Betting the Breeders’ Cup: Is it time for City of Troy?

The 41st Breeders’ Cup Thoroughbred World Championships take place Friday and Saturday from Del Mar, California. The two-day, 14-race event starts with Future Stars Friday, which features five juvenile (two-year-old) races. On Saturday, the Breeders’ Cup will showcase nine more races across different surfaces and divisions, including the $7 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic.

City of Troy was made the 5-2 morning-line favorite in a full field of 14 for the Classic and drew the No. 3 post at Monday’s draw. The colt is trained by Aidan O’Brien and will have Ryan Moore as his ride. Fierceness, trained by Todd Pletcher and John Velazquez, was the second choice at 3-1 and will break from the No. 9 post.

Post time for Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup Classic is 5:41 p.m. ET and will be televised on NBC.

The contenders

1. Forever Young (6-1): One of three Japanese horses competing in Saturday’s Classic, Forever Young finished third in the Kentucky Derby, despite nothing going his way out of the gate. He is 6-1 in his career, winning in Japan, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. He has had the summer off to prepare for the Breeders’ Cup and reports are he’s in great form.

3. City of Troy (5-2): The son of 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify has won six of his seven starts and comes in as the favorite. This is hands down the most dominant horse in Europe. The only concern is that all of his wins have come on turf, and this will be his first race on dirt. His dam was dominant on grass, so no one knows quite how City of Troy will perform on this surface.

7. Ushba Tesoro (12-1:) Another of the Japanese horses, Ushba Tesoro has raced 35 times with a record of 11-4-5 and over $16 million in earnings. He is great at this 1 1/4-mile distance — bred for it, actually. This is a very high energy horse that is ready to go.

8. Pyrenees (30-1): Pyreness is my favorite long shot. The four-year-old son of Into Mischief had won four straight races before finishing second in his last two. He has proven he can race with the big boys.

9. Fierceness (3-1): Won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile last year, as well as the Jim Dandy and Travers this season. He is coming out of Post 9, which means he is going to have to work early and cover more ground. Fierceness is 0-3 when not in the lead down the stretch, and with the speed in this race, that is a concern.

12. Arthur’s Ride (15-1): Son of legendary sire Tapit, this horse has the speed to dominate and has had two months off to rest up for the Breeders Cup’ Classic. He dominated the Whitney Stakes, and his trainer, William Mott, has dominated on this track, winning 15 Breeders’ Cup races. Arthur’s Ride can set the tone early, but the concern is if he will tire at this distance.

Going to the window

Among the notable betting options are:

Win: Picking the winning horse; Place: Picking a horse to finish first or second; Show: Picking a horse to finish first, second or third; Exacta: Picking the top two horses in the exact order; Trifecta: Picking the top three horses in the exact order; Box: In wagers such as exactas and trifectas, covering all permutations of the picked horses.

Anita’s plays

Win or place: 7. Ushba Tesoro
Exacta Box: 1-7-8 (a $1 Exacta Box with three horses would cost $12)
Trifecta Box: 1-3-7-8-9-12 (A $1 Trifecta Box with six horses would cost $120)

Did you know?

Courtesy of Chip Tuttle

The Breeders’ Cup has emerged as a global event, attracting more international participation than any other racing event in North America. That is true this year more than ever, with a record number of international participants and international wagering.

• Horses from five continents (North America, South America, Europe, Asia, South Africa) will be represented during the Breeders’ Cup.

• Australia will also be represented by jockey Rachel King, who is British, but lives and rides in Australia.

• A strong contingent from Europe is again headed to the Breeders’ Cup, headed by City of Troy, one of the highest-rated horses in the world, who will try to win the first Breeders’ Cup Classic for Irish racing powerhouse Coolmore.

• Japan will send 19 horses to compete in 11 Breeders’ Cup races. Both will be records. In 2023, when Japan had eight horses across five races, handle from Japan was more than $19.1 million. Japanese bettors are only allowed to wager on a handful of Breeders’ Cup races with Japanese horses in them.

• The last time the Breeders’ Cup was at Del Mar, in 2021, the Japanese won their first two Breeders’ Cup races — Marche Lorraine in the Distaff and Loves Only You in the Filly & Mare Turf.