More than $31 million will be paid out in purses and awards over the two-day Breeders’ Cup, which takes place at Santa Anita in Arcadia, California on November 3-4, and the international event is projected to feature horses from England, France, Ireland, Argentina, and Japan, as well as North America.
The Breeders’ Cup Challenge series provides fees-paid berths throughout the year. Horses also qualify by accumulating points for top three finishes in graded stakes races.
Here is a quick preview at how some key races are shaping up.
$6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic
Held at 1 1/4 miles on the main track, the 2022 Classic featured a dominant performance from Flightline, who wrapped up his undefeated career with an 8 1/4-length romp at Keeneland. There does not appear to be any runners of Flightline’s caliber in this year’s edition, but the Classic promises to be a well-matched race.
A pair of three-year-olds, Pacific Classic winner Arabian Knight and Travers and Belmont Stakes hero Arcangelo, look poised to compete for favoritism. Three-year-olds have defeated elders 13 times in the Classic’s 39-year history, Authentic being the most recent in 2020.
Arabian Knight, based at Santa Anita with Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, will show speed from the start. Arcangelo employs stalking tactics for trainer Jena Antolucci, who became the first woman to win the storied Belmont Stakes in the race’s 155-year history.
Haskell winner and Pacific Classic runner-up Geaux Rocket Ride is another three-year-old of note set for the Classic.
Japan has a serious contender in Ushba Tesoro, who will bring a six-race win streak to America. A powerful winner of the $12 million Dubai World Cup in March, Ushba Tesoro tuned up for the Classic with an easy win in his homeland, returning from a six-month freshening with a sharp performance in late September.
$4 million Turf
Expect a heavy European influence as a strong contingent is readying for the 1 1/2-mile Turf.
Auguste Rodin, who counts the English Derby among his three Group 1 wins this season, tops the list of overseas runners under consideration. The three-year-old will be a formidable presence following a fine score in the Irish Champion, and stablemate Luxembourg, a three-time Group 1 winner and runner-up in the Irish Champion, is also expected to ship for the Turf.
Up to the Mark confirmed himself as America’s leading two-turn turf horse when returning from a four-month layoff with a victory in the Coolmore Turf Mile at Keeneland. A winner of three consecutive Grade 1 races for Todd Pletcher, Up to the Mark earned a free berth to the Breeders’ Cup Mile, but he may opt for the Turf according to connections.
Best horse racing bonuses
Looking to bet on some horse racing action? Here are two of the best bonuses* available:
A) New users can bet $1 and get $365 in bonus bets at bet365! Sign Up Now
B) Get up to $500 in bonus bets if your first bet doesn't win at BetRivers! Sign Up Now
*Eligible USA locations only. Also, check out our full list of best sportsbook promotions for 2023.
21+. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER
$2 million Sprint
Reigning champion male sprinter Elite Power will make a title defense, and superstar filly Echo Zulu is under consideration for the six-furlong Sprint.
A smashing winner of the 2021 Juvenile Fillies and second in last year’s Filly & Mare Sprint, Echo Zulu has taken her game to another level at age four, registering Brisnet Speed ratings as high as 112 while winning all three starts in commanding fashion. The Filly & Mare Sprint remains an option, but Echo Zulu may look to stake a claim for world’s best sprinter in the Sprint.
$2 million Mile
International raiders have won three consecutive runnings, and the foreign brigade may include the likes of Inspiral, Tahiyra, and Japan’s leading miler Songline, who all qualified via Challenge series races.
Woodbine Mile winner Masters of the Seas, based in England with Charlie Appleby, is another major player following a nose second to Up to the Mark in the Coolmore Turf Mile. Appleby will seek his third straight training success in the Mile.
American runners include Du Jour and Exaulted, stakes winners who will have a home-field advantage at Santa Anita.
Covers horse racing tools
$2 million Juvenile Fillies
The Breeders’ Cup kicks off with five races for two-year-olds on its Future Stars Friday program on November 3, and the Juvenile Fillies is widely anticipated due to the presence of Tamara.
Unbeaten from two starts, Tamara will go favored following a brilliant victory in the Del Mar Debutante. The Spendthrift Farm homebred filly is the fourth foal from four-time champion Beholder, a three-time Breeders’ Cup race winner, and Tamara is generating the same buzz as a racehorse. Her younger half-brother recently sold for $4.2 million at the Saratoga Fasig-Tipton sale.
