There isn’t a weekend of sporting action that comes close to the Breeders’ Cup as the biggest equine stars in the world will be on show in some of the most lucrative Grade 1 races.
Horses will be competing on the turf and dirt over the two days of competition, with classy horses running in all races throughout the weekend.
You can find a list of the Breeders’ Cup Contenders and Pretenders here.
Still, with prices likely to be short at the top of the betting, who are some of the horses that gamblers should look to avoid when it comes to the Breeders’ Cup?
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Rockefeller- Breeders’ Cup Juvenile
The Juvenile is likely to be one of the most competitive races of the Breeders’ Cup, as it will see fans of the sport slowly turn their attentions towards the Triple Crown races in 2022. One horse that we are finding in particularly hard to support in the lead up to the race is Rockefeller.
His maiden success did come at Del Mar back in August, but he looked well below the standard of the other two year olds in training in the G1 American Pharoah on his latest start.
The Bob Baffert trained horse finished back in fourth in that contest, and unless significant improvement is made, we can’t see him hitting the board come the Juvenile.
Art Collector- Breeders’ Cup Classic
The Breeders’ Cup Classic will bring together the elite horses on the dirt for the biggest race of the meet. Essential Quality, Knicks Go and Medina Spirit are just some of the quality horses that will be lining up in this field, but one of the big market movers over recent months has been Art Collector for trainer William Mott.
There are bits of form to like about this four-year-old, as he looks to make the jump up from Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile contender to Classic winner in 2021.
However, he is incredibly short in the betting for our liking now, with the main reason down to his win in the G1 Woodward Stakes at Belmont. That was a good win for Art Collector, but he didn’t overcome anyone near the quality that he will be up against at the Breeders’ Cup.
Wins in the Charles Town Classic and Alydar Stakes also isn’t strong form compared to the horses involved that have proven Grade 1 wins under their belts.
Poetic Flare- Breeders’ Cup Mile
Poetic Flare looks set to head to the Mile later in the year, where he will come up against his old rival Palace Pier. The fact that Palace Pier has already beaten the three-year-old may be enough to deter some away from the bet, but we don’t rate his chances highly for this renewal.
A mile is certainly Palace Pier’s best distance, as it was proven in the Irish Champion Stakes that one mile two furlongs is just a little too far when coming up against the very best in the division.
However, he has also been beaten on numerous occasions this season over his optimal trip. He was back in sixth at Longchamp, and second behind Mac Swiney in the Irish 2,000 Guineas. Another defeat over a mile also came at Goodwood, as he finished behind Alcohol Free G1 Sussex Stakes despite being the favourite.
Poetic Flare will be short of the Mile since he won the 2,000 Guineas, but if you aren’t taking Palace Pier as the favourite, then its well worth looking further down the betting for extra value. Horses such as Order of Australia, Tribhuvan and Domestic Spending could all stand better chances of success.
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