How to watch the Breeders’ Cup on TV: your armchair viewing guide

If you can’t make it to the Breeders’ Cup meeting (1-2 November) in person, there is no need to miss the action, as we bring you a full TV guide for you to keep up to speed with this year’s winners.

ITV and the ITVX streaming service will be showing part of the meeting for free in the UK. If you’re abroad, and trying to watch ITVX like you normally would back in the UK, then you can use a VPN. Check out NordVPN, where you can get 73% off, plus a 30-day money back guarantee, and follow the instructions below. We have more details on US 2024 Breeders’ Cup TV channels and live streams further down too.

What is the Breeders’ Cup?

The Breeders’ Cup is a two-day event that takes place annually over two days with 14 races and a total prize pot of $34m.

The host venue of the Breeders’ Cup has varied in the past – it was held at Santa Anita Park in 2023, but it will return to San Diego’s iconic racing venue Del Mar in 2024 and 2025.

The Breeders’ Cup meeting starts with Future Stars Friday, where the sport’s stars of tomorrow compete in five Juvenile (two-year-old) races. The action continues on Saturday where the Breeders’ Cup will crown nine more champions across different surfaces and divisions, including the season-defining $7m Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic.

The Breeders’ Cup on TV: how to watch

The ITV Racing coverage will show live coverage of parts of the second day of  the Breeders’ Cup meeting.

Nine races were shown by ITV on the Saturday of the meeting at Santa Anita last year, but only three from Del Mar will be broadcast this time, including the Breeders’ Cup Turf, the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf and the Breeders’ Cup Classic. The programme will air from 8pm (British time) on Saturday 2 November from 8pm.

Sky Sports Racing and Racing TV will show the entirety of the Breeders’ Cup meeting.

If you are in the US, catch all the Breeders’ Cup action on NBC, USA, Peacock and FanDuel TV.

What time does it start?

The most anticipated race of the meeting, the Breeders’ Cup Classic, gets underway at 9.41pm British time on Saturday 2 November.

How to watch the Breeders’ Cup outside the UK

While it is not necessary to use a VPN to access ITV’s live stream, if you would like to protect your online viewing from being monitored by third-parties, a Virtual Private Network (VPN) can help you do this. A VPN creates a private connection between your device and the internet, such that the servers and services you’re accessing aren’t able to track what you’re doing. All the information passing back and forth is entirely encrypted.

There are many VPN providers out there, with some more reliable and safe than others. We’d suggest using a paid-for service such as NordVPN, where you can get 73% off, which offers a 100% risk-free money back guarantee. If you’re not happy with the service any time within the first 30-days, then you can cancel with no penalties at all.

How to use a VPN

Using a VPN is incredibly simple.

1. Install the VPN of your choice. NordVPN is the one we recommend.

2. Open up the VPN app and choose the location of the service you wish to access.

3. Then head over to ITV on your browser or device and enjoy the livestream.

We recommend VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example:

1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service)
2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad

We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing. 

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