keeneland was amazing; that Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic is a race I’ll remember for the rest of my life.
In 2021, we had a large Japanese contingent participate at Del Mar, and for them to have their first two wins ever at the Breeders’ Cup was fantastic for racing and truly showcased the international appeal of the World Championships.
Most recently, watching Flightline come around the turn in the 2022 Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic with such force in front of a hometown crowd was truly awe-inspiring, and the memory will stick with me forever.
On a personal level, there are also two races that are favourites of mine as an owner – the first was our first win at Keeneland with a horse named Nina Fever, and the second was with Con Te Partiro, who won at Royal Ascot. Travelling there with friends and celebrating in the car park is a memory I will always cherish.
• Visit the Breeders’ Cup website and the Breeders’ Cup Challenge web page
Jay Hovdey’s Favorite Racehorses: Mizdirection – ‘She was one of a kind, a pleasure to be around’
View the latest TRC Global Rankings for horses / jockeys / trainers