2018 Breeders’ Cup Classic Early Betting Preview

The 2-day Breeders’ Cup Racing Festival takes place on Nov. 2 and Nov. 3. The Breeders’ Cup Classic, the most important race of the 2-days, is wide-open this year after Triple Crown winner Justify’s retirement. Check out current future horse racing odds along with thoroughbred racing insights on the biggest race in the United States!

2018 Breeders’ Cup Classic Early Betting Preview

Behind every great horse is a dedicated team going ALL IN to make history. Follow the connections of the 2018 #BreedersCup Classic contenders on their #RoadtotheClassic @ChurchillDowns on November 3rd. Series Premiere 10/22 ➡️ https://t.co/FoAgI19xIJ pic.twitter.com/bve43wDYKc

— Breeders’ Cup (@BreedersCup) October 11, 2018

2018 Breeders’ Cup Classic Odds

• Accelerate +220
• West Coast +350
• Catholic Boy +500
• McKinzie +700
• Thunder Snow +700
• Diversify +1000
• Pavel +1000
• Yoshida +1000
• Gunnevera +1100
• Mendelssohn +1200
• Mind Your Biscuits +1800
• Roaring Lion +2500
• Discreet Lover +3000
• Seeking the Soul +3500

Hot Horses Heading to the Classic:  Accelerate, West Coast, Catholic Boy, McKinzie, Thunder Snow, Discreet Lover, Mind Your Biscuits

Accelerate won the Awesome Again Stakes with West Coast finishing second. West Coast made all the running in that one, carving out fractions of :46, 1:10.1, and 1:36.3. Trainer Bob Baffert and jockey Mike Smith wanted to get some run into West Coast. He’ll be tighter in the BC Classic. Catholic Boy trains up to the Classic. He demolished his competition in the Travers Stakes in August. He’s a runner who can beat the best on turf and dirt. McKinzie made his return to the races a winning one by easily handling his foes in the Pennsylvania Derby. Baffert won the Classic with Bayern in 2014 after prepping that horse in the Pennsylvania Derby. Thunder Snow ran his heart out to only lose the Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont by a slim margin to longshot Discreet Lover. If the pace sets up like it did in the JCGC, Discreet Lover will look to pull off the upset. Although he offers +1800 odds, Mind Your Biscuits is a Grade 1 winner that easily handled his foes at Churchill Downs, the site of this year’s Breeders’ Cup, in the Grade 3 Lukas Stakes in his last. Mind Your Biscuits has a win over the track, which might give him a slight edge.

Most Intriguing Horses on the List:  Roaring Lion, Yoshida

Trainer Bill Mott took a turf horse named Cigar and turned him into one of the best dirt horses of all time. Mott’s trying to same tactic with Yoshida. He went turf to dirt with Yoshida in the Grade 1 Woodward. Yoshida chased soft fractions and easily won. He might just be a monster horse. Roaring Lion’s sired by Kitten’s Joy and is from a Street Sense broodmare. Street Sense won the 2007 Kentucky Derby. He’s been one of the top turf horses in Europe this year. Although he could run in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, or the Breeders Cup Turf, or the Champion Stakes, trainer John Gosden and Qatar Racing Ltd feel they’ve got the best horse in the world. They might want to put a beat down on North America’s top dirt runners. If Roaring Lion enters, he’s a serious contender.

If We Had to Pick a Winner Today: Yoshida

Don’t be fooled by all the turf running lines in Yoshida’s past performances. His grandsire is Sunday Silence. Not only did Sunday Silence win the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Breeders’ Cup Classic, but he also built Japan’s breeding industry. Yoshida has dirt breeding, which is why it’s no surprise he won the Grade 1 Woodward in his first try on dirt. In that race, they ran the first-quarter in :24. They got the half in :47.69. Yoshida, who runs without blinkers, had to slow down just so he could pull out, go wide, and get past the horses in front of him. He’s a multiple Grade 1 winner offering double-digit odds. We’d put him on top if the race were today.