The Breeders’ Cup, the brainchild of longtime breeder John Gaines to develop a championship event for Thoroughbred racing, turns 40 this year. Inaugurated as a one-day event with seven races designed to settle North American divisional honors on the track, the Breeders’ Cup has morphed into a two-day event with 14 races, attracting strong international participation to create even more interesting matchups. While the Breeders’ Cup has, unfortunately, overshadowed once-prestigious stakes on the North American fall calendar, it has created two of the best wagering days of the year. A dozen venues have held the Breeders’ Cup over four decades, none more than Santa Anita which, on Nov. 3-4, will host the event for an 11th time. Among the many memorable Breeders’ Cup moments at Santa Anita were Arcangues’s 133-1 upset in the 1993 Breeders’ Cup Classic – still the longest priced winner in BC history. In 2003, trainer Richard Mandella won four of the eight Breeders’ Cup races on the card. In 2009, the mare Zenyatta was “un-be-leev-able” rallying from last to beat the boys in the Classic. In 2013, Mucho Macho Man won the Classic by a nose over Will Take Charge as trainer Kathy Ritvo became the first – and only – female trainer to win the Classic. (Overall, six female trainers have won Breeders’ Cup races.) This year, the $6 million Classic favorite could very well be the 3-year-old Arcangelo, trained by Jena Antonucci. When Arcangelo won the Belmont Stakes, it made Antonucci the first female trainer to win a Triple Crown race. Arcangelo’s victory in the Travers made Antonucci the second female trainer to win that historic race. :: BREEDERS’ CUP 2023: See DRF’s special section with top contenders, odds, comments, news, and more for each division Arcangelo is a son of Arrogate, who won the 2016 Classic at Santa Anita, beating dual classic winner California Chrome. Arcangelo arrived in Southern California on Sept. 27 and was expected to have his first local workout Oct. 5. Arcangelo, the 7-2 favorite on the early line of Daily Racing Form’s Brad Free, will face the sternest test of his young career in the race. “He’s acclimated extremely well and is enjoying the surface,” Antonucci said Wednesday, adding that exercise rider Robbie Mallari “is extremely pleased with how he’s training over it.” Arcangelo is one of several 3-year-olds who figure to be prominent in the race. Arabian Knight and Geaux Rocket Ride, the one-two finishers in the Grade 1 Pacific Classic at Del Mar on Sept. 2, are the second and third choices, respectively, on Free’s line. Other 3-year-olds, including Kentucky Derby winner Mage, Belmont Stakes runner-up Forte, and Pennsylvania Derby winner Saudi Crown are pointing to the 1 1/4-mile Classic. Forte, last year’s BC Juvenile winner, recently had a quarter crack that has delayed his return to the work tab since his fourth-place finish in the Travers on Aug. 26. Mage, who finished last in the Travers, returned to the work tab Sunday at the Thoroughbred Training Center in Lexington, Ky., where he breezed five furlongs in 1:03. His connections plan to work the horse weekly there before heading to California on Oct. 30. “If he’s running, it’ll be entirely him telling us and giving us all the right signs that he’s fine and good to go for a race like the Classic,” Gustavo Delgado Jr., assistant to his father, said Tuesday. “He doesn’t owe us anything.” Mage is scheduled to race in 2024. Saudi Crown, winner of the Grade 1 Pennsylvania Derby, could have the Dirt Mile as an option, but trainer Brad Cox said Tuesday, “We’re focused on the Classic.” White Abarrio and Slow Down Andy are the two older males who have earned their way into the Classic by virtue of winning designated Breeders’ Cup Challenge races. White Abarrio’s dominant victory in the Grade 1 Whitney on Aug. 6 at Saratoga was flattered last weekend when Whitney runner-up Zandon won the Grade 2 Woodward, while Cody’s Wish, third in the Whitney, won the Grade 2 Vosburgh. :: Bet the races with a $250 First Deposit Match + $10 Free Bet and FREE Formulator PPs! Join DRF Bets. Zandon is targeting the Classic while Cody’s Wish is hoping to achieve a repeat victory in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile. Slow Down Andy won last Saturday’s Awesome Again in front-running fashion. Defunded and Senor Buscador, second and third, behind him, are also still under consideration for the Classic, as is Clapton, winner of the Grade 2 Lukas Classic at Churchill Downs. Bright Future and Proxy, the one-two finishers of the Jockey Club Gold Cup, are definites for the Classic. The Japanese-based Ushba Tesoro, who won the Dubai World Cup in March, had a successful prep race in Japan on Sept. 27, his sixth consecutive victory, and is on course for the Classic. Derma Sotogake, who finished sixth in the Kentucky Derby, is another Japanese-based runner expected to come for the Classic. Emblem Road, winner of the 2022 Saudi Cup and third in this year’s Dubai World Cup, is coming for the Classic. The Classic, which is expected to draw an overflow number of pre-entries for the first time since 2018, is one of 11 Breeders’ Cup races limited to 14 starters. Three races – the Turf Sprint, Dirt Mile, and Juvenile Turf Sprint are limited to 12 starters. There is a two-step entry process that will determine the fields for the 14 Breeders’ Cup races – the five races for juveniles being run Nov. 3, the remaining nine on Nov. 4. The first step is the pre-entry phase where horses can be pre-entered in as many as two races for which they are eligible. The pre-entry deadline is Oct. 23 with the pre-entries being announced on Oct. 25. In the event a race oversubscribes, there is a multi-part process that helps determine the composition of the fields. In a 14-horse race, the first seven horses to gain entry are those who have won a designated Breeders’ Cup Challenge race or who have accrued the most points in graded stakes races. The next seven would be determined by a panel comprised of racing directors/secretaries. That panel also designates the order of preference for those who are not among the top 14. In races limited to 12 starters, the first six are determined by Breeders’ Cup Challenge race wins or points and the remaining six are chosen by the panel. :: Get Daily Racing Form Past Performances – the exclusive home of Beyer Speed Figures The second step is the entry phase, which takes place on Oct. 30, when horses may only be entered in one race. In races where the maximum field is 14, up to four also-eligibles may be carded. In races where the maximum field is 12, up to six also-eligibles may be carded. Scratch time is 8 a.m. the day of the race. Cody’s Wish (Dirt Mile), Elite Power (Sprint), Goodnight Olive (Filly and Mare Sprint), Caravel (Turf Sprint), and Rebel’s Romance (Turf) are among last year’s BC winners looking to repeat in those respective races. Forte will try to become the first Juvenile winner to come back the following year to win the Classic. The Classic has typically been the final Breeders’ Cup race run. But with NBC having college football commitments on Nov. 4, the Classic will be the third-to-last race and will be followed by the Turf Sprint and Sprint, which will be shown on FanDuel TV. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.