Who’s the best thoroughbred in the world? Last year, the answer was easy: Arrogate. This magnificent gray colt won the 2016 Breeders’ Cup Classic, upsetting California Chrome in the process, and went on to be named that year’s IFHA World’s Best Racehorse. Arrogate continued to dominate in 2017, winning the Grade 1 Pegasus Cup and the Grade 1 Dubai World Cup for trainer Bob Baffert and jockey Mike Smith. Everything was Camelot. Yet here we are heading into this year’s big race at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, and Arrogate is second on the 2017 Breeders’ Cup Classic futures odds at 13/4, trailing the favorite Gun Runner at 7/4. It’s been a rough summer at Del Mar for Arrogate; he took his first career loss as a 1/20 favorite at the Grade 2 San Diego Handicap, then finished second at the Grade 1 Pacific Classic. Meanwhile, Gun Runner has rocketed up the Breeders’ Cup Classic odds list at Bovada Racebook, winning three straight for trainer Steve Asmussen and jockey Florent Geroux since finishing second to Arrogate in Dubai.
Del Mar Debut
This year will be the first time the Breeders’ Cup has ever been run at beautiful Del Mar. The $6-million Classic (1-1/4 miles, dirt, 3 yo. and up) is the main event of a stacked 13-race card on November 3-4, and you can already find eight of these races on the Breeders’ Cup futures odds at Bovada. The most recent additions to the list are the Turf, the Sprint and the Turf Sprint, joining the Mile, the Dirt Mile, the Distaff, and the Filly and Mare Sprint alongside the Classic. The $4-million Turf (1-1/2 miles, 3 yo. and up) is the most prestigious race on the undercard, and this year’s potential field is stacked with equine talent. Highland Reel is the defending champion and the 13/5 favorite at press time; this Irish-bred stallion is a proven commodity at age five with victories this year at the Grade 1 Coronation Cup and the Grade 1 Prince of Wales’s Stakes, but Highland Reel’s inconsistent results open the door for worthy challengers like Ulysses at 3/1 and Cracksman at 13/2. Breeders’ Cup odds for all 13 races will be available at Bovada Racebook, so keep checking in for more information and analysis as we get closer to the big event.
*Odds as of October 6, 2017