Breeders' Cup Preview 2019 : Millions of Dollars on the Line

It's been a long hard year in the world of horse racing. There have been some fantastic races and plenty of memorable moments. Now attention turns to the 2019 Breeders' Cup meeting. Our preview looks ahead to the top races taking place on November 1 and 2 with millions of dollars to be won by horses from around the globe.

Friday 1 November

Breeders' Cup Juvenile

This race has purse money of m and looks like being a close battle between the top three in the market. Eight Rings has won both of the races in which the finishing line has been reached. After making a winning six length debut in August, Eight Rings took part in the Grade 1 Runhappy Del Mar Futurity last month but disaster struck when unseating his rider after being bumped. A return to form came in the Grade 1 American Pharaoh Stakes with a stunning six lengths win. Eight Rings is bound to be in the mix for this race at one of the top meetings of the year.

Maxfield has won two out of two coming into this race. The second of those was a five and a half length victory in the Grade 1 Claiborne Breeders' Futurity and is one to consider if showing further improvement.

Dennis Moment looks to be the answer to this race. Just like Eight Rings, two out of three races have been won with the other seeing the rider be unseated. That wasn't the fault of the horse or jockey though as a rival crossed and clipped the heels of Dennis Moment. That wasn't a great debut but since then two races have been won with the maiden victory being by 19 lengths. His success in a Grade 3 race at Churchill Downs indicated just how good he is.

 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint

The search is on for a new juvenile sprinting star on what is called 'Future Friday' at the Breeders' Cup. Kimari is the favourite to win this race and deservedly so. Three out of four races have been won but it was so nearly four. Kimari took part in the Queen Mary Stakes at Royal Ascot in June and finished just a head behind Raffle Prize. The winner of that race has gone on to win another Group 2 race and finish second in a Group 1. Kimari has won all three races since that Royal Ascot defeat, including the Inda Summer Stakes at Keeneland.

Four Wheel Drive represents the David Brown yard. Four wins this year but the last was in a Class 4 race at Thirsk. The prize money on that occasion was just over £8,000, nothing compared to the million dollar purse for this Breeders' Cup race. Since that win at Thirsk, Four Wheel Drive has finished second in a Class 2 race at Catterick but this is a big step up in class, but well worth it if running well.

Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf

Arizona may have the name of an American state but is trained by Aiden O'Brien and can win this race. Wins have come this year at the Curragh and in the Coventry Stakes (Group 2) at Royal Ascot. Since then, Arizona has twice finished behind the highly-regarded Pinatuba but after a nine-length defeat in September, was only two lengths adrift in the Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket recently.  Grade 1 winner Decorated Invader will prove a threat but Arizona looks to be the one to go for here.

Saturday 2 November

Breeders' Cup Classic

There's a purse of m in this feature race on the second day of this meeting. It's 4/1 the field so there are some decent prices available. McKinzie is the current favourite, though that could change by the time the race starts. A consistent sort with no finishes outside the top two in his last seven races, so an each-way bet looks safe. A recent run on this track saw him lose when odds-on so a recovery mission is on. August saw McKinzie win the Whitney Stakes at Saratoga and had both Vino Rosso and Yoshida behind.

Vino Rosso won the Santa Anita Gold Cup in May and was only beaten by a nose in the Gold Cup Stakes at Belmont. There was controversy in September's Jockey Club Gold Cup stakes. Vino Rosso won the race but lost it in the stewards room.

The horse given the race was Code of Honor who has now won his last three. A Grade 3 success in July was followed by a Grade 1 win in Saratoga before that race at Belmont. Code of Honor is our tip to continue the good form shown in 2019 and win this race.

Breeders' Cup Turf

Anthony Van Dyck won the Epsom Derby this year but hasn't won since. He finished second in the Irish Derby and was tailed off in the King George VI. He put in a better display when third in the Irish Champions Stake but has a lot to prove in this race. Can Aiden O'Brien perform another training miracle?

Old Persian is a good each-way bet after a recent Grade 1 victory and before that was seventh in the Coronation Cup at Epsom. The horse that looks most likely to win this race is Bricks and Mortar. No losses have been recorded since 2017 with six wins in a row. The most recent of those was in the Arlington Millions and with this race having a m purse, more millions could be on the way. Bricks and Mortar has quickened and gone clear in his last two races

Breeders' Cup Fillies and Mare Turf

The outstanding candidate in this race is Sistercharlie who can be confidently backed to win this for the second year in a row. She has won her last six races with three Grade 1 success so far in 2019.