When you think of horse racing and turf, your mind probably wanders across the pond to Europe, or perhaps even Australia. But next month, the world’s best 3-year-olds (and older) will be coming to us, specifically to Monmouth Park for the Breeders’ Cup Turf.

This is the second-most important event during the weekend, behind only the Classic, and it carries the second-largest purse at $3 million. European horses are generally favored; for example, 2006 Turf winner Red Rocks is based in Ireland, and was ridden by Italian-English jockey Frankie Dettori. He also rode Daylami (1999) and Fantastic Light (2001) to victory to become the only three-time winner at the Turf.

Thanks to the new Breeders’ Cup Challenge, two horses have already qualified for next month’s 1-1/2 mile race: Shamdinan, who won the Secretariat Stakes, and Jambalaya, who took the prestigious Arlington Million at 8-1 to become that race’s first Canadian-bred winner.