Breeders' Cup Classic

The Breeders' Cup Classic is the pinnacle event in Thoroughbred horse racing, serving as the grand finale of the Breeders' Cup World Championships. Contenders are the world's top horses, including Triple Crown winner, American Pharoah, cementing its status as the definitive year-end championship.

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Bet the Breeders' Cup Classic Odds

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Location: Del Mar Racetrack, Del Mar, California

Inaugural Race: 1984

TV Coverage: Free on TwinSpires.com!

Current Distance: 1 1/4 Miles

Track Type: Dirt

Age Qualification: Three Years and Older

Purse: $7,000,000

Race Date: Sunday, November 3rd

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Last updated: November 2, 2024 at 7:35 p.m. EDT

Official 2024 Entries & Morning Line Odds

Race 8, Classic, Post Time 5:41 pm

The BREEDERS' CUP CLASSIC (GI) carries a $7 million purse and has become the defining race the Breeders' Cup World Championships as the defining race of this international event. Official entries and morning line odds are listed below:

PPHORSEML ODDSJOCKEYTRAINER
1
Forever Young (JPN)
6-1
R Sakai
Y Yahagi
2
Highland Falls (KY)
20-1
L Saez
B H Cox
3
City of Troy (KY)
5-2
R L Moore
A P O'Brien
4
Mixto (KY)
30-1
K Frey
D F O'Neill
5
Senor Buscador (KY)
30-1
J Rosario
T W Fincher
6
Derma Sotogake (JPN)
20-1
C Lemaire
H Otonashi
7
Ushba Tesoro (JPN)
12-1
Y Kawada
N Takagi
8
Pyrenees (KY)
30-1
B J Hernandez, Jr.
C DeVaux
9
Fierceness (KY)
3-1
J R Velazquez
T A Pletcher
10
Tapit Trice (KY)
30-1
I Ortiz, Jr.
T A Pletcher
11
Sierra Leone (KY)
12-1
F Prat
C C Brown
12
Arthur's Ride (FL)
15-1
J Alvarado
W I Mott
13
Newgate (KY)
20-1
L Dettori
B Baffert
14
Next (KY)
8-1
L Machado
W D Cowans
Also Eligibles:
15
Rattle N Roll (KY)
30-1
J L Ortiz
K G McPeek

Information and winners of the “Win and You’re In” Challenge Series races for the 2024 Breeders’ Cup Classic:

DATERACECOUNTRYWINNER
2/18/2024
February Stakes
Japan
Peptide Nile (JPN)
6/29/2024
USA
Kingsbarns
7/20/2024
USA
Dornoch
8/3/2024
USA
Arthur's Ride
8/21/2024
UK
City Of Troy
8/31/2024
USA
Mixto
9/1/2024
USA
Highland Falls
9/28/2024
California Crown
USA
Subsanador (ARG)

Breeders' Cup Juvenile WAYI Starters

 

Peptide Nile (JPN)

Jockey: Yusuke Fujioka

Trainer: Hidenori Take 

Owner: Kazuhiko Numakawa

BC Challenge Race won: February Stakes


Kingsbarns

Jockey: Luis Saez

Trainer: Todd A. Pletcher

Owner: Spendthrift Farm

BC Challenge Race won: Stephen Foster Stakes


Dornoch

Jockey: Luis Saez

Trainer: Danny Gargan

Owner: West Paces Racing LLC, R. A. Hill Stable, Belmar Racing and Breeding, LLC, Two Eight Racing, LLC & Pine Racing Stables

BC Challenge Race won: Haskell Stakes


Arthur's Ride wins the Whitney at Saratoga.

Arthur's Ride wins the Whitney at Saratoga. (Photo by Coglianese Photography)

Arthur's Ride

Jockey: Junior Alvarado

Trainer: William I. Mott

Owner: Glassman Racing 

BC Challenge Race won: The Whitney


City Of Troy

Jockey: Ryan Moore

Trainer: A. P. O'Brien

Owner: Mrs John Magnier & Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith

BC Challenge Race won: Juddmonte International Stakes


Mixto (Photo by Benoit Photo)

Mixto

Jockey: Kyle Frey

Trainer: Doug F. O'Neill

Owner: Calumet Farm

BC Challenge Race won: Pacific Classic


Highland Falls winning the Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) at Saratoga (Photo by Coglianese Photos)

Highland Falls 

Jockey: Flavien Prat

Trainer: Brad H. Cox

Owner: Godolphin, LLC

BC Challenge Race won: Jockey Club Gold Cup


Breeders' Cup Juvenile Analysis & Handicapping Picks

Arthur's Ride wins the Whitney at Saratoga.

Arthur's Ride wins the Whitney at Saratoga. (Photo by Coglianese Photography)

THE 2024 BREEDERS’ CUP CLASSIC TIPSHEET

A sensational cast of 15, with one being an also-eligible entrant, will travel 1 1/4 miles over the Del Mar dirt in the $7 million Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) on Saturday. They'll seek to join a roster of Classic winners highlighted by racing legends such as American Pharoah, Cigar, and Zenyatta.

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Breeders' Cup Classic - Past Results & Payouts

Below are the final results and payouts for past runnings of the Breeders' Cup Classic:

POST
HORSE
JOCKEY / TRAINER
WIN / PLACE / SHOW
11
Sierra Leone
Flavien Prat / Chad C. Brown
$15.80 / $5.60 / $3.60
9
Fierceness
John R. Velazquez / Todd A. Pletcher
$4.40 / $3.20
1
Forever Young (JPN)
Ryusei Sakai / Yoshito Yahagi
$3.60
13
Newgate
Lanfranco Dettori / Bob Baffert
5
Senor Buscador
Joel Rosario / Todd W. Fincher
10
Tapit Trice
Irad Ortiz, Jr. / Todd A. Pletcher
8
Pyrenees
Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr. / Cherie DeVaux
3
City of Troy
Ryan L. Moore / Aidan P. O'Brien
2
Highland Falls
Luis Saez / Brad H. Cox
7
Ushba Tesoro (JPN)
Yuga Kawada / Noboru Takagi

Exotic Payouts:

  • $1.00 Exacta (11-9) Paid: $29.80
  • $0.50 Trifecta (11-9-1) Paid: $65.60
  • $0.10 Superfecta (11-9-1-13) Paid: $202.58

Historical Winner Results for the Breeders’ Cup Classic

In the table below, view a historical record of the winning trainers, thoroughbreds, jockeys, and times for every Breeders’ Cup Juvenile race.

YEAR
HORSE (AGE)
JOCKEY / TRAINER
TIME / VENUE
2024
Sierra Leone (3)
Flavien Prat / Chad Brown
2:00.78 / Del Mar
2023
White Abarrio (4)
Irad Ortiz, Jr. / Richard Dutrow
2:02.87 / Santa Anita
2022
Flightline (4)
Flavien Prat / John W. Sadler
2:00.05 / Keeneland
2021
Knicks Go (5)
Joel Rosario / Joel Rosario
1:59.57 / Del Mar
2020
Authentic (3)
John R. Velazquez / John R. Velazquez
1:59.60 / Keeneland
2019
Vino Rosso (4)
Irad Ortiz, Jr. / Todd Pletcher
2:02.80 / Santa Anita
2018
Accelerate (5)
Joel Rosario / John Sadler
2:02.93 / Churchill Downs
2017
Gun Runner (4)
Florent Geroux / Steve Asmussen
2:01:29 / Del Mar
2016
Arrogate (3)
Mike E. Smith / Bob Baffert
2:00.11 / Santa Anita
2015
American Pharoah (3)
Victor Espinoza / Bob Baffert
2:00.07 / Keeneland

Speed Records

1:59.02

Ghostzapper (2004)

Most Wins by a Jockey

5

Chris McCarron (2001, 2000, 1996, 1989, 1988) & Jerry Bailey (2005, 1995, 1994, 1993, 1991)

Most Wins by a trainer

4

Bob Baffert (2020, 2016, 2015, 2014)

Most Wins by an Owner

2

Stronach Group (1998, 2004)


Breeders' Cup Classic Race History

Though the Breeders’ Cup Classic does not have the history of its counterparts in the Triple Crown, it is well renowned as one of the biggest horse races of the year. With a debut in 1984, the Classic is the marquee main event of the Breeders’ Cup World Championship program and typically takes place the first weekend in November.

The venue for the Breeders’ Cup changes about every year as a goal to highlight various racing markets around the USA. Santa Anita and Churchill Downs have been two of the most frequent hosts.

To further acknowledge the prestige of the Breeders’ Cup Classic, the race was lumped in with the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes to form the coveted Grand Slam. This holy grail of American racing was thought to be unattainable, largely because a 38-year drought existed since Affirmed won the last Triple Crown in 1978 before the Breeders’ Cup even existed.

American Pharoah shattered that line of thinking in 2015 with one of the most impressive, single-year campaigns of any horse in the history of the sport. By winning the Triple Crown that season and the Breeders’ Cup Classic later in the year, American Pharoah became the first and only Grand Slam Champion in history.

The only other horse who came close was Sunday Silence who won the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and the Breeders’ Cup Classic in 1989. Sunday Silence would come up short as the runner-up in that year’s Belmont Stakes, but was recognized for his achievement with a “Small Slam” which is attained by winning three of the four major races.

Beginning in 1984, the purse for the Breeders’ Cup Classic was $3,000,000. This was raised to $4,000,000 in 1996 and again to $5,000,000 in 2005. As of 2024, the purse was raised to $7,000,000 making it the second largest purse in American Thoroughbred racing behind the new Pegasus World Cup which will boast a $12 million purse.


Breeders' Cup Championship Racing List

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