One of the biggest horse racing meets of the year gets underway at Santa Anita on Friday, as the 2023 Breeders’ Cup kicks off. The standout race during the two-day meet in California is staged on Saturday, as the Breeders’ Cup Classic is the ninth race on the card.
Before Betting On Breeders’ Cup Classic
The Breeders’ Cup Classic is the standout race at Santa Anita this weekend, as the field of horses aged three and older compete over 1 ¼ miles. A purse of $6 million is available to connections, making it one of the most lucrative races on the international calendar.
Belmont Stakes and Preakness Stakes winner Arcangelo has been very strong in the betting for Jena Antonucci, as the three-year-old once again looks for a major victory on track. The three-year-old once again showed his quality in the G1 Travers at Saratoga in late August, beating a talented field by over a length.
Arabian Knight is the Bob Baffert runner on Saturday, and he comes to Santa Anita after impressing when beating Geaux Rocket Ride by a neck in the G1 Pacific Classic. That was the same race that was won by Flightline on his way to winning the Classic 12 months ago.
Saudi Crown could be a challenging rival for Brad Cox, while White Abarrio looked better than ever when landing the G1 Whitney Stakes by over six lengths from Zandon. However, there are interesting Japanese challengers in this wide-open renewal, including Derma Sotogake, who was the winner of the G2 UAE Derby before finishing sixth in the G1 Kentucky Derby in early May.
Breeders’ Cup Classic Offshore Odds & Pick
| Horse | Moneyline |
|---|---|
| Arcangelo | 4.00 |
| Arabian Knight | 4.33 |
| Ushba Tesoro | 6.00 |
| White Abarrio | 6.00 |
| Saudi Crown | 11.00 |
| Bright Future | 12.00 |
| Derma Sotogake | 13.00 |
| Proxy | 15.00 |
An exciting renewal of the Classic this year promises to be a fascinating betting race. However, a chance is taken on Ushba Tesoro for Japan. The Noboru Takagi-trained runner holds the best RPR rating and has won on each of his three starts this season, including a recent victory by over two lengths in the G2 Nippon TV Hai.
