2024 Breeders' Cup Betting Guide, Expert Tips, and Strategy
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2024 Breeders' Cup Betting Guide, Expert Tips, and Strategy
2024 Breeders' Cup Betting Guide, Expert Tips, and Strategy
Last updated: November 2, 2024 at 6:10 p.m. EDT
Breeders’ Cup Betting, Picks and Wagers
Horseplayers look forward to the Breeders’ Cup World Championships every year and the 2024 Breeders’ Cup, to be held in Del Mar, California at The Del Mar Racetrack on Nov. 1-2, will be no different. The 14-race program attracts the top horses, jockeys, and trainers in the world, which makes bettors salivate at the potential wagers they can make, knowing they’re betting on the best of the best within full fields.
Breeders' Cup Betting Guide 2024
Dubbed “the best bet in sports,” the Breeders’ Cup and its card featuring 14 grade-one races isn’t to be taken lightly. The two-day card is laden with stakes and boasts of Future Stars on Friday, with five Breeders’ Cup Juvenile races headlining the day, and Breeders' Cup closes on day 2 of Saturday, with nine Breeders’ Cup races and supported be several stakes.
The field selection system will be implemented as necessary following the drawing of per-entries on Oct. 21, 2024. However a list of probables will be available three weeks prior to Championships weekend at Brisnet.com.
The marquee races such as the Breeders' Cup Juvenile, the Mile, the Distaff, the Turf, and the $6 million Classic, get the most coverage, so you’ll need to research heavily to gain an edge over your fellow bettors. Another avenue to obtain that advantage is to spend time getting to know the lower-profiled races such as the Juvenile Fillies Turf and Turf Sprint.
TwinSpires.com account holders can receive free Past Performances with at least one bet at the host track that day, plus the Insider Picks and Power Plays handicapping report when they wager on the Breeders’ Cup through TwinSpires.com. Sign-up is free, with no subscription fees, and the online wagering site presents the latest online technology as well as the best racing content.
Below you will find last years betting guide and analysis, plus links to guides from several years prior. New content will be posted here as we get closer to the Championships!
Expert Picks, Wagers and Bets for the Breeders' Cup
Weekend Plays by James Scully: Read the Breeders' Cup Betting Guide for the complete list!
Juvenile | Juvenile Turf | Mile | Sprint | Filly & Mare Turf | Classic |
East Avenue | Henri Matisse | Carl Spackler | Straight No Chaser | Moira | Newgate |
FRIDAY
RACE 6: Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint wager ticket
- $10 win/place/show #9 Shareholder ($30)
- $5 exacta key box 9 with 2,3 ($20)
RACE 4: Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies wager ticket
- $25 win #9 American Bikini ($25)
- $6 exacta box 3-9 ($12)
- $2 trifecta key 9 with 3,7,8 ($12)
- 10-cent superfecta 3,9 with 3,7,8,9 with 3,7,8,9 with ALL ($8.40)
SATURDAY
RACE 7:
- $20 win and place #2 Emily Upjohn
- $5 exacta key box 2 with 1,5,11
- $1 trifecta box 1,2,5,11
RACE 8:
- $20 win and place #12 Arthur’s Ride
- $5 exacta key box 12 with 1,3,7
- $1 trifecta 12 with 1,3,7 with ALL
RACE 11:
- $30 win #6 Notable Speech
- $7 exacta key box 6 with 1,7
- 50-cent superfecta 6 with 1,7,8 with 1,7,8 with ALL
Del Mar Racetrack At a Glance Report
A look at the most recent Del Mar spring meet racing trends: September 9, 2024
WHO’S HOT, WHO’S NOT
| HOT TRAINERS | Starts | Wins | Place | Show | Avg. Odds | Winning Favorites | ‘23-’24 Win % |
| Mullins Jeff | 10 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 5.44 | 2 | 20% |
| Ellis Ronald W. | 5 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 19.52 | 1 | 18% |
| COLD TRAINERS | Starts | Wins | Place | Show | Avg. Odds | Beaten Favorites | ‘23-’24 Win % |
| Garcia Antonio C. | 10 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 21.41 | 1 | 10% |
| Mathis Andy | 10 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 19.33 | 0 | 19% |
| Ruis, Sr. Mick | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33.55 | 0 | 13% |
| COLD JOCKEYS | Starts | Wins | Place | Show | Avg. Odds | Beaten Favorites | ‘21-’22 Win % |
| Talamo Joseph | 19 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 27.92 | 0 | 9% |
Find the full At a Glance report inside the Breeders' Cup Betting Guide
The Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge
Available to play on TwinSpires.com!
Hailed as the country’s largest live handicapping tournament, the Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge is the most exciting way to wager on the Breeders’ Cup and test your handicapping skills against the world’s top horseplayers.
A “real money” handicapping challenge, The Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge requires players to put down a $10,000 deposit ($7,500 used towards betting bankroll). The format of the challenge includes all Friday races and races trough the Cup Classic on Saturday. The only types of wages allowed are: Win, Place, Show, Exacta, and Trifecta.
$2,500 of the initial $10,000 deposit from each player will be put into the prize pool, which could reach $1 million if 400 players enter. First place comes with a $300,000 prize. You can qualify either live or online for the challenge. Make sure to register online for your shot at betting glory.
Further reading:
Strategies for Betting in Tournaments
Contest Strategies for Betting Horse Players
The Kentucky Derby Betting Challenge
TwinSpires Tournaments
Breeders' Cup Betting Challenge Play From Home FAQs
Q: If I register to play online with TwinSpires, how will I participate and place my wagers in the BCBC?
A: You will be able to participate in the BCBC through TwinSpires.com/bet/tournaments. If you have a TwinSpires account and have registered to play in the BCBC online with TwinSpires, you will be able to log in using your same TwinSpires username and password.
Q: Do I need to pay for my BCBC entry to register to play online?
A: No. Anyone who is a TwinSpires member may register to play in the BCBC online. However, you must pay for your entry in full ($10,000) or pay your balance due by the closing date in order to play in the BCBC online at TwinSpires tournaments.
Q: How can I pay my BCBC(s) entry fee with TwinSpires?
A: You may pay for your BCBC entry fee with a credit card or wire transfer.
Q: If I pay for my BCBC entry in advance with TwinSpires, where can I check my balance?
A: Upon receiving your payment, TwinSpires will e-mail you a receipt for your BCBC entry fee and notify the Breeders’ Cup that your entry has been paid. Upon tournament openiing, log-in and confirm your BCBC tournament bankroll. Players who have fully paid for their BCBC entry with TwinSpires will have an account balance of $7,500, which represents the player’s live bankroll for the BCBC.
Q: What if I want to play two entries in the BCBC? Can I do this online with TwinSpires?
A: Yes, you may purchase and play two entries online with TwinSpires. You will be able to log-in to play your first entry using your existing TwinSpires username and password.Both entries must be fully paid by the closing date.
Q: If I play two entries, can I play one entry from Santa Anita and one entry online?
A: No. Players who are playing two entries must play both entries from the same location, either online with TwinSpires, at Del Mar or another satellite facility offering the BCBC.
Q: How can I check my results on the BCBC Leaderboard?
A: There will be a live Leaderboard that players may access during the BCBC tournament. The Leaderboard will include all players participating from Del Mar, any live satellite facility or online with TwinSpires.
Q: How can I keep track of my BCBC wagers to ensure I meet the minimum wagering requirements
A: Players may use the “Recall Today’s Bets” feature on the TwinSpires tournament site to view all wagers they have placed in the BCBC. Official Rules of the BCBC.
It is the responsibility of each player to confirm s/he meets the minimum wagering requirements per the Official Rules of the BCBC to avoid penalty.
Types of Breeders' Cup Bets to Make
Now that you know the race schedule, and which races to target, it’s time to figure out which bets to make. Straight Win-Place-Show bets are an easy way to bet the Breeders’ Cup, and if you feel really good about a horse in a certain race making a straight bet is the way to go.
Think you know the exact order of how a race will finish? Then exacta wagering if for you, and you have your choice of predicting the top-two finishes (exacta), top-three (trifecta), and top-four (superfecta).
With 14 races, a popular form of betting on the Breeders’ Cup is pick betting. Making a pick bet allows you to wager on who will win in consecutive races. Expanding your wager card to multiple races raises the risk, but also raises the award. The Daily Double is the most popular type of pick bet.
2018 witnessed the re-introduction of the exciting Breeders' Cup Future Wager. In the same veign as the popular Kentucky Derby Future Wager, the BCFW offers players a chance to lock in better odds and value for horses who could win their supported divisions.
The Value of Betting at the Breeders’ Cup
The Breeders’ Cup isn’t just an attractive event to bet on because you get to see the best horses. The fact that so many of the best horses in the world are present means you’re likely to get better odds on a good horse than you will at any other time during the season.
One great example of this is the 2016 Breeders’ Cup Distaff. Songbird was undefeated coming into the race, and she hadn’t been at anything longer than 3-10 odds all year. But facing older fillies and mares for the first time, she went out at better than even money. She was beaten by champion older mare Beholder, who started at 3.3-1 after being no longer than 4-10 when racing fillies and mares the previous two years. Admittedly Beholder’s three defeats in 2016 affected her price as much as the arrival of Songbird, but it was still great value for her fans.
The arrival of European raiders for the turf races, in which many of them are racing in North America for the first time, means there can be great odds available – not only for them, but also for those running from local stables. One great example of this was Main Sequence in the Breeders’ Cup Turf in 2014. He had won all three of his starts that year, the last of them at odds of just under 2-1, but with the European arrival he started the Turf at 6.2-1, and he delighted those that had faith in him with a strong victory.
Don't forget to check out the Breeders' Cup Future Wager, where you could beat the odds at post time.
