The mare Elate will take on the boys in the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1), looking to become just the second female to win the race.
We are now just over three weeks away from the Breeders’ Cup, the two-day championship event taking place at Santa Anita on November 1-2.
Elate will attempt to follow in the footsteps of Zenyatta, who beat males in the 2009 Classic, the one female to win the race in its 35-year history.
Trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, the mare will also be entered in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1), but the plan is to go in the Classic.
Currently the mare is co-third choice in early Breeders’ Cup Classic betting at Sportsbook at +800. She is the fifth choice in Distaff wagering at +800 but would likely be the second choice behind Midnight Bisou (+150) if the Distaff was her target.
McKinzie Remains Classic Favorite
The betting favorite for the Classic continues to be McKinzie, currently at +300, down from +450 last month. Trained by Bob Baffert, the colt was the beaten favorite in the Awesome Again (G1) in his final prep race.
Last year McKinzie came into the Classic off wins in the San Felipe (G2) and Pennsylvania Derby (G1) but tossed in a clunker, fading to finish a well-beaten 12th.
The three-year-old Code of Honor is the second choice in Classic betting at +400. The Shug McGaughey trainee won the Travers (G1) this summer at Saratoga and was beaten just a nose in the Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) at Belmont Park in his last start.
Vino Rosso won the Jockey Club Gold Cup and is currently listed at +800 in Classic betting.
Midnight Bisou Favored in Distaff
Midnight Bisou is the solid betting favorite for the Distaff at Sportsbook at +150. She was third in last year’s Distaff at Churchill Downs and is perfect in her seven starts this year, winning the Beldame Invitational (G1) at Belmont Park in her final prep race.
Guarana at +600 is the second choice in early Distaff wagering, but she may end up in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1).
The filly won her first three career starts, including the CCA Oaks (G1), but suffered her first defeat when second to Street Band in the Cotillion (G1) at Parx Racing in her last outing.
Dunbar Road is the co-third choice at +700. The filly had to settle for third in the Spinster at Keeneland in her last start behind Blue Prize and Elate. Street Band, Sportsbook of the Cotillion, is also listed at +700.
Enable Dangerous in Turf if She Makes Trip
Enable is the +150 betting favorite at Sportsbook for the Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1). She is the defending champion but got run down in the Arc de Triomphe (G1) at Longchamp in her last start and her connections have not decided if she will return to the U.S.
Magical, who was fifth in the Arc, is the second choice in early Turf wagering at +500. The Aiden O’Brien trainee won the Irish Champion Stakes (G1) in his previous outing at York and was second in the Turf last year behind Enable.
Bricks and Mortar is the betting favorite for the Mile at +450. Circus Maximus, Sportsbook of the Prix de Moulin de Longchamp (G1) in his last start, is the current second choice in early Mile betting at +500.
Mitole Favorite in Sprint
Mitole is the early favorite for the Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1) at +225. The Steve Asmussen trainee won the Forego (G1) at Saratoga in his last start.
Imperial Hint is the second choice at +275. Third in the Sprint last year, he comes in this year off wins in the Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap (G1) and the Vosburgh Invitational (G1) in his last two starts.
Shancelot is the third choice at +300 for the Sprint. The colt got run down at the wire in the Santa Anita Sprint Championship (G1) in his last start, beaten a head.
The Sportsbook was Omaha Beach, who was making his first start since winning the Arkansas Derby (G1) in April. He missed the Triple Crown races after throat surgery and came back running. The colt is +400 in early betting for the Sprint but could end up in either the Dirt Mile or Classic.
Streaking Sistercharlie Short Price in Filly & Mare Turf
Sistercharlie will come into this year’s Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1) riding a six-race winning streak, all in Grade 1 races, including this race last year. She is the solid +175 betting favorite as she seeks to defend her title.
She figures to face a solid group of European invaders that could include Star Catcher (+1000), Sportsbook of the Prix Vermeille (G1) at Longchamp, and Iridessa (+1200), who is a multiple Group 1 Sportsbook.
Dirt Mile Wide Open
The Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1) is often considered an afterthought with runners not good enough to make it into the Classic, but this year’s field looks stellar.
Mitole is the +300 early favorite for the Dirt Mile but could end up in the Sprint. Catalina Cruiser, who was the beaten favorite in last year’s edition, is currently listed at +600 at Sportsbook.
The John Sadler trainee won the Pat O’Brien (G2) in his last outing and is perfect in three starts this year.
Mr. Money (+1000) was beaten a neck in the Pennsylvania Derby (G1) in his last effort. That snapped a four-race winning streak that included the Grade 3 West Virginia Derby and Indiana Derby.
Pee Wee Reese is the early favorite in a wide-open Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint at +350 and Covfefe at +300 and Come Dancing at +350 are the top two wagering choices for the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1).
Next up we will look at the early odds for Friday’s juvenile races.
Handicapper Michael Dempsey will be covering the Breeders’ Cup for Odds Shark and his full card reports with selections, analysis, fair odds line and wagering recommendations for major tracks can be found daily at turfnsport.com.
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