For many racing events, races are drawn two or three days ahead of time, with past performances coming out within hours.
However, for the Breeders’ Cup, with 14 races over two days, handicappers need slightly more time to consider their weekend wagers, and with that in mind, the Breeders’ Cup races have been drawn Monday afternoon in Louisville, KY.. This year’s event will be held on Friday and Saturday, November 3 and 2, at Churchill Downs.The centerpiece of this occasion is the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic, which will take place Saturday evening, with an declared post time of 5:44 pm ET. The early retirement of Triple Crown winner Justify leaves a field of contenders which are not exactly household names, but with 14 horses entered and no clear favorite, the Classic will at least be a hell of a gambling race.
Check out betting guides for Friday’s races here, and Saturday’s races and head over to Hi Race Fans for more info on wagering in general and this year’s Breeders’ Cup, including a look at the Distaff and Mile. In 2017 he earned a trip to the Kentucky Derby with a nose win in the Grade 1 UAE Derby, only to freak out shortly after the gate opened, bucking like a bronco and carrying himself from this race off the rest. Until a few weeks before, that was his only race at the United States; he moved on to a formidable career running in Europe and Dubai, winning this year’s Dubai World Cup by 5??3/4 lengths and the Grade 1 Prix Jean Prat in Chantilly. He seemed like a winner in the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park in late September, only to be nipped at the wire by longshot Discreet Lover, a horse that he faces again. He has finished in the top three at 15 of his 20 races for earnings of $8.5 million; he’s owned and bred by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Ruler of the Emirate of Dubai.
2) Roaring Lion
Owner: Qatar Racing Limited
Trainer: John Gosden
Jockey: Oison Murphy
Morning line odds: 20-1
This three-year-old Kentucky-bred is located in England, and he makes his first trip to the U.S. to run in the Classic. He eked out a neck win in the Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot on October 20, and he’s never run on dirt, though he did catch a six-length win over the synthetic track at Kempton in September of 2017. So: he will be running on brief rest; he’s run on grass; and he travelled across an ocean. He’s won $3.5 million, so his gift is nothing to overlook…but what a stunner it’d be if he can pull this off.
3) Catholic Boy
Owner: Robert LaPenta, Madaket Stables, Siena Farm, and Twin Creeks Racing Stables
Trainer: Jonathan Thomas
Jockey: Javier Castellano
Morning line odds: 8-1
That is a horse which more people should be familiar with. His coach was an assistant to Todd Pletcher, who dominated the game before Chad Brown came together; an accomplished rider, Thomas suffered a catastrophic harm before turning to training, leaving Pletcher’s employ to hit out on his own. Catholic Boy started his career on bud, was changed to dirt and won the Grade two Remsen, subsequently bled at the Grade 1 Florida Derby, sidelining him on the Kentucky Derby trail. Switched back to bud, he won the Grade 1 Belmont Derby, then cruised to victory in the Grade 1 Travers Stakes back on dirt. Versatile and talented, a win here would cap an incredible year which may involve some Republicans placing him on their ballot for winner 3-year-old.
g4) Gunnevera
Owner: Margoth
Trainer: Antonio Sano
Jockey: Irad Ortiz Jr..
Morning line odds: 20-1
At one time considered among the leaders of the cohort, this four-year-old was a promising runner on the Kentucky Derby trail this past year before tailing away when the large races came . He had been second at the Grade 1 Travers last year supporting fellow rival here West Coast; he had been third in the Grade 1 Pacific Classic supporting the previous year’s Classic winner Gun Runner and West Coast. He returned from an eighth-place ending in the Group 1 Dubai World Cup in March into some five-month layoff, winning his first return at a small race at Gulfstream Park, then running secon
D to Yoshida (also entered here) in the Grade 1 Woodward at Saratoga. He gets a top jockey in Ortiz, and as this horse purchased for $16,000 has got $3 million, he still does not have a lot to prove, however Grade 1 win has so far eluded him.
5) Lone Sailor
Owner: G M B Racing
Trainer: Tom Amoss
Jockey: James Graham
Morning line odds: 30-1
Last Marcha runner-up ending by a neck in the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby stamped him as a contender for its spring/summer classics, but operating in top-level races saw him on the outside looking in the winner’s circle. He has won just twice at a 14-race profession: at Saratoga over a sloppy track in September 2017, also in late September when he won the Grade 3 Oklahoma Derby. Founded by G M B Racing, the Thoroughbred operation of Gayle Benson and her late husband Tom, owners of the NBA Pelicans and NFL Saints, he has compiled earnings of $870,000 by conducting in large races and frequently hitting on the board.
6) McKinzie
Owner: Michael Pegram, Karl Watson, and Paul Weitman
Trainer: Bob Baffert
Jockey: Mike Smith
Morning line odds: 6-1
Five races, four wins, one second. Back in the winter, he was led towards Kentucky Derby favoritism until he got hurt and Justify appeared. After six months from the races, he also came back to win the Grade 1 Pennsylvania Derby by 1??3/4 crosses, his first trip outside of California. He faces a far bigger test here than he did at the Keystone State, but it would be foolish to miss him, given what he has accomplished. A decent finish this makes him a millionaire, as he’s already got $900,000.
7) West Coast
Owner: Gary and Mary West
Trainer: Bob Baffert
Jockey: John Velazquez
Morning line odds: 5-1
After a 2017 campaign that culminated with an Eclipse Award for champion three-year-old, this bay colt has run just three races this year, finishing second in all three of them, all Grade 1 races. He was third in this race last year, and also the talent of this $425,000 yearling purchase is indisputable. He gets Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez in the saddle for the first time, his former jockeys having elected to ride someplace here.
8) Pavel
Owner: Reddam Racing
Trainer: Doug O’Neill
Jockey: Mario Gutierrez
Morning line odds: 20-1
His owner has a proclivity for seeing his horses after baseball players, specifically Red Wings; Pavel [Datsyuk] joins equines Zetterberg and Nyquist, all possessed by Paul Reddam. This one does not really meet his namesake; he has three wins in 11 starts, but he’s managed to bank $1.3 million, and in June he won the Grade 1 Stephen Foster Handicap at Churchill Downs. Most recently he completed second–by 12??1/2 lengths–to fellow equal here befriending in the Grade 1 Pacific Classic. Likely outclassed here, however, potential to strike the board.
9) Mendelssohn
Owner: Derrick Smith, Mrs. John Magnier, and Michael Tabor
Trainer: Aidan O’Brien
Jockey: Ryan Moore
Morning line odds: 12-1
He was Aidan O’Brien’s Derby horse, shipping to the US after a stunning 18??1/2-length win in the UAE Derby at Dubai. He ran for the first time in Louisville on the first Saturday in May, finishing last on a sloppy track, but O’Brien persisted, sending Mendelssohn straight back to the U.S. three occasions: to operate next in the Grade 3 Dwyer at Belmont Park; second in the Grade 1 Travers at Saratoga; and also third in the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup back at Belmont. Known for his incessant vocalizing during training and before the races, this $3 million purchase is a half-brother to the multiple champion Beholder, and has made $2.3 million into his 11 lifetime races.
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