Breeders' Cup Classic: Forever Young can be first winner from Japan
The best two-turn dirt horses on Earth will clash Saturday, November 2 in the $7 million Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) at Del Mar! The 1 ¼-mile dirt race features such dirt route stars as Travers Stakes winner Fierceness, English Derby winner City of Troy, Kentucky Derby second- and third-place finishers Sierra Leone and Forever Young, and more.
You don’t have to own a horse to score big on the Breeders’ Cup Classic. It is one of the most exciting and profitable horse race betting events of the year. With such a deep and classy field, there is always value to find in straight and exotic pools, and this is where to find out the best places to bet the Breeders’ Cup Classic online in New York.
Where to Bet the Breeders' Cup Classic
Before you bet a single dollar on the Breeders’ Cup, it is good to know the best places to bet the race. Make sure to maximize your profits this weekend and all year long by playing the race at one of the best racebooks for New York bettors. All of these recommended racebooks offer the basics: market-leading odds, trusted payouts, and smooth user interfaces.
Each site also features great racebook bonus offers. Each one offers different ones such as sign-up and deposit bonuses, referral benefits, and even horse racing rebates that pay you cash for every bet, win or lose. Take a few minutes now and let our experts help you figure out the one that is best for your betting style. Then, you can build your bankroll by hundreds or even thousands of dollars during the Breeders’ Cup and beyond.
Breeders' Cup Classic Horses
This is the official field for the 2024 Breeders' Cup Classic including post positions, trainers, jockeys, and morning lines:
- Forever Young (Yoshito Yahagi / Ryusei Sakai) - 6/1
- Highland Falls (Brad Cox / Luis Saez) - 20/1
- City of Troy (Aidan O’Brien / Ryan Moore) - 5/2
- Mixto (Doug O’Neill / Kyle Frey) - 30/1
- Senor Buscador (Todd Fincher / Joel Rosario) - 30/1
- Derma Sotogake (Hidetaka Otonashi / Christophe Lemaire) - 20/1
- Ushba Tesoro (Noboru Takagi / Yuga Kawada) - 12/1
- Pyrenees (Cherie DeVaux / Brian Hernandez, Jr) - 30/1
- Fierceness (Todd Pletcher / John Velazquez) - 3/1
- Tapit Trice (Todd Pletcher / Irad Ortiz, Jr.) - 30/1
- Sierra Leone (Chad Brown / Flavien Prat) - 12/1
- Arthur’s Ride (Bill Mott / Junior Alvarado) - 15/1
- Newgate (Bob Baffert / Frankie Dettori) - 20/1
- Next (Doug Cowans / Luan Machado) - 8/1
- Rattle N Roll (Kenny McPeek / Jose Ortiz) - 30/1 - ALSO ELIGIBLE
The morning line is helpful in that it is an informed opinion about which horses are expected to take wagering action or not. However, you are not guaranteed those prices when you bet at the track. You are stuck with whatever the price is at post time, meaning late betting action can drop your odds considerably.
The best bet in the 2024 Breeders’ Cup is to bet on the race at a trusted New York online racebook. Since online racebooks let you lock in your odds for major races at the moment you place your bet, that means you know you’ll get the overlay you see. Then, when your horse wins, you know you’re going to get the betting value you expected!
These are the odds at the top of the Breeders’ Cup Classic market at top New York racebooks:
Free Breeders' Cup Classic Picks
With your Breeders’ Cup betting account at the ready, it’s time to handicap the biggest race of the weekend. Let’s get to know the best horses in the 2024 Breeders' Cup Classic.
Breeders' Cup Classic Favorite
The morning-line favorite in the Breeders’ Cup Classic is City of Troy, but the smart move is to bet against the favorite. He is top-class, of course, with wins in several of Europe’s biggest races including the English Derby (G1). He is by top dirt horse Justify, but City of Troy has never tried the dirt himself. O’Brien has never won the Breeders’ Cup Classic: some horses have run well, others haven’t. With him being such a short price, stick to betting proven dirt horses.
Breeders’ Cup Classic Contenders
Forever Young is the best bet in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. And, though he is mired on the fence, he has enough experience in big fields to navigate it, as he has never raced in a field smaller than 11. He can take his best form to dirt tracks around the world, he has 1 ¼-mile stamina, and he is tactically versatile enough to work out a trip. All this makes him the horse to beat.
Off his victory in the Travers (G1) at Saratoga, New York-based star Fierceness is a major contender in the Classic. It had always been feast or famine with him, an easy victory or a clear defeat. But, in the Travers, he had to work for a victory at 1 ¼ miles, and he fought for the win. That shows…well, the fierceness he needs in a race like this. With tactical speed and a record of peaking at this time last year, there’s much to like.
Breeders’ Cup Classic Exotic Plays
The Breeders’ Cup Classic features a full field of top horses, and someone good will inevitably get lost in the wagering. This year, Newgate looks like that horse. He has class to prove, but he is a Grade 1 winner at 1 ¼ miles earlier this year, he has the tactical speed to carve out a trip, and he comes second off the layoff after a smart return in the slightly shorter California Crown (G1).
Two other runners appeal very specifically for underneath spots. Neither Ushba Tesoro nor Sierra Leone have been big winners this year, though both of them just keep hitting the board. Ushba Tesoro’s experience with older horses rates him just higher than Sierra Leone, but both fit the profile of 1 ¼-mile horses who just keep running to their company time and time again.
Breeders' Cup Classic Day Wagering
Straight bets on the Breeders’ Cup Classic and other races are a classic for a good reason. Whether you’re just starting out with playing the horses or you’re an experienced bettor with a strong opinion, they keep opinions simple and focused on a single horse running well.
A win bet requires your pick to win, and typically pays the most of any straight bet. A place wager typically pays a bit less, but your horse only has to run second or better. A show bet pays off if your horse runs third or better. “Across the board” is a straight-bet variant in which you bet the same horse to win, place, or show.
Exotic wagers are more difficult to hit, but can pay a life-changing amount of money if you are right. Some exotic wagers involve a single race: an exacta, trifecta, or superfecta requires picking the first two, three, or four horses across the wire in a single race in the right order. If you have good opinions in multiple races you can also bet exotics to cover consecutive races: the daily double, Pick 3, Pick 4, Pick 5, or Pick 6.
Breeders' Cup Classic Bets
You know the horses, you know the bets, and you know the best places to bet the Breeders’ Cup online. All that’s left is to place your wagers on the 2024 Breeders' Cup Classic! Here are the best bets for the race:
- $20 to win - #1 Forever Young
- $10 each way - #13 Newgate
- $1 exacta box - #1 Forever Young, #9 Fierceness, #13 Newgate
- $0.50 trifecta key - #1 Forever Young with #7 Ushba Tesoro, #9 Fierceness, #13 Newgate
- $0.20 superfecta key - #1 Forever Young with #7 Ushba Tesoro, #9 Fierceness, #11 Sierra Leone, #13 Newgate
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