The Breeders’ Cup World Championship is an annual horse racing event that gathers several horses that want to attempt to run against many others who are also nominated to compete.
The highlight of this event is the Breeders’ Cup Classic, where three-year-old horses and older will run and compete in one ¼ miles of dirt. This event usually occurs on the second day of the two-day event of the Breeders Cup.
Big-time horses participate in this race, hoping to bag the huge purse. In 2023, the winning horse can keep the staggering six million USD. This year, the Breeders Cup World Championship will kickstart on November 3 (Friday) and 4 (Saturday). It’s still a bit far away, but early odds already attempt to determine every horse’s chance of winning the Classic. If you want to take a peek, here are the top horses that are buzzing in the horse racing world.
Flightline
Out of all the candidates, Flatline, in particular, has been making a significant buzz in the horse racing world. His FanDuel horse racing odds show a significant gap from the next horse. This is also because of his undefeated record: out of his six starts, he has won in all of them. It’s to the point that other fans have compared this horse to the legendary champ, Secretariat, who will forever be an icon in the horse racing world.
Although this colt didn’t participate in any racing events this year yet, other people in the horse racing scene can’t stop talking about how Flightline will take on the other seven horses for the Classic. Furthermore, Flightline has already won last year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic, but fans wonder if he will take this chance to defend the title this year.
Epicenter
If you’ve been following the American horse racing scene for a while already, you might be familiar with Epicenter. He’s sired by Not This Time and has been racing since 2021. He’s broken his maiden in the same field where he debuted at Churchill Downs.
So far, Epicenter has participated in 11 starts and has a pretty good WPS%, where he won in six of these races and placed in three of them. As such, expectations surrounding this colt, especially since he has won in other huge races, such as the 2022 Risen Star (G2) and the 2022 Louisiana Derby.
Life is Good
In some sportsbooks, Life is Good is considered one of the horses with the best early odds to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic race. It’s because some experts consider his significant win last 2020 at Del Mar and his odds to win the 2021 Kentucky Derby if not for his ankle chip. Since then, he continuously missed the Triple Crown series, which made him lose his chance to be in any Triple Crown races.
However, he continued to be the star of other races he participated in. This year’s Breeders’ Cup Championship event isn’t Life is Good’s first time. He has already participated and won in the 2021 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile. Additionally, he already participated last year but failed. This year, fans hope to see Life is Good take on and attempt to win the title.
Taiba
Another strong candidate for this year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic is Taiba. Like other horses, Taiba also participated in last year’s Classic. However, fans are also open to the possibility that this colt might take on the Classics yet again. Though he only placed third last year, Taiba was able to win his next game, the 2022 Malibu.
Aside from that, he’s already really doing well. So, taking part in this year’s Classic and trying to reach the winning spot might not be impossible after all. He took part in a single horse racing event this year but failed, but Taiba is rumored to be participating in the upcoming 2023 San Diego Handicap (G2).
You can look forward to that and assess whether Taiba will finally have what it takes to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic.
Olympiad
Olympiad is another remarkable horse that has participated in 13 starts in total. He has won eight of them, placed second twice, and once in third place. Olympiad also participated in the Breeders’ Classic last year, placing just behind Flightline.
Before this race, Olympiad had been making a name in other races and won several of them, including the 2022 2023 Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1), 2022 Mineshaft Stakes (G3), 2022 Alysheba (G2), 2022 New Orleans Class (G2), and 2022 Stephen Foster (G2), .
Aside from this, Olympiad has also set a record in the 2022 Mineshaft Stakes (G3), where he made a record of 1:42.01 only for one 1/16 miles, which is no surprise when you look at his 118 recorded Equibase speed figure. If things go well, Olympiad might finally have the chance to claim first place in the Breeders’ Cup Classic this year.
Final Thoughts
Since it’s the early odds for the Breeders’ Classic, an event still a few months away, fans are still assessing the possibility of the past horses reentering the same event this year. Nonetheless, everyone will still be as excited for them since no one guarantees how they’ll perform this time. As such, if you’re also excited about this event, you should never miss more news about the Breeders’ Cup Classic and follow your favorite sportsbook.