Early Kentucky Derby clues will be available at the Breeders’ Cup on Friday, as the Juvenile is the penultimate Grade 1 on the card at Santa Anita. Horses aged two will compete in the race, which was won in 2022 by long-time Derby favorite Forte.
Before Betting On Breeders’ Cup Juvenile
One of the first key Kentucky Derby preps will take place at Santa Anita on Friday, as the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile is staged. This race is run by horses aged two, with a total distance of 1 1/16 miles being covered. Favorites have a strong record in this race, as they have won three of the previous ten renewals.
At present, there is a battle at the top of the market between Locked and Prince of Monaco. The former is the runner for last year’s winning trainer, Todd Pletcher. The two-year-old has progressed excellently since finishing third on debut, most recently landing success by half-a-length from The Wine Steward in the G1 Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland.
Prince of Monaco represents the Bob Baffert stable on Friday, and he will be stepping up in trip for the first time at Santa Anita. However, he has looked very professional on his three prior racecourse starts, most recently beating Mirahmadi by three-quarters of a length in the G1 Del Mar Futurity.
It’s a wide-open renewal of the race this year, with The Wine Steward, Fierceness, and Muth all holding strong claims. Noted could also be a big-priced runner for Todd Pletcher that outruns his odds this weekend after finishing just a nose second behind Can Group in the G2 Castle & Key Bourbon Stakes on the turf last time. However, the fact that Irad Ortiz takes the ride could be telling.
Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Offshore Odds & Pick
| Horse | Odds |
|---|---|
| Locked | 4.50 |
| Prince of Monaco | 4.50 |
| Timberlake | 5.00 |
| Muth | 5.75 |
| Fierceness | 9.00 |
| The Wine Steward | 11.00 |
| General Partner | 15.00 |
| Noted | 21.00 |
The odds offer excellent value for the Juvenile this year, and I’d be surprised if Timberlake doesn’t go off much shorter for Brad Cox and Florent Geroux. The two-year-old holds the highest RPR of the runners this weekend, and was excellent in the G1 Champagne Stakes when beating General Partner by over four lengths over a mile.
