A BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO THE BREEDERS’ CUP
What is the Breeders’ Cup? It is the Olympics of horse racing. Elite horses from around the world meet once a year to determine who is the best on the day. If you follow horse racing, this is what your year builds up to. The best sprinters face the best sprinters. The best 2-year-olds race the best 2-year-olds. Championships are on the line. Dreams are fulfilled and crushed. Legends are made. Stallion careers and millions of dollars are at stake.
The Breeders’ Cup is a two-day event. Day one is “Future Stars Friday.” This is all about the 2-year-olds. Day two is for everyone else. The best sprinters, milers, turf, and dirt horses of all sexes line up to race. Since 1984, this has been the horse racing world championship. Just like the Olympics, the Breeders’ Cup moves around. This year, it will be held at Del Mar race track in San Diego, California.
This Breeders’ Cup has a lot on the line. The Horse of the Year will be determined based on what happens on the track. Arguably, the best horse in the entire world is coming from Europe. Japan is sending its best dirt horse of all time. Next year’s potential Kentucky Derby horses are there. Here are the top stories to follow.
SUMMARY
(1) The Breeders’ Cup is the Olympics of horse racing.
(2) It is a two-day event featuring some of the best horses from around the globe.
(3) This year, all but one championship is on the line, and Horse of the Year is up for grabs.
HORSE OF THE YEAR
This year, Horse of the Year is up for grabs. Thorpedo Anna is the superstar filly and fan favorite. She has only lost one race this year. That race was the Travers. She stepped out of her division and took on the boys. She lost to a horse named Fierceness in a game performance. In order to win Horse of the Year, she will need to win the Breeders’ Cup Distaff. This will arguably be the best field of female dirt horses assembled in the United States this year.
The other thing standing in her way is Fierceness. Fierceness is last year’s Two-Year-Old Male Champion. When he runs his race, he has proven unbeatable. Sometimes, he doesn’t show up and is nowhere to be found. In his last two starts, he has looked phenomenal. Including the time he beat Thorpedo Anna in the Travers. He will be running in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. This is supposed to be the best dirt race assembled in the United States each year. If Fierceness is able to win, he will have a great case for winning Horse of the Year. In fact, he is the number one ranked horse in the United States. Could he become the first reigning Two-Year-Old Male Champion since American Pharoah to win Horse of the Year honors?
If both of these horses lose, Horse of the Year becomes muddled. Seize the Grey could throw his name into the mix. There is Cogburn, a turf sprinter who has blossomed into a freak. Cinderella horse Next could be rewarded if he won the Classic in a romp. There are a group of horses to choose from. It all will be decided at the Breeders’ Cup.
SUMMARY
(1) Horse of the Year is up for grabs.
(2) The favorites are a pair of 3-year-old horses, the colt Fierceness and the filly Thorpedo Anna.
(3) If both of them lose their races, Horse of the Year becomes a cluttered mess, and there are several contenders.
THE PEOPLE’S HORSE
Seize the Grey has been the people’s horse this year. He is owned by MyRacehorse and won the Preakness Stakes. Just like Improbable Luck, this horse has a lot of micro-share owners. One of those owners is BIGPLAY’s own Ken Myles. Seize the Grey fulfilled so many dreams this year that we all chase in racing. He won a Triple Crown race, he won a race on Kentucky Derby day, and he won the Pennsylvania Derby. Can he keep the dream going and win a Breeders’ Cup race? The answer is yes. He is also a championship contender. At this moment he is ranked as one of the top ten horses in the United States. Depending on how the Breeders’ Cup shakes out, he could be champion 3-year-old and possibly Horse of the Year. To do that, he needs to win the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, and a few horses he’s contending with need to lose their Breeders’ Cup races. He already has the heart of a champion, so the title of Breeders’ Cup Champion would be fitting.
SUMMARY
(1) Seize the Grey is the people’s horse.
(2) He has a good chance of winning the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile.
(3) If he wins the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, he could win Champion Three-Year-Old Male honors, depending on what happens to his competitors.
TURF SPRINTER – THE BEST HORSE IN AMERICA
This year, the best horse in the United States has arguably been a turf sprinter. His name is Cogburn. Some have called him the fastest horse in the world. He is undefeated in 2024 and has been breaking records on the track. There is no doubt this is the greatest show on turf this year in America. Make sure to watch the fastest horse in the world try and close out his incredible season in his toughest test yet. This Breeders’ Cup race will be his final start, so we look forward to seeing him go out with a sonic bang!
SUMMARY
(1) Cogbrun has been called the fastest horse in the world.
(2) He is running in the Breeders Cup Turf Sprint.
NEXT
You could say Next is the Cinderella horse of the racing world. Next started his career with a ton of promise. He raced in the Breeders’ Cup in a field with some of the top 2-year-olds in the nation. A lot was expected of him by his connections. However, he failed to live up to that promise as he matured. He dropped from top-level races into the lowest level in all racing, a claiming race. An astute horseman named William D. Cowans saw him in that claiming race and realized he had a horse of a lifetime. He figured there was promise in Next that others had yet to unlock. He claimed the horse, and that’s when everything changed. Cowans realized that this horse wanted to run in marathon races. These are races that run at unusually long distances.
Next began to thrive; he started winning race after race. He dominated his fields, winning one race by an astonishing 25 lengths. He has been untested and unchallenged since June of 2023. The racing world is in awe. The longer this horse runs, the better he has performed. However, he has been so freakish that the public believes he’s even better than a marathon monster. They want to see him take on the best of the best in the Breeders’ Cup. His connections will give Next that opportunity. Next is entered in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, where he will take on the best field assembled at a mile and a quarter all year in the United States. If Next is genuinely a freak, we could be in for something astonishing at the Breeders’ Cup. What will we see next?
SUMMARY
(1) Next is the Cinderella horse of 2024.
(2) He has been undefeated and untested since June 2023, racing at long distances.
(3) He is stepping up in class and taking on the best field of the year in the Breeders’ Cup Classic.
THE BEST HORSE IN THE WORLD
City of Troy is in the conversation for best horse racing in the world. He races in Europe and has been a sensation since he first stepped onto the track. His trainer is the best in Europe, Aidan O’Brien. Aidan has been vocal that this is the best horse he has ever trained. City of Troy was last year’s champion 2-year-old male in England. He has only lost one race, and the trainer blames himself. He felt he had underprepared him for the race. A case could be made then that this horse should be undefeated. If City of Troy is the horse his trainer thinks he is, perhaps we could see one of the all-time greats run at this year’s Breeders’ Cup.
City of Troy’s connections dare to be brave with him. This horse has raced exclusively on the turf, and at his best, he has proven unbeatable. However, they have bypassed running in arguably the biggest European race, the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, to come to the United States and face one of the best fields on earth on dirt. His sire is the American Triple Crown winner Justify. If he takes to the dirt like he does to the turf, he could be unstoppable. Tune in to the Breeders’ Cup Classic to see if City of Troy is the freak of nature he connections believe.
SUMMARY
(1) City of Troy is one of the best horses in the world.
(2) He has raced exclusively on turf, but his connections are daring to be brave and are racing him on dirt in the Breeders’ Cup Classic.
JAPAN
Japan is currently the powerhouse nation of horse racing. All around the globe, Japanese horses compete and dominate. This year, they are sending the strongest group of horses they have ever sent to the Breeders’ Cup. They could win a boatload of races. For starters, there is Forever Young. After a brutal trip, he lost the Kentucky Derby this year by two noses. He should have won. That race was his only lifetime loss. He is the marquee name. There is also an undefeated 4-year-old mare, Awesome Result, running in the Distaff. Other standouts include 2-year-old juvenile filly contender American Bikini, Juvenile Turf horse Ecoro Sieg, and Juvenile contender Shin Believe. Could 2024 be the year Japan dominated the Breeders’ Cup? Stay tuned.
SUMMARY
(1) Japan is the powerhouse nation of horse racing.
(2) They are sending the strongest group of horses they have ever sent to compete in the Breeders’ Cup.
(3) Keep an eye on the Japanese horses in every race.
FUTURE KENTUCKY DERBY HORSES
If you are interested in the Kentucky Derby, you will not want to miss this year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. The 2-year-olds in this race could go on to run in next year’s Kentucky Derby. This year’s field is one of the deepest in memory. The big two horses are East Avenue and Chancer McPatrick. Both are undefeated. East Avenue has been talked about in racing circles as potentially something very special. His Dam is a half-sister to last year’s Horse of the Year, Cody’s Wish. He is regally bred and has won his starts in near wire-to-wire performances. Chancer McPatrick is his polar opposite. He has won all of his races in come-from-behind fashion. He likes to drop to the back of the field and come with one long, sustained move. They say styles make fights. This Juvenile is as exciting of a 2-year-old throwdown as you could draw up.
The rest of the field is also exciting. Jonathan’s Way is an undefeated horse from the mid-west. He won the first Kentucky Derby qualifying points race in his last race. This horse could be any kind. Bob Baffert has three horses in the race: Gaming, Citizen Bull, and Getaway Car. His big horse is Gaming, an undefeated colt who might be the best 2-year-old on the West Coast. Baffert has won six Kentucky Derbys, so you always have to take him seriously. There are also two Japanese horses, Shin Believe and Ecoro Azel. There is a lot of buzz about Shin Believe, and it wouldn’t be shocking to see him win here. The other horse worth mentioning is Ferocious. This horse was being talked about as special long before he debuted. He was purchased for 1.3 million dollars and has a record of one win and two second-place finishes. The only two horses to have defeated him are the races likely favorites East Avenue and Chancer McPatrick. His connections feel there were excuses in those races. Who knows? What’s certain is that this field is deep and loaded with promise. This Juvenile is exactly the kind of Championship race you tune in to the Breeders’ Cup to watch.
SUMMARY
(1) The horses in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile could go on to race in next year’s Kentucky Derby.
(2) This is one of the most exciting races of this year’s Breeders’ Cup.
CONCLUSION
This Breeders’ Cup is the deepest in history. Gamblers are licking their chops to bet on this card. Connections are eager to walk away with championships. Fans are anxious for the first gates to open and witness the action unfold. If you want to watch the Breeders’ Cup, check your local listings and tune in on Friday, November 1st and 2nd. If you like betting, this is your chance to cash in big. If you like horse racing stories, the big chapters are written here. If you like dreams, this is where they are made. Perhaps next year our dreams will come true, and Improbable Luck will be racing at the Breeders’ Cup. Someone is going to make it there. Why not us?
SUMMARY
(1) The Breeders’ Cup is streaming on November 1st and 2nd.
(2) This year is one of the deepest Breeders’ Cups of all time.
(3) Whether betting on it or watching it for the storylines, you will not want to miss this.