Tag: Breeders’ Cup Classic

Flightline, seen here working out at Santa Anita in early July, will be the favorite in the first Breeders' Cup Classic Future Wager pool. That new future wager begins next week. (Image: Ernie Belmonte)

New Breeders’ Cup Classic Future Wager Pool Closes Wagering Hole

Taking a page from their Churchill Downs counterparts, the Breeders’ Cup took a long-awaited, beneficial step for horseplayers, instituting future wagering on the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic. The Breeders’ Cup future wager not only borrows a page from Churchill Downs’ Kentucky Derby Future Wager (KDFW) pools, it cribs the […]

Santa Anita Park owns the record for largest Breeders' Cup crowd: more than 118,000 in 2016. The annual fall racing festival returns to Santa Anita for the 11th time in 2023. (Image: Benoit Photo)

Breeders’ Cup Returns to Santa Anita Park in 2023

The Breeders’ Cup World Championships announced Thursday it will bring the Breeders’ Cup back to Santa Anita Park for a record 11th time in 2023. That milestone for the Southern California track also signifies the 40th running of the Breeders’ Cup. The 2023 Breeders’ Cup will take place on Friday, […]

Grade 2 Alysheba winner Olympiad will take his share of wagers in Saturday's Grade 2 Stephen Foster at Churchill Downs. He is the 5/2 second choice on the morning line. (Image: Coady Photography)

Rivalries Begin, Strong Contenders Abound in Stephen Foster

The Grade 2 Stephen Foster is a Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In” Challenge Series race. But its importance goes beyond merely sending its winner to the flagship $6 million Classic. This year’s Stephen Foster brings us what we need in racing: a good rivalry. In this case, that’s 2/1 […]

Hot Rod Charlie put in a 1:01.60, five-furlong work last Saturday at Santa Anita Park. He returns for the first time in nearly three months for Saturday's Grade 3 Salvator Mile at Monmouth Park. (Image: Ernie Belmonte)

Hot Rod Charlie Motors Back to Monmouth Park for the Salvator Mile

Hot Rod Charlie is the marquee name on Monmouth Park’s inaugural Haskell Stakes Preview Day, which stands to reason when you consider he’s making his first start in nearly three months. But in a Grade 3 race? The Salvator Mile? Isn’t that a tad slumming for a horse with more […]

The Breeders' Cup Challenge Series offers 82 races in 11 countries. Each race presents the winner a spot in one of 14 races at the Nov. 4-5 Breeders' Cup World Championships at Keenelland. (Image: Breeders' Cup)

Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series Brings New Twist to US Races

The Breeders’ Cup announced its 2022 list of Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series races, known as the “Win and You’re In” events. The premise is simple: win one of these 82 races in 11 countries and you have a starting spot in one of the 14 Breeders’ Cup races. That brings […]

Cafe Pharoah won the first 2022 Breeders' Cup Challenge Series race for the flagship Breeders' Cup Classic. His victory in the Group 1 February Stakes at Tokyo Racecourse earned him a "Win and You're In" berth. (Image: JRA Photo)

Café Pharoah Earns First 2022 Breeders’ Cup Classic Berth

Yes, February seems to be rather early to discuss qualifying for November’s Breeders’ Cup Classic, but Japan’s Café Pharoah became the first horse to qualify for the Breeders’ Cup’s marquee race when he won Sunday’s February Stakes at Tokyo Racecourse. Café Pharoah’s defense of his 2021 February Stakes title in […]

Hot Rod Charlie, seen turning away Midnight Bourbon in September's Grade 1 Pennsylvania Derby, comes into Sunday's San Antonio Stakes as the 6/5 morning-line favorite. (Image: Equi-Photo)

Hot Rod Charlie Making Final 3-Year-Old Stand at the San Antonio

First, it was blinkers off for Hot Rod Charlie. Then, blinkers on for the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Now, the colt will finish his 3-year-old season in Sunday’s Grade 2 San Antonio Stakes at Santa Anita without blinkers. This is a case of trainer Doug O’Neill going back to what worked […]

A familiar sight: Pursuers vainly chasing Knicks Go. The 5-year-old beat sophomores Medina Spirit, Essential Quality and Hot Rod Charlie to win the $6 million Breeders' Cup Classic Saturday at Del Mar. (Image: AP Photo)

Breeders’ Cup Day 2: Land of Knicks Go, Rising Sun and Falling Favorites

Now that the Breeders’ Cup Classic performed its designated coronation, you can start engraving Knicks Go’s name on the Horse of the Year trophy now. Avoid the rush, which Knicks Go splendidly did at Del Mar Saturday evening. He broke out to his patented early lead and turned aside all […]

Knicks Go breezed to victory in the 2020 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile. He takes 5/2 morning-line favorite status for Saturday's $6 million Breeders' Cup Classic against a wealth of tougher contenders. (Image: Horsephotos)

Breeders’ Cup Classic: An All-Star Field With Numerous Possibilities

The first thing worth understanding about the Breeders’ Cup Classic is that it’s not kind to favorites. Unless you qualify for legend status, like Ferdinand, Alysheba, A.P. Indy, Cigar, Skip Away, Ghostzapper, Zenyatta and American Pharoah do. Last year’s winner, Authentic, was 5/1. Your favorite, meanwhile, was 3.20/1 Tiz the […]

Hot Rod Charlie earned his first Grade 1 win with this solid September score in the Pennsylvania Derby. He is the 4/1 third-favorite to win Saturday's Breeders' Cup Classic. (Image: Parx Racing)

Hot Rod Charlie’s Breeders’ Cup Journey: From Footnote to Headliner

The last time Hot Rod Charlie arrived at the Breeders’ Cup, he was a 94/1 afterthought in a Juvenile field that included favored Jackie’s Warrior, eventual winner Essential Quality and the highly regarded Keepmeinmind, among other “name” 2-year-olds. Name? Hot Rod Charlie had only that cool moniker going for him. […]

Gamine, seen here winning the Grade 1 Ballerina Stakes at Saratoga, is the biggest favorite of the 14 Breeders' Cup favorites. She opens at 3/5 to defend her title in the Filly & Mare Sprint. (Image: Coglianese Photos/Dom Napolitano)

Knicks Go, Essential Quality Your Breeders’ Cup Classic Favorites

Knicks Go and Essential Quality are stablemates, travel mates from East Coast to West Coast and now – after Monday’s post-position draws – they are gate neighbors for Saturday’s $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic at Del Mar. Essential Quality will start from post 4 in the nine-horse Classic field as […]

Idol's Sunday workout at Del Mar went well, according to trainer Richard Baltas. But the conditioner did not like how the Santa Anita Handicap champion looked afterward. (Image: Ella DeGea)

Breeders’ Cup Scratches: Idol is Idled From Classic, Flagstaff Out of Sprint

Santa Anita Handicap winner Idol, standout sprinter Flagstaff and promising juvenile Rattle N Roll were all scratched from their various Breeders’ Cup races Sunday with various ailments. Trainer Richard Baltas pulled Idol out of the Breeders’ Cup Classic after the conditioner found something untoward after his Sunday morning workout at […]

Knicks Go used this Lukas Classic victory as a tune-up for the Breeders' Cup Classic, where his speed figures top his competitors on two scales. (Image: Coady Photography)

Breeders’ Cup Speed Figures: Classic Questions, Possibilities Abound

Hot Rod Charlie, Art Collector, Medina Spirit and Stilleto Boy all come into the Breeders’ Cup Classic off career-best speed figures on all three barometers. Essential Quality and Max Player enter the fray off career-best marks on two tables. So what to make of this year’s 10-horse field in what […]

Del Mar plays host to the Breeders Cup World Championships for the second time. (Image: Breeders Cup)

Here is Your First Look at the 2021 Breeders’ Cup Pre-Entries

Seven returning Breeders’ Cup champions, including Breeders’ Cup Classic favorites Knicks Go and Essential Quality, lead the pre-entry field for next weekend’s Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Del Mar. The 14-race festival begins on Friday, Nov. 5 with five juvenile races before segueing into nine races on Saturday, Nov. 6. […]

This year's Breeders' Cup wagering menu offers an all-turf Pick 4, mandating you pick the winners of four of the top Breeders' Cup grass races. (Image: K.C. Allred/San Diego Union-Tribune)

Breeders’ Cup Betting Menu Offers a Healthy Smorgasbord of Wagers

The Breeders’ Cup unveiled its 2021 wagering menu on Wednesday, adding a new All-Turf Pick 4 and a third Pick 5 to Saturday’s betting smorgasbord. Along with the wagering menu, officials for the Nov. 5-6 racing festival at Del Mar announced the official race order. Friday’s first day features 10 […]

Maxfield's last victory came here, in June's Stephen Foster at Churchill Downs. He will bypass the Breeders' Cup Classic in favor of a return to Churchill Downs for the easier Grade 1 Clark Stakes. (Image: Jamie Newell/TwinSpires)

Maxfield Won’t Go West to Breeders’ Cup, Stays East for Clark

In a move designed to deliver him a Grade 1 victory, Maxfield will pass up the Breeders’ Cup Classic, trading that loaded Grade 1 field for the easier pickings of the Grade 1 Clark Handicap. That race is on Black Friday at Churchill Downs. The Daily Racing Form first reported […]