OVERVIEW
This year’s races are held at Keeneland in Lexington, Kentucky. The weather is expected to be very good. The turf course is lush which is the type European horses do well on. The dirt course has a tendency to favor early speed but that isn’t always the case. The big caveat on my picks: I am making these selections on Wednesday and unable to update them. If the track is excessively favoring early speed, or, for that matter, closers, I will adapt in my own wagering. Use these picks as an insight into my thinking and not necessarily my final opinion at race time.
Longshots often win Breeders’ Cup races. That’s because most of the horses are very talented and there isn’t a big gap between the longshots and the favorites. Rather than playing my top selection, consider choosing one of my lesser picks that presents greater value.
My favorite Breeders’ Cup bet is the pick three. It can be bet in as low as 50-cent increments. Consider using all of the horses I list and each race and bet rolling pick threes or daily doubles.
The big story of the weekend is Flightline. The overwhelming favorite in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, he has run the fastest speed figures of any American horse since Secretariat in 1973. The problem is that he raced only five times in his life. Modern trainers believe horses should run very little in order to produce top results each time they run. For this reason, I refuse to, so far at least, lump Flightline in with Secretariat. But if he romps Saturday, I may have to reconsider. The field in the Classic is very strong and Flightline is facing the best competition of his career.
I am only listing in my selections the horses that I think are the likeliest to win. If you bet exactas, trifectas or superfectas, consider horses I don’t have on my list of contenders. I’ll run through the races in the order in which they are run. The first Breeders’ Cup race Friday is Race 6 on the card and the first BC race Saturday is the third on Keeneland’s card. I will use the race name and not the number. Selections are listed in order of likelihood to win. The odds listed are from the track program. The actual betting odds will fluctuate, depending on the wagering.
FRIDAY
JUVENILE TURF
#5 Mischief Magic 8-1
#6 Persian Force 15-1
#2 Love Reigns 4-1
#11 Speed Boat Beach 6-1
#12 The Platinum Queen 7-2
JUVENILE FILLIES
#10 Chocolate Gelato 7-2
#9 Good Love 20-1
#3 And Tell Me Nolies 8-1
#5 Wonder Wheel 5-1
#14 Raging Sea 8-1
JUVENILE FILLIES TURF
#10 Meditate 10-1
#5 Pleasant Passage 12-1
#9 Delight 6-1
#6 Be Your Best 8-1
#11 G Laurie 12-1
JUVENILE
#3 Cave Rock 4-5
#5 Verifying 10-1
#10 National Treasure 8-1
#4 Forte 4-1
#6 Blazing Sevens 6-1
JUVENILE TURF
#4 Silver Knott 3-1
#1 Victoria Road 8-1
#8 I’m Very Busy 9-2
#6 Andthewinneris 5-1
SATURDAY
FILLY AND MARE SPRINT
#8 Goodnight Olive 3-1
#5 Frank’s Rockette 6-1
#13 Echo Zulu 6-1
#4 Ce Ce 9-2
TURF SPRINT
#8 Golden Pal 2-1
#11 Casa Creed 6-1
#12 Bran 15-1
#4 Campanelle 8-1
#1 Creative Force 10-1
DIRT MILE
#6 Laurel River 9-2
#9 Cyberknife 9-2
#7 Cody’s Wish 5-2
#3 Pipeline 8-1
#11 Three Technique 30-1
#5 Gunite 7-2
FILLY AND MARE TURF
#5 Tuesday 8-1
#11 In Italian 7-2
#3 Nashwa 5-2
#4 Above he Curve 9-2
#12 Moira 10-1
SPRINT
#9 Jackie’s Warrior 4-5
#2 Kimari 4-1
#11 Flash of Mischief 30-1
#6 Elite Power 6-1
#10 Willy Boi 30-1
#7 Super Ocho 30-1
MILE
#4 Modern Games 7-2
#13 Kinross 9-2
#14 Domestic Spending 8-1
#8 Regal Glory 6-1
#3 Dreamloper 6-1
#10 Order of Australia 12-1
DISTAFF
#6 Nest 9-5
#1 Malathaat 3-1
#7 Search Results 9-2
#8 Society 6-1
#4 Clariere 4-1
#2 Blue Stripe 20-1
TURF
#2 War Like Goddess 9-2
#11 Mishriff 6-1
#7 National Pride 7-2
#5 Rebel’s Romance 3-1
#13 Highland Chief 15-1
CLASSIC
#4 Flightline 3-5
#6 Epicenter 5-1
#1 Taiba 8-1
#2 Life Is Good 6-1
