Breeders' Cup Predictions and Picks for Friday: Juvenile & Juvenile Turf

Robert Criscola believes there's multiple value plays in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf, which brings down the curtain on "Future Stars Friday" at the 41st annual thoroughbred championships at Del Mar. See why Zulu Kingdom will outrun his odds.

Robert Criscola - Contributor at Covers.com
Robert Criscola • Publishing Editor
Oct 31, 2024 • 10:00 ET • 4 min read
Zulu Kingdom Breeders' Cup
Photo By - Photo By - Imagn Images.

The best two-year-olds in horse racing have assembled for the "Future Stars Friday" program at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club as the 41st annual Breeders' Cup kicks off. 

I've dissected the Breeders' Cup odds for Friday, November 1, looking for the best betting value on the board as I give out my free betting picks for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile — which could help determine an early Kentucky Derby odds favorite — and the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf.

Breeders’ Cup Juvenile odds, prediction and best bet

  • Race: Del Mar Race 9
  • Post time: 7:45 p.m. ET
  • TV: USA, FanDuel TV
Post Horse FanDuel * bet365 **
1 East Avenue +250 5-2 +250
2 Getaway Car +2,000 20-1 +2,000
3 Hill Road +3,000 30-1 +3,000
4 Ferocious +600 6-1 +600
5 Johnathan's Way +450 9-2 +450
6 Citizen Bull +1,000 10-1 +1,000
7 Gaming +800 8-1 +800
8 Shin Believe +1,000 10-1 +1,000
9 Ecoro Azel +3,000 30-1 +3,000
10 Chancer McPatrick +300 3-1 +300

Odds as of 10-31-2024.

*FanDuel Racing odds available in AZ, CO, IL, IN, KY, LA, MA, MD, MI, NY, OH, PA, VA, WV, WY.

**bet365 Breeders' Cup odds are not available in the United States.

Win pick: Chancer McPatrick

The Breeders' Cup Juvenile is typically kind to chalk-players, and I think that will be the case again in 2024 with East Avenue and Chancer McPatrick topping my picks for the race.

I give the slight nod to the 3-for-3 Chancer McPatrick, as he could be sitting off a hot pace in the Juvenile. He's shown no ill effects from gradually stretching out in distance while snaring the Hopeful Stakes and the Champagne Stakes. 

Chancer McPatrick has also had little racing luck, breaking slowly in each of his last two starts and racing at least five-wide in two of his three career victories. If Flavien Prat can work out an ideal trip this time around, he can reel in the speedy East Avenue late.

Place pick: East Avenue

East Avenue dazzled in the Breeders' Futurity at Keeneland when last seen, wiring the field and beating the well-regarded Ferocious by over five lengths. The rail draw will make up Tyler Gaffalione's mind for him in terms of early strategy, and the amount of pace pressure the Bob Baffert-trained trio of Getaway Car, Citizen Bull, and Gaming apply could go a long way toward determining the outcome of this race.

If East Avenue is allowed a comfortable lead, he could be long gone turning for home. While I don't think that will be the case, he could still win this one on pure talent.

Show pick: Shin Believe

Finally, I'll sprinkle Shin Believe in while attempting to spice things up in the exotics. His lone race to date was a comfortable maiden win, and while the effort came back slow, it's worth noting he went 1 1/8-miles at first asking and will be turning back in this spot. 

I believe the impeccably-bred Japanese import has plenty of room to improve and will be heard from late.

Best bet: $6 exacta box 1/10, $3 exacta 1,10/8, $2 win 8 ($20)

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Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf odds, prediction and best bet

  • Race: Del Mar Race 10
  • Post time: 8:25 p.m. ET
  • TV: USA, FanDuel TV
Post Horse FanDuel * bet365 **
1 Satono Carnaval +2,000 20-1 +2,000
2 Dream On +2,000 20-1 +2,000
3 Noble Confessor +1,500 15-1 +1,500
4 Al Qudra +400 4-1 +400
5 Zulu Kingdom +800 8-1 +800
6 Iron Man Cal +3,000 30-1 +3,000
7 Seagulls Eleven +1,500 15-1 +1,500
8 Minaret Station +3,000 30-1 +3,000
9 The Waco Kid +2,000 20-1 +2,000
10 Mentee +1,500 15-1 +1,500
11 New Century +250 5-2 +250
12 Aomori City +1,000 10-1 +1,000
13 Henri Matisse +600 6-1 +600
14 Tenacious Leader +1,500 15-1 +1,500
15 Sabretooth (AE) +3,000 30-1 +3,000
16 Kale's Angel (AE) +3,000 30-1 +3,000

Odds as of 10-31-2024.

Win pick: Zulu Kingdom

No. 5 Zulu Kingdom (8-1) has three wins from three career starts, with his last two coming in graded stakes races under the care of Chad Brown. He showed good improvement from his maiden win to his Grade III With Anticipation score at Saratoga, but his Grade II Pilgrim triumph was a step backward in the speed figure department. However, I'm not holding that against him.

The Aqueduct turf course was an absolute bog that day, and half the Pilgrim field simply didn't handle it at all in a roughly-run race. Of the three runners to already return from that heat, one won next time out and another ran a belated third in the Awad Stakes, so there was talent in that field that didn't get a chance to shine.

Zulu Kingdom should improve on his Pilgrim figure getting back on firm going at Del Mar.

Place pick: Noble Confessor

No. 3 Noble Confessor (15-1) was just a neck from graduating from the maiden ranks in the Pilgrim Stakes over the top choice. His 0-for-3 lifetime record should be taken with a grain of salt, as his first two races came over dirt. It stands to reason he may like firm turf even better than yielding, so don't dismiss this Todd Pletcher trainee.

Show pick: Satono Carnaval

No. 1 Satono Carnaval (20-1) has dusted two straight turf sprint fields in his native Japan, and I believe he can handle this slight stretchout and jump up in class. His victory in a Group III last time out was well-rated and I believe he has much more to offer than what we've already seen as he's yet to feel the whip in a race.

Best bet: $2 exacta box 1/3/5, $2 exacta 5/1,3, $2 win 1,3 ($20)

Not intended for use in MA.
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Robert Criscola - Covers.com
Publishing Editor

Robert M. Criscola’s road to becoming a Covers publishing editor began with an internship at Metro New York, which eventually turned into a freelance job at MetroBet covering many sports from a wagering angle, including horse racing. He continued to focus on “The Sport of Kings” by writing for shapperdacapper.com, danonymousracing.com, and informer.fanxt.com before joining the team at the TwinSpires Edge in 2019 as a regular contributor and weekend editor. “Crisco” began writing game previews for Covers in 2022 and joined the editing team in 2023.

His best advice for sports bettors? Bet with your head, not over it.

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