Saturday night brings the 2019 Breeders’ Cup Classic, from Santa Anita Park, in Arcadia, California. A series of 14 races throughout Friday and Saturday, each with a purse of at least $1 million, will come to a climax with the Classic, with a $6 million purse, set to run at 8:44 pm Eastern time on Saturday. You can catch the action on NBC starting at 8:00 pm Eastern on Saturday, and TVG has comprehensive coverage of all of the events leading up to the series of races as well. If you want to make your wagering even more exciting, you can add to the odds by picking exacta (1-2 finishers), trifecta (1-2-3 finishers) and superfecta (1-2-3-4 finishers) wagers. We have the post positions, trainers, riders and opening odds for each of the horses in the Classic, so take a look before you lock in your Breeders’ Cup betting choices for this race.
2019 Breeders’ Cup Classic Trifecta, Superfecta & Exacta Picks
Meet the World’s Greatest Equine Athletes, the Contenders of the 2019 Breeders’ Cup World Championships → https://t.co/5LD6bYHoq3 🏇
📸 @EclipseSports #BreedersCup #BC19 pic.twitter.com/AD4XF0CJ06 — Breeders’ Cup (@BreedersCup) October 29, 2019
| Post | Horse | Trainer | Rider | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Math Wizard | Saffie Joseph Jr | Ricardo Santana Jr | 30-1 |
| 2 | Seeking the Soul | Dallas Stewart | Brian Hernandez Jr | 30-1 |
| 3 | Owendale | Brad Cox | Javier Castellano | 15-1 |
| 4 | War of Will | Mark Casse | Tyler Gaffalione | 15-1 |
| 5 | Yoshida | William Mott | Mike Smith | 8-1 |
| 6 | Elate | William Mott | Jose Ortiz | 6-1 |
| 7 | Higher Power | John Sadler | Flavien Prat | 6-1 |
| 8 | McKinzie | Bob Baffert | Joel Rosario | 3-1 |
| 9 | Mongolian Groom | Enebish Gambat | Abel Cedillo | 12-1 |
| 10 | Vino Russo | Todd Pletcher | Irad Ortiz Jr | 4-1 |
| 11 | Code of Honor | Claude McGaughey | John Velasquez | 4-1 |
McKinzie is the favorite here, as the oddsmakers understand that Mike Smith did not do the best job of riding him in the Awesome Again stakes. That is the reason behind this jockey switch, as Joel Rosario makes a slightly better fit. Santa Anita is McKinzie’s home track, and this is where he should b able to shine.
Code of Honor came away with the Jockey Club Gold Cup title — after Vino Rosso was disqualified. The contact that Vino Rosso made with Code of Honor down the stretch gave Vino Rosso the win. Code of Honor is not a horse who starts all that fast, but he will push hard at the end. Other horses in the race that like to push hard and stay at the front as long as possible include Vino Rosso as well as Mongolian Groom, Higher Power and McKinzie. So when Code of Honor comes down the stretch, you should expect a terrific finish.
Vino Rosso ran hard in the Jockey Club Gold Cup, so that he would even be in position to impact the outcome down the stretch. The bump he gave Code of Honor was a slight one, but enough to give the stewards reason to disqualify him. Even so, Vino Rosso shows terrific form and will be a player at the end at the Breeders’ Cup Classic.
Higher Power won the Pacific Classic at Del Mar, taking an early lead and breezing to a victory. At the Awesome Again Stakes, he had some issues getting started but came on late to take third, as Mongolian Groom and McKinzie finished ahead of them. He will get off to a quick start (assuming he does not stumble gain) and challenge Vino Rosso and McKinzie in the early going on Saturday.
Owendale is another horse that can close in a hurry. He does not have as much racing experience as Code of Honor, and he also closes a little slower. However, it is not hard at all to see him coming in third here.
Elate had a difficult time against Midnight Bisou a couple of races ago, but she is a tough competitor, and this field could actually be easier than the Distaff, where Bisou would await her.
- Exacta: Code of Honor (Win), Vino Rosso or McKinzie (Place)
- Trifecta: Code of Honor (Win), Vino Rosso or McKinzie (Place), Vino Rosso, McKinzie, Owendale or Higher Power (Show)
- Superfecta: Code of Honor (Win), Vino Rosso or McKinzie (Place), Owendale, Higher Power, Vino Rosso or McKinzie (Show), All (4th)
There is a logjam when it comes to trying to pick which horse will come in fourth. Math Wizard, Seeking the Soul, Mongolian Groom and Yoshida all have the physical skills to come in fourth — but they also have flaws that could keep them out — and keep you from winning.
