Although not as well-known as the Kentucky Derby by casual racing fans, the Breeders' Cup Classic is the granddaddy of all American races. Run annually in late-October or early-November, the Grade 1 event carded at the classic mile and one-quarter, or ten-furlong distance, is not aged-restricted. This race attracts all comers among the elite thoroughbred racehorses in the world.
The BC Classic was inaugurated in 1984 and carries the largest purse of any race in North America at $6 million. Past winners and Breeders' Cup Classic participants include the best of the era with the event often crowning the Horse of the Year in the United States. The Breeders' Cup Classic is held at different racing venues around North America with Churchill Downs and Santa Anita Park the most frequent destinations.
The BC Classic was inaugurated in 1984 and carries the largest purse of any race in North America at $6 million. Past winners and Breeders' Cup Classic participants include the best of the era with the event often crowning the Horse of the Year in the United States. The Breeders' Cup Classic is held at different racing venues around North America with Churchill Downs and Santa Anita Park the most frequent destinations.
The Breeders' Cup events attract the biggest wagering handle of the year in the United States, with the BC Classic offered as the featured event. With fat exacta, trifecta and superfecta pools, the Breeders' Cup Classic can prove to be quite lucrative. In addition, multirace exotic wagers such as the Pick 4 and Pick 6 remain extremely popular with the BC Classic providing the anchor leg of each bet. Players new to betting the Breeders' Cup Classic and its undercard events are often surprised how handsome the payouts can be even with reasonable or popularly bet combinations.
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When the best of the best square off against each other, there's simply no better wagering excitement around. That's exactly why the Breeders' Cup Classic is the most anticipated horse race of the year in North America. As the nation's top three-year-old runners and older horses compete throughout the spring, summer and fall, the BC Classic is the culminating event.
In addition, top horses from Europe, Japan, and South America have also joined the mix over the years, adding to the complexity and flavor of the event. Breeders' Cup Classic wagering pools are among the most competitive all year, often resulting in fair odds.
Breeders' Cup Classic Picks
Betting the BC Classic requires players to examine a multitude of factors, but perhaps none so important as the current condition of the racehorse. In a war of attrition, the Breeders' Cup is often won by the best horse, in the best condition, ready to have a career-best day.
Horses that have been campaigned carefully with the end result of winning the BC Classic as the top priority of the connections are often peaking when the race rolls around.
Conversely, many three-year-old runners who were campaigned in the early spring with the idea of winning the Kentucky Derby, Preakness or Belmont Stakes are often tired, or less than perfect by Breeders' Cup Classic time.
Only three horses have pulled off the Derby/Classic double in the same year: Sunday Silence (1989), Unbridled (1990), and American Pharoah (2015). In addition, handicappers should pay close attention to the "horse-for-course" angle, as horses who have prepped over the local surface with success often make better bets than horses trying a new surface for the first time.
Among recent winners, Arrogate (2016), Bayern (2014), Mucho Macho Man (2013), Drosselmeyer (2011), Blame (2010), and Zenyatta (2009) all owned previous wins over the track hosting the Breeders' Cup Classic.
Breeders' Cup Classic Results
Typically a full field capped at 14, the BC Classic has a history of being very deep and competitive. Fort Larned (2012), Drosselmeyer (2011), Blame (2010), Raven's Pass (2008), and Invasor (2006) all produced double-digit payoffs on $2 win bets, but Arcangues' win at 133/1 in 1993 is a feat unlikely to be equaled any time soon. On a lesser scale, Volponi's 2002 BC Classic win at 44/1 still proved a lucrative score for players covering his number.
