It’s never too early to prepare for the two-day Breeders’ Cup World Championships, Friday and Saturday, November 6 and 7 at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky.
Horse racing’s next big contest has two major advantages over every other sporting event this season.
- It’s the only one to run on its scheduled date amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Though presumably it will go off without fans, there’s talk that some spectators may be allowed.
- The Breeders’ Cup is lucrative. On Friday, a string of $1 million races comprises the lower end of the purses. On Saturday, the signature Breeders’ Cup Classic is worth $6 million; a $4 million turf classic and several $2 million events round out the November 7 card.
Here’s how to prepare:
- Hone in on the races you like. They’re all of magnificent quality. Most will have big fields. Most horse owners and trainers have pointed their workout and race patterns toward this event. But you can’t go crazy betting all of them. Every race, on its face, is worth a significant investment. Figure out which ones fit you.
- The major races are wide open. The Classic has Maximum Security, the world’s top horse in 2019. It also has Tiz the Law, who won the 2020 Belmont Stakes and was nosed out at the wire in the Kentucky Derby. The horse who won the Derby, Authentic, is in this race. So is Swiss Skydiver, the filly who won the Preakness Stakes.
- There will be good value. 2020 isn’t an exceptional year for horse-racing quality. It is an average-to-good crop. Top contenders have taken turns beating each other. You’ll find favorites in the 8-1 range or higher and can feel comfortable playing them.
- The Classic is far from the only headliner. Media reports highlight the bigger names, but excellent value resides in other races too. The $4 million turf classic, for example, has well-known Zulu Alpha and Channel Maker, both of whom have career earnings exceeding $2 million. There’s a slew of contenders in the $1 million range or slightly lower of good quality who haven’t run in higher purse races but have been groomed for this spot. The Classic is a turf race. Always respect European horses in this spot.
- It’s must-see, if not a must-bet. There are terrific match-ups in all these races. There are going to be prices. There are also great, ongoing storylines on these animals and how they reached this point.
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Overall, this is the year of parity and momentum in the Covid-affected horse-racing world, rather than the year of one stalwart towering above the rest.
Here are the latest odds for the Breeders’ Cup, per Horse Racing Nation:
- Improbable – 4-1
- Tiz the Law – 9-2
- Authentic – 8-1
- Maximum Security – 8-1
- Tom’s d’Etat – 10-1
- Swiss Skydiver – 11-1
- Global Campaign – 20-1
- Happy Saver – 25-1
- By My Standards –33-1
- Tacitus – 33-1
- Midcourt – 33-1
- Higher Power — 66-1
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