Breeders' Cup: Guaranteed pools for multirace bets

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Breeders’ Cup Turf will be run this year in its traditional spot preceding the Classic, the Breeders’ Cup announced on Wednesday, nine days before the two-day event is scheduled to kick off at Keeneland in Lexington on Oct. 30.

The Breeders’ Cup Turf has not been run in the penultimate spot since 2010. Over the past four years, the Mile has been contested just prior to the Classic, in large part because of deep fields that have included several superstars, such as Goldikova and Wise Dan. This year, however, the Turf will have European star Golden Horn facing a full field.

The Turf had traditionally occupied the spot prior to the Classic because Breeders’ Cup organizers have been keen to market the event to international horsemen, and the penultimate spot on the lineup gave the race a marquee time slot for a race that generally drew a deep, international field. In addition, as it still does today, the Turf offered the second-highest purse of any Breeders’ Cup race at $3 million.

Other than that change, the lineups will look much the same as last year. The Saturday card will include nine Breeders’ Cup races, beginning with the Juvenile Fillies at 12:05 p.m. Eastern. That race will be followed by the Turf Sprint, Filly and Mare Sprint, Filly and Mare Turf, Sprint, Mile, Juvenile, Turf, and the Classic, with a post of 5:35 p.m.

The Friday card will include four Breeders’ Cup races, starting with the Juvenile Turf at 3:30 p.m. and followed by the Dirt Mile, Juvenile Fillies Turf, and the Distaff, with a post of 5:35 p.m.

The Saturday lineup will include a handful of guaranteed pools. A pick five linking races 1-5 will be guaranteed at $500,000. The early pick four (races 3-6) will be guaranteed at $1.5 million. The pick six (races 6-11) will be guaranteed at $2 million, and this year, the minimum for the bet has been lowered to $1, as previously announced. The late pick four (races 8-11) will be guaranteed at $3 million, while a pick three linking races 9-11 will be guaranteed at $750,000.

On Friday, the pick five linking races 1-5 will be guaranteed at $500,000. The pick six linking races 5-10 will be guaranteed at $750,000, and the pick four linking all four Breeders’ Cup races that day will be guaranteed at $1.5 million. In addition, the daily double pool linking the Friday Distaff to the Saturday Classic will be guaranteed at $500,000.