Breeders' Cup Classic: Strong mix of young and old could be one for the ages
At this year’s Breeders’ Cup, they are saving the best for last. The $6 million Classic, the last of the 14 Breeders’ Cup races to be run on Nov. 6 and 7 at Keeneland, is shaping up as one of the best in the event’s 37 years, with the titles of Horse of the Year, champion older dirt male, and champion 3-year-old male all potentially in play.
In a year disrupted by a pandemic that forced tracks to temporarily close or delay operations, have the Triple Crown run out of sequence, and force the Breeders’ Cup to be run under protocols similar to the Triple Crown, the Classic could be a glorious coda to a challenging year.
The top older dirt horses pointing to the Classic include Improbable, Maximum Security, and Tom’s d’Etat. They are joined by the leading 3-year-old males Authentic and Tiz the Law, and perhaps the filly Swiss Skydiver, who collectively annexed this year’s Triple Crown races. A win by any of them would likely bring Horse of the Year to go along with a divisional title.
Swiss Skydiver is being considered more seriously at the moment for the Distaff, against females, the same day, but no firm decision need be made until final entries are due and posts drawn Nov. 2. Pre-entries are due Oct. 26 – at which time horses can be put in as many as two races – and are announced Oct. 28.
Others pointing to the Classic include the 3-year-old Art Collector – who could go in the Dirt Mile – and the top older runners By My Standards, Global Campaign, and Tacitus.
Authentic (Haskell), Improbable (Whitney and Awesome Again), Maximum Security (Pacific Classic), Swiss Skydiver (Preakness), and Tom’s d’Etat (Stephen Foster) all earned free rolls into the Classic through victories in Win and You’re In races. The European turf star Ghaiyyath also has a fees-paid berth via his victory in the Juddmonte International, but his participation in the Breeders’ Cup, let alone the Classic instead of the Turf, is yet to be confirmed.
Mozu Ascot won a Win and You’re In race in Japan earlier this year, but has not raced since May and is not under consideration for the Classic.
The last of the Win and You’re In races is the Jockey Club Gold Cup, this Saturday at Belmont Park, with the 3-year-olds Happy Saver and Mystic Guide, and the older Tacitus, among the five entered, along with Prioritize and Name Changer.
Daily Racing Form’s Brad Free, who made the early line on all nine Breeders’ Cup races to be run Nov. 7, pegged Improbable as the current Classic favorite, at 3-1, with Tiz the Law – winner of the Belmont and second in the Kentucky Derby – next at 4-1. Authentic, the Derby winner and Preakness runner-up, is 5-1, with Maximum Security and Swiss Skydiver co-fourth choices at 6-1.
Authentic, Improbable, and Maximum Security all are trained by Bob Baffert, who has won the Classic three times, including the only time it was previously held at Keeneland, in 2015, when Triple Crown winner American Pharoah ended his career with a resounding victory.
The depth of this year’s potential field could rival the celebrated Classics of 1998 and 2004, generally considered the best ever.
In 1998, Awesome Again – the 1997 Queen’s Plate winner – rallied between runners to defeat Silver Charm, Swain, and Victory Gallop, with Coronado’s Quest, Gentlemen, Skip Away, and Touch Gold also in the field. That’s four Triple Crown race winners, a Dubai World Cup winner, a two-time King George and Queen Elizabeth II winner, and that year’s Horse of the Year, among many other accomplishments.
In 2004, Ghostzapper defeated Pleasantly Perfect and Roses in May – the 2004 and 2005 Dubai World Cup winners, respectively – as well as 2002 Horse of the Year Azeri, 2004 Belmont winner Birdstone, and 2003 Derby and Preakness winner Funny Cide.
The Classic is preceded Nov. 7 by eight other Breeders’ Cup races. Gamine is the shortest-priced current favorite on Free’s line, 8-5 for the $1 million Filly and Mare Sprint. Complexity, under consideration for the $2 million Sprint and $1 million Dirt Mile, is favored in both, 3-1 and 5-2, respectively. Monomoy Girl is 2-1 to add a second $2 million Distaff to the one she won in 2018.
Trainer Aidan O’Brien has the 5-2 favorites in the $4 million Turf in Love and $2 million Filly and Mare Turf in Magical. Free has Mo Forza as the 4-1 choice in the $2 million Mile on turf, and Imprimis the 3-1 favorite in the $1 million Turf Sprint.
Future Stars Friday on Nov. 6 packages all the 2-year-old races for the Breeders’ Cup.
David Aragona of Daily Racing Form made the lines for those races. His shortest-priced favorites are 2-1 on both Princess Noor for the $2 million Juvenile Fillies and Golden Pal for the $1 million Juvenile Turf Sprint. His other favorites are Jackie’s Warrior (3-1) in the $2 million Juvenile, Plum Ali (3-1) in the $1 million Juvenile Fillies Turf, and Sealiway (4-1) in the $1 million Juvenile Turf.