By Sarah Brookbank

[email protected]

On Friday and Saturday Lexington will be privy to one of the biggest events in horse racing.

The Breeders’ Cup is heralded as “the super bowl of horse racing,” and will be held for the first time in the horse capital of the world.

Over the course of two days, there will be 14 races featuring over 100 horses. The $26 million races will provide great betting, great racing and a beautiful setting at Keeneland.

John Asher, Vice President of Racing Communications at Churchill, has been watching the Breeders’ Cup at his home track. He is thrilled to have the race back in Kentucky, and in the heart of Breeders’ Country.

“The setting is wonderful. It’s a historic location, just like Churchill,” Asher said.

The Breeders’ Cup is frequently held at Churchill Downs in Kentucky but the horse capital of the world is Lexington. According to Keeneland spokeswoman Amy Gregory, 89 percent of Breeders’ Cup horses were sold at Keeneland sales and 70 percent were bred in Kentucky.

While these Kentucky proud horses make their way home, many other horses will be making their way across the country and the world.

International horses from have flown over to compete with the most predominate horses, trainers and breeders from every end of the world.

About half a dozen of the horses racing at Keeneland this weekend stayed at Churchill before making their way across the state.

“This group of 3-year-olds is the strongest group I’ve ever seen,” Asher said.

Keen Ice is one of the horses who trained at Churchill and Asher said he could be a major contender and said that Beholder is, “a truly great mare.”

Asher said that everyone watching at the track and the people watching at home are in for a treat.

“The way it is looking, it’s going to be two great days of racing,” said Asher. “This could be a classic for the ages, one of the top three or four races in the history of the Breeders’ Cup.”

The Breeders’ Cup is expected to draw 45,000 people on both Saturday and Sunday. There are still tickets available, though they are limited.

Those who would like to go to the Breeders’ Cup can purchase tickets online for seating in the recently updated facilities at Keeneland. The Hill, which will be a spot for tailgating, is the cheapest option for those who want to a be a part of the action at $85 per carload for a two-day pass.

Races to watch:

Classic: this is the race to watch, with big name horses and a purse of $5 million. If American Pharoah wins this race he will win “The Grand Slam” of horse racing, which has never been done before. The race will take place Saturday at 5:35 p.m.

Distaff: the second most important race at the Breeders’ Cup. This “Ladies Classic” is run by leading mares across the world. Beholder won this race in 2013. The purse for this race is $2 million. The race will take place Friday at 5:35 p.m.

Turf: this field is made of foreign horses, a change of pace for a Kentucky Proud roster for most, and will be run on turf, which is a standard in racing outside of the United States. The purse for this is $3 million. The race will take place Saturday at 4:50 p.m.