Breeders' Cup Predictions and Picks for Saturday: Filly & Mare Sprint, Classic

Robert Criscola's Breeders' Cup picks for "Championship Saturday" highlight the chances of Forever Young in the Classic. See why he's also targeting the Filly & Mare Sprint at the 41st annual thoroughbred championships at Del Mar.

Robert Criscola - Contributor at Covers.com
Robert Criscola • Publishing Editor
Nov 1, 2024 • 09:30 ET • 4 min read
Forever Young Breeders' Cup
Photo By - Photo By - Imagn Images. Pictured: Forever Young races around the track.

The 41st Breeders' Cup Classic anchors "Championship Saturday" at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, and I've thoroughly analyzed the Breeders' Cup odds for November 2 to bring you my best free betting picks for the 1 1/4-mile dirt clash.

Plus, I share my thoughts and wagering advice on the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint.

Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint odds, prediction and best bet

  • Race: Del Mar Race 4
  • Post time: 3:00 p.m. ET
  • TV: USA, FanDuel TV
Post Horse FanDuel * bet365 **
1 Frost At Dawn +3,000 30-1 +3,000
2 One Magic Philly +1,000 10-1 +1,000
3 Pleasant +1,200 12-1 +1,200
4 Vahva +400 4-1 +400
5 Pandora's Gift +3,000 30-1 +3,000
6 Society +300 3-1 +300
7 Zeitlos +600 6-1 +600
8 Soul of an Angel +1,200 12-1 +1,200
9 Ways and Means +250 5-2 +250
10 Scylla +1,000 10-1 +1,000

Odds as of 11-1-2024.

Win pick: Vahva (+400)

I was captivated by the No. 4 Vahva and Alva Starr rivalry, and the latter would almost assuredly be in this race but for a fatal training accident earlier this year. Vahva enjoyed a stretch of four wins in five races that included two scores at Alva Starr's expense, with the only loss in that span being dealt by that foe.

Vahva was last seen running third in the Grade I Ballerina, with no apparent excuse except perhaps not caring for the Saratoga course. She was beaten by Society, who can occasionally uncork a monster effort but is anything but consistent, and Scylla, who was in a perfect spot on the cutback and will have neither a post nor stamina advantage here.

I'm encouraged to give Vahva a chance at winning the Filly & Mare Sprint based on her brilliant worktab heading into Saturday.

Place pick: Ways and Means (+250)

No. 9 Ways and Means was a legitimate Kentucky Oaks contender but could do no better than fourth in that race. However, she's found new life in the sprint division, crushing the competition in both the Test and the Gallant Bloom. Both of those wins were on muddy tracks, but her 4: 2-2-0 record on fast dirt suggests she'll be just fine here.

Show pick: Zeitlos (+600)

It's hard to knock a horse that's won four straight sprint races on dirt, three of them at the stakes level, but No. 7 Zeitlos is a little light on speed figures heading into her first Grade I foray. She moves up if there's a scratch but is best left in the lower rungs of the exotics assuming the field remains intact.

Best bet: $10 exacta box 4/9 ($20)

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Breeders’ Cup Classic odds, prediction and best bet

  • Race: Del Mar Race 8
  • Post time: 5:41 p.m. ET
  • TV: NBC
Post Horse FanDuel * bet365 **
1 Forever Young +600 6-1 +600
2 Highland Falls +2,000 20-1 +2,000
3 City of Troy +250 5-2 +250
4 Mixto +3,000 30-1 +3,000
5 Senor Buscador +3,000 30-1 +3,000
6 Derma Sotogake +2,000 20-1 +2,000
7 Ushba Tesoro +1,200 12-1 +1,200
8 Pyrenees +3,000 30-1 +3,000
9 Fierceness +300 3-1 +300
10 Tapit Trice +3,000 30-1 +3,000
11 Sierra Leone +1,200 12-1 +1,200
12 Arthur's Ride +1,500 15-1 +1,500
13 Newgate +2,000 20-1 +2,000
14 Next +800 8-1 +800
15 Rattle N Roll (AE) +3,000 30-1 +3,000

Odds as of 11-1-2024.

*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: Forever Young (+600)

No. 1 Forever Young has a good chance to give Japan another major victory on the world stage with a score in the Breeders' Cup Classic.

The son of Real Steel nearly recorded Japan's first triumph in an American Triple Crown race, settling for third beaten a head in the 2024 Kentucky Derby in what was a roughly-run race.

Forever Young was idle from the first Saturday in May until October 2, coming back with his sixth win in seven career outings in the Japan Dirt Classic, and it was a fairly easy victory too.

Forever Young has shown resilience and versatility en route to a sparkling career record, so the rail draw is not cause for pause. Look for him to be rolling late on Saturday.

Place pick: Highland Falls (+2,000)

No. 2 Highland Falls wasn't quite ready for the big time when fourth in the Grade I Santa Anita Handicap earlier this year, but he's improved steadily since. 

The son of Curlin hit the exacta in three straight graded stakes after that and capped it off with a runaway score in the 1 1/4-mile Jockey Club Gold Cup when last seen.

A repeat of that effort should be good enough to pick up at least a piece of the Breeders' Cup Classic purse. 

Show pick: Ushba Tesoro (+1,200)

No. 7 Ushba Tesoro was a decent fifth in last year's Classic and is back for more following a Grade I win in his native Japan and three solid runner-up results in 2024. The $16 million earner has plenty of back class to run back to, he just needs the right pace setup.

Pyrenees and Sierra Leone are also live long shots. The former was second to Highland Falls in the Jockey Club Gold Cup when last seen and is versatile enough to be near the lead or off of it. The latter hasn't missed the trifecta in eight lifetime starts and was denied the win in the Derby by only a nose.

Best bet: $4 exacta 1/2,7,8,11, $3 win 2,7,8 ($25)

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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