2024 Breeders’ Cup odds, predictions, contenders, horses

Breeders’ Cup Turf Wagers

• $20 win and place #2 Emily Upjohn
• $5 exacta key box 2 with 1,5,11
• $1 trifecta box 1,2,5,11

#2 EMILY UPJOHN (5-1): Top pick is winless this season but has a ton of back class, and I like that she bypassed the Filly & Mare Turf in preference of this race. Trained by the brilliant John Gosden, the Sea the Stars mare has good current form with a pair of third-place results at the top level as of late, and I like her draw near the rail to save ground in the affair, too. The bay will be reunited with jockey Frankie Dettori. Read full analysis here.

Breeders’ Cup Classic Wager

#12 ARTHUR’S RIDE (15-1): Upset pick is the potential pacesetter in the field, and I expect him to parlay a great trip into a victory under Junior Alvarado. The Whitney S. (G1) romper still has room to improve with just eight lifetime runs to his credit, and I love that he got in a local morning move to get acclimated to Del Mar as well. Tapit colt will be flashing his natural early foot from the opening bell for conditioner Bill Mott. Read the full analysis here.

• $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

A James Scully Longshot: Shahryar (10-1), Turf

SCULLY: Overlooked at 25-1 in last year’s Turf, Shahryar rallied well to finish less than two lengths back in third. The Japanese-based horse has improved at age six for trainer Hideaki Fujiwara, finishing second in the Dubai Sheema Classic (G1) and a respectable fifth in the Sapporo Kinen (G2) in his last two outings (he was never a factor recording unplaced efforts in both races last year), and Shahryar won’t face a 2024 Turf field with the depth of Auguste Rodin and Up to the Mark, the top two finishers last year. He looks like a serious player with Christian Demuro. Read the full analysis here.

Betting the 2024 Breeders’ Cup Classic on different budgets

$20 Budget

• $1 trifecta key 12 with 1,3,7,11,14 ($20)

$50 Budget

• $15 win and place #12 Arthur’s Ride ($30)
• $4 exacta 12 with 1,3,7,11,14 ($20)

$100 Budget

• $3 trifecta key 12 with 1,3,7,11,14 ($60)
• 50-cent superfecta 7,12 with 1,3,7,12 with 1,3,7,11,12,14 with 1,3,7,11,12,14 ($36)

Read the full analysis here.

A James Scully Longshot: Newgate (20-1), Classic

SCULLY: I will tab Newgate for an upset in his second start back from a freshening. Trained by Bob Baffert, who owns a record four Classic wins, Newgate established himself as a rising presence in the three-year-old division early in 2023 but missed the rest of the season, returning from an 11-month hiatus in January. He progressed nicely in a trio of starts, capped by a game win in the 1 1/4-mile Santa Anita H. (G1), but earned another rest after a no-show effort in March’s Dubai World Cup (G1). 

Newgate came back better than ever in the Sept. 28 California Crown (G1), overcoming a slow start to rally gamely off a moderate pace to miss by a neck in third to Subsanador and National Treasure, and he returned to the work tab with a pair of five-furlong bullet drills in preparation. The son of Into Mischief exits a fast race, netting career-best Brisnet Speed (107) and Late Pace (115) numbers, and Baffert adds blinkers to keep the midpack stalker more focused from the gate. Newgate is eligible to receive a favorable setup with Frankie Dettori. Read the full analysis here.

Betting the 2024 Breeders’ Cup Sprint

A James Scully Longshot: Raging Torrent (10-1), Sprint 

SCULLY: Last seen winning the Pat O’Brien (G2) at Del Mar in late August, snapping a six-race win streak for odds-on The Chosen Vron, Raging Torrent enters on a three-race win streak for Doug O’Neill, earning massive Brisnet Speed ratings for a pair of performances on fast tracks. The developing three-year-old colt figures to put his speed to good use from the rail post, and Raging Torrent will look to make a serious impact with a projected forward trip in the Sprint.