Three years ago, American Pharoah took down the Breeders’ Cup Classic after winning horse racing’s first Triple Crown in 37 years. Trained by the legendary Bob Baffert and ridden that day by jockey Victor Espinoza, American Pharoah is the only horse to win the Kentucky Derby, Preakness, Belmont Stakes, and Breeders’ Cup Classic. Although this year’s Triple Crown winner, Justify, isn’t in the 2018 Breeders’ Cup Classic field, a talented group of 14 horses will go to post on Saturday at 5:44 p.m. ET at Churchill Downs. The Breeders’ Cup Classic 2018 has a $6 million purse, so there’s plenty at stake. Accelerate, fresh off winning the Awesome Again stakes in September, is Saturday’s favorite at 5-2 Breeders’ Cup odds, one of five contenders listed at lower than 10-1. Before you make any 2018 Breeders’ Cup picks and predictions, check out what SportsLine’s resident horse racing guru, Jody Demling, has to say.
A fixture in the horse racing world who has been writing about, talking about, and betting on races for years, Demling is coming off a big cash in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic. He correctly picked Gun Runner to win, while also nailing exacta and superfecta bets. Anyone who followed his picks won big.
Demling carried that over that magic to 2018 — nailing the Pegasus World Cup, Arkansas Derby, Preakness Stakes, Belmont Stakes and Pennsylvania Derby, among others.
Now, with race day approaching, Demling has analyzed the field and released his 2018 Breeders’ Cup picks. He’s sharing them over at SportsLine.
We can tell you Demling is fading Accelerate, the race favorite at 5-2 and winner of three straight starts.
“There’s no denying that Accelerate is an extremely talented horse,” Demling told SportsLine. “He has hit the board in 19 of his 21 career starts. However, he drew the outside post at the Breeders’ Cup 2018 and his trainer, John Sadler, is 0-for-41 in Breeders’ Cup races for his career.” Sadler has also never won a Triple Crown race.
Accelerate has also struggled at the Breeders’ Cup. Last year, the colt was ninth in the Dirt Mile in a race won by Battle of Midway. In his last two races of 1 1/4 miles, the length of Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup Classic, Accelerate ran 2:01.83 and 2:01.38; both times would have lost to Gun Runner’s 2:01.29 in the Classic last year. There are far better values in a loaded field than the 5-2 premium you’ll need to pay for Accelerate.
One surprise: Pavel, currently listed at 20-1 Breeders’ Cup odds, makes a strong run.
“The four-year-old son of Creative Cause was 10th in last year’s Classic, but has four fourth-place finishes, a second and a win in his races since then,” Demling told SportsLine. “The win was in the Stephen Foster at Churchill Downs. He likes the surface.”
Demling is also extremely high on a speedy long shot that appears to be peaking at just the right time. He’s including this horse in his exotics, and so should you.
Which horse wins the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic? And what speedy long shot does Demling say contends for the title? Check out the latest Breeders’ Cup Classic odds below and then visit SportsLine now to see Demling’s pick to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic.
Accelerate – 5-2
West Coast – 5-1
McKinzie – 6-1
Mind Your Biscuits – 6-1
Catholic Boy – 8-1
Yoshida – 10-1
Thunder Snow – 12-1
Mendelssohn – 12-1
Roaring Lion – 20-1
Gunnevera – 20-1
Pavel – 20-1
Discreet Lover – 20-1
Axelrod – 30-1
Lone Sailor – 30-1
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