THE CLASSIC

The world’s greatest have to start somewhere. And for the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, that somewhere was Hollywood Park in 1984. What began as a one day, 7-race event has grown into a two-day, $30 million extravaganza attracting the best horses, trainers, and owners from across the globe. It has also become the unofficial end and culmination of the thoroughbred-racing season, often with the Breeders’ Cup Classic being the deciding factor in Horse of the Year. And while these two days have seen legends born, history made, and fortunes won, the greatest part is that the best is still yet to come.



The 35th running of the Grade 1, $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic drew a field of 14 horses plus two also-eligible entrants. Eleven of the entrants enter the race off a win or a runner-up finish in a Grade or Group 1 stakes race. In terms of success, Accelerate has been assigned starting favoritism at 5-2 odds on the strength of winning the Grade 1 TVG Pacific Classic Stakes and the Grade 1 Awesome Again Stakes. However, the status of Mind Your Biscuits may be similar to the starting favorite as a career earner of more than $4.2 million, third-best in the field, who enters the race off an easy 4 ¾-length win in the Grade 3 Lukas Classic Stakes last month at  Churchill Downs. Among the 16 entered are six horses who are 3-year-olds, with three of the last four editions of the Classic having been won by colts taking on their elders. One of the 3-year-old contenders is Roaring Lion, who is racing on dirt for the first time and who enters the Classic off a win in the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot in England two weeks ago. Another 3-year-old is Catholic Boy, who is attempting to win the race in the same manner as Arrogate did in 2016 when he won the Grade 1 Travers Stakes in his most recent race before the Classic. Another top 3-year-old is McKinzie, who was on the Road to the Kentucky Derby this year before being injured. He won the Grade 1 Pennsylvania Derby in his most recent race. Other potential contenders are recent Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup winner Discreet Lover and the horse he beat by a neck in that race, Thunder Snow, who won the Group 1, $10 million Dubai World Cup in March. Another horse proven at the Grade 1 level is Yoshida, winner of the Grade 1 Woodward Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets in his most recent race. Most of the rest of the field finished relatively close behind some of the aforementioned horses, such as Axelrod (second to McKinzie in the Pennsylvania Derby), Gunnevera(second to Yoshida in the Woodward), Mendelssohn (third in the Woodward), Pavel (second in the Pacific Classic), Toast of New York (second in the Lukas Classic), and West Coast (second in the Awesome Again). Lone Sailor, winner of the Grade 3 Oklahoma Derby, and Collected, fourth and seventh in his last two races, round out the field.



Top four win contenders:

Catholic Boy has been handled incredibly well by an up-and-coming star trainer in Jonathan Thomas, who has won with 25 of 100 starters in 2018. After a win last December in the Remsen Stakes, which was only his fourth career start and first on dirt, Catholic Boy returned on the Derby trail with a runner-up effort in the Grade 3 Sam F. Davis Stakes before a fourth-place finish in the Xpressbet Florida Derby, after which it was decided to give him some time off. That decision paid off handsomely as Catholic Boy won both the Pennine Ridge Stakes and Belmont Derby Invitational Stakes on the grass before transitioning back to dirt to win the Travers Stakes in late August, earning a career best 109 Equibase Speed Figure in the process. The tactic of pointing to the Breeders’ Cup on workouts alone following a strong race in the Travers has worked out very well of late, as both the 2015 Classic winner (American Pharoah, second in Travers) and 2016 Classic winner (Arrogate) took the same route and improved their Equibase Speed Figures nicely off their previous efforts. Both were 3-year-olds facing older horses for the first time. Another thing Catholic Boy may have in his favor is he has become an “Alpha”-type horse since returning to the races in June, giving up the lead in the stretch in the Pennine Ridge and Belmont Derby before rallying to regain the lead at the finish line, then dominating in the Travers. All three of those efforts came since Javier Castellano took over the riding duties on Catholic Boy, another reason he could be tough to beat in this year’s Classic.



Roaring Lion could provide big profit if he wins the Classic as his starting odds are 20-1. No horse moving from turf has won the Classic since Raven’s Pass in 2008. However, Roaring Lion has a few similarities with Raven’s Pass, the first of which is he was bred in Kentucky and has a reasonable dirt pedigree. Particularly in favor of running well on dirt, his dam’s sire is Street Sense, winner of the 2007 Kentucky Derby and Travers Stakes. Additionally, Roaring Lion is trained by John Gosden, who also saddled Raven’s Pass to victory. Roaring Lion has won four straight Group 1 races and has proven extremely determined to the wire in three of those four. In addition to having earned a career-best 124 speed figure in his most recent race, Roaring Lion has a perfect 4-for-4 record at distances of 1 ¼ miles and 1 5/16 miles, something none of the rest of the Classic field can claim. Champion horses can run on different surfaces, so if Roaring Lion can run as well on dirt as he has on turf this spring and summer, he can post the upset.



Mind Your Biscuits was known almost exclusively as a sprinter for most of his 24-race career until trainer Chad Summers decided to stretch him out to two turns for the Grade 1 Whitney Stakes this summer. In that race, Mind Your Biscuits ran very respectably when second to a wire-to-wire winner who dominated on the front end. Nearly two months later, Mind Your Biscuits ran one of the best races of his career when drawing off to a 4 ¾-length win in the Lukas Classic at Churchill Downs, earning at 123 figure in the process. The familiarity with the surface may play to his advantage in this race and, if so, Mind Your Biscuits may add to his career bankroll of $4.2 million, which already makes him the richest New York-bred horse in history.



Accelerate, like Roaring Lion, has won a number of graded stakes in a row. Starting with the Gold Cup at Santa Anita in May with a 120 figure, Accelerate next won the TVG Pacific Classic in August with a 125 figure then tied that effort with a victory in the Awesome Again Stakes at the end of September. The only knock I can find with this tremendous athlete is he draws the outside 14 post in the field. Although there is a fairly long run to the first turn at the 1 ¼-mile distance of the Classic, it is still very likely that Accelerate may be wide going for the entire race and that could be just enough to take away any edge he may have over a few of the others who have proven as tough as he is in recent races.

For exotic wagers, I think we should also consider McKinzie and West Coast. McKinzie is a 3-year-old with improving to do who was sidelined from March until September. He returned victorious in the Pennsylvania Derby with a 114 effort and can improve. West Coast continues to run big races but usually against one horse better than he is. After reeling off five straight wins in the spring and summer of 2017, including the Travers and Pennsylvania Derby, West Coast finished third then second to eventual Horse of the Year Gun Runner before running second to Thunder Snow in the Dubai World Cup then second behind Accelerate in the Awesome Again Stakes.

Most of the rest in this fantastic race have a chance to gain a piece of the purse, so don’t hesitate to consider them for exacta or trifecta tickets. The rest of the Classic field (with best representative Equibase Speed Figure): Axelrod (111), Collected (127), Discreet Lover (115), Gunnevera (110), Lone Sailor (110), Mendelssohn (112), Pavel (117), Thunder Snow (114), Toast of New York (116) and Yoshida (113).



Win Contenders:

Catholic Boy

Roaring Lion

Mind Your Biscuits

Accelerate





Classic


Purse
$6,000,000
Distance
1 1/4 miles
Grade
1
Age
3+
1  
Thunder Snow (IRE)

Jockey

Christophe Soumillon
Trainer


Saeed bin Suroor
Morning Line Odds



12-1
Owner



Godolphin Racing, LLC

2  
Roaring Lion

Jockey

Oisin Murphy
Trainer


John Gosden
Morning Line Odds



20-1
Owner



Qatar Racing Limited (Robert Levitt)

3  
Catholic Boy

Jockey

Javier Castellano
Trainer


Jonathan Thomas
Morning Line Odds



8-1
Owner



LaPenta, Robert V., Madaket Stables LLC, Siena Farm LLC, and Twin Creeks Racing Stables, 

4  
Gunnevera

Jockey

Irad Ortiz Jr.
Trainer


Antonio Sano
Morning Line Odds



20-1
Owner



Margoth


5  
Lone Sailor

Jockey

James Graham
Trainer


Thomas Amoss
Morning Line Odds



30-1
Owner



G M B Racing


6  
McKinzie

Jockey

Mike Smith
Trainer


Bob Baffert
Morning Line Odds



6-1
Owner



Watson, Karl, Pegram, Michael E. and Weitman, Paul


7  
West Coast

Jockey

John Velazquez
Trainer


Bob Baffert
Morning Line Odds



5-1
Owner



West, Gary and Mary


8  
Pavel

Jockey

Mario Gutierrez
Trainer


Doug O'Neill
Morning Line Odds



20-1
Owner



Reddam Racing LLC


9  
Mendelssohn

Jockey

Ryan Moore
Trainer


Aidan O'Brien
Morning Line Odds



12-1
Owner



Tabor, Michael B., Magnier, Mrs. John, and Smith, Derrick


10  
Yoshida (JPN)

Jockey

Jose Ortiz
Trainer


William Mott
Morning Line Odds



10-1
Owner



WinStar Farm LLC, China Horse Club International Ltd., SF Racing LLC, Head of Plains Partners LLC


11  
Mind Your Biscuits

Jockey

Tyler Gaffalione
Trainer


Chad Summers
Morning Line Odds



6-1
Owner



Shadai Farm, J Stables LLC, Head of Plains Partners LLC, Summers, M. Scott, Summers, 
Daniel, Summers, Chad and Kisber, Michael E.


12  
Axelrod

Jockey

Joe Bravo
Trainer


Michael McCarthy
Morning Line Odds



30-1
Owner



Slam Dunk Racing


13  
Discreet Lover

Jockey

Manuel Franco
Trainer


Uriah St. Lewis
Morning Line Odds



20-1
Owner



Uriah St. Lewis


14  
Accelerate

Jockey

Joel Rosario
Trainer


John Sadler
Morning Line Odds



5-2
Owner



Hronis Racing LLC


15  
Collected (AE)

Jockey

Joseph Talamo
Trainer


Bob Baffert
Morning Line Odds



30-1
Owner



Speedway Stable LLC


16  
Toast of New York (AE)

Jockey
Toast of New York (AE)

Jockey

Julien Leparoux
Trainer


Jamie Osborne
Morning Line Odds



20-1
Owner




Al Shaqab Racing


Welcome to another edition of America’s Best Racing’s Main Track. Each week in this space we spotlight the most meaningful story of the past seven days, detailing a story that stands out because of its importance or perhaps the emotional response it generates.

Looking ahead, if you believe there’s a story this week that should be featured in next week’s edition of the Main Track, let us know by tweeting it to @ABRLive using the hashtag #ABRMainTrack.

This week, we’ll look at, what else, the Breeders’ Cup.



As much as this feature is supposed to be a look back at last week. Let’s face it. The big topic of discussion last week is same thing that everyone is talking about this week. The only difference is the intensity, which has gained momentum with each passing day.

On Friday and Saturday, the 35th Breeders’ Cup World Championships will take place at Churchill Downs and any year’s greatest weekend of racing will unfold.

Fourteen races, each of them worth at least a million dollars, will be contested, bringing together a collection of the world’s best horses.

Sadly, we will not get to see Justify tackle older rivals in the toughest race of his life, like we did with American Pharoah three years ago.

Still, it should be a grand show featuring an array of the year’s best wagering propositions.

In Justify’s absence there will be quantity mixed with quality with 14 horses lining up to slug it out in the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic. Accelerate is the one most likely to win, but, realistically how many of the 14 can you safely toss out? Two or three? 

Accelerate is the horse to beat, but drawing post 14 is hardly an advantage. You also have to wonder if trainer John Sadler is indeed jinxed at the Breeders’ Cup. He’s 0-for-41 going into the weekend and if he still has an O-fer heading into the Classic, especially after sending out the unbeaten Catalina Cruiser earlier in the card in the Dirt Mile, taking the 5-2 price on Accelerate might be hard to swallow.

And, if you have any doubts about Accelerate, knowing there are better prices on horses as good as Catholic Boy, McKinzie, West Coast, Mind Your Biscuits, Yoshida, Thunder Snow, and Mendelssohn, to name a few, should fuel some very enthusiastic handicapping.

And that’s just one of the 14 races.



In the Longines Turf, we’ll get to see a two-time Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner in the incredible filly Enable.

In the Longines Distaff, could Abel Tasman and Monomoy Girl give us some Beholder vs. Songbird déjà vu from 2016? Or will Midnight Bisou play the role of the 3-year-old rival?

Try picking a winner of the highly confusing Mile, go ahead. Even if you latch on to the favorite, the odds will be rewarding.

The TwinSpires Sprint should be an intriguing test with Whitmore, Promises Fulfilled, Limousine Liberal, and Roy H trying to beat Imperial Hint.

In the Maker's Mark Filly and Mare Turf, you get to chose from five, count ‘em, five horses from Chad Brown’s massive barn.

The Filly and Mare Turf and Turf Sprint both fit into the equation of wide-open races with big fields.

On the new “Future Stars Friday” card, we’ll find out in the Sentient Jet Juvenile if trainer Bob Baffert has another star on his hands in Game Winner.

The Tito's Handmade Vodka Juvenile Fillies offers a nice rumble between Bellafina, Jaywalk, Serengeti Empress, and Sippican Harbor that may turn out to be a sneak preview of next year’s Kentucky Oaks.

And, let’s not forget, three juvenile turf races that should be lively betting affairs with American and European contenders battling it out.

There are even some undercard races as well, but, suffice it to say, the 14 Breeders’ Cup races should be more than enough excitement for one weekend.


It should be a spectacular show, no doubt. Is it any wonder people have been talking about it for weeks?