It's a well known fact that hope begins at dawn at the racetrack, rising with the sun as the fog slowly rises from the wet grass and the sound of roosters signaling the start of another day. The horses gaze out their concrete block stalls, waiting for their chance to become the next “great” one and the chance to be crowned a Breeder’s Cup Champion. With the Breeders Cup races just a few weeks away, we take a look at its storied 34 year-old history.

The inaugural Breeders Cup Championship was launched on October 20, 1984 at Hollywood Park in California-the very same year that Los Angeles had hosted the Summer Olympics. Ironically, the event was the brain child of pet food heir, John Gaines, CEO of the dog food company that bore his name. Mr. Gaines was also a prominent Thoroughbred horse owner, with a vision to clean up the sport and shine a spotlight on essence of the mighty and magnificent Thoroughbred.

The Breeders Cup was created as the year-end championship for the Northern Hemisphere’s Thoroughbred community; the series also attracted world renowned championship horses from Japan, Europe and South America. The idea of the Breeders Cup initially faced a great deal of skepticism within the racing community, however many trainers and owners saw the value of such an event and the BC moved forward. It was well received in the United States and abroad, garnering enormous support that has grown over its 34 year old history.

The money for the purses is primarily supported by nomination fees paid by the breeders for stallions and the ensuing foals. The participating stud farms in North America pay an annual nomination fee for a particular stallion that is equal to the stallion's advertised stud fee, plus an additional fee if the stallion sires 50 or more foals in a given year. European stallion pay a fee of 50 percent of their stud fee, while the nomination fee for a South American stallion is 25 percent of their stud fee. In addition, the North America breeders of standing foals must pay a one-time nomination fee (currently $400) by October 15 of the year of birth.

With the original 1984 series featuring 7 races contested on the same day, The 2018 Breeders Cup featured 14 races over the two-day meet with purses ranging from $1 to $6 million dollars for the Breeders Cup Classic. And that's just scratching the surface of a multifaceted event that spans additional divisions, all posing a fascinating clash of the best against the best.

There are events in history so momentous you will forever remember where you were than they happened. The victories of the immortals — Triple Crown winner, American Pharaoh, Wild Again, Personal Ensign, Cigar, Skip Away, and the most famous filly of all, Zenyatta are the type of events that create legends for the horse racing fan.

The Breeders' Cup offers an unparalleled handicapping challenge, a puzzle to sort the contenders from the pretenders, made all the more exacting by the presence of the international invaders and the sheer magic generated by the contestants themselves, who at times, bear a resemblance to the mythical Greek icon, Pegasus.

Margaret A. Reed, PhD, is the co-author of the best-selling book, The Dogs of Camelot, an AKC dog show judge, thoroughbred racehorse owner, principal of Canine Training and Behavior Services, LLC, and serves on the board of Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine, James A Baker Institute for Animal Health.