(This article has been updated with new information.)
The Breeders’ Cup World Championships is one of the richest events in sports, with over $30 million paid out in purses and awards.
Owners will be paid through the 10th-place finish position and will share their winnings with their jockeys and trainers on their agreed-upon terms. A victory may carry more weight than just the prize money at stake as it can also boost a horse’s value when it comes time to consider breeding.
The 2024 event, staged at the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in California, featured five Breeders’ Cup races on Friday with nine more on tap Saturday. The Breeders’ Cup has been held at other venues previously, including Santa Anita Park, Keeneland and Churchill Downs, among others.
Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint – $1 million purse
Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint – $1 million purse
Breeders’ Cup Distaff – $2 million purse
Breeders’ Cup Turf – $5 million purse
Breeders’ Cup Classic – $7 million purse
Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf – $2 million purse
Breeders’ Cup Sprint – $2 million purse
Breeders’ Cup Mile – $2 million purse – (Post time: 7:45 p.m. ET/4:45 p.m. PT)
Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile – $1 million purse
Catch the Breeders’ Cup with Peacock
Conditions: 1¼ miles for 3-year-olds and up. Purse: $7 million. Post time: 5:41 p.m. ET Saturday.
(Post position, horse, trainer, jockey, morning-line odds)
1. Forever Young, Yoshito Yahagai, Ryusei Sakai, 6-1
2. Highlands Falls, Brad Cox, Luis Saez, 20-1
3. City of Troy, Aidan O’Brien, Ryan Moore, 5-2
4. Mixto, Doug O’Neill, Kyle Frey, 30-1
5. Senor Buscador, Todd Fincher, Joel Rosario, 30-1
6. Derma Sotogake, Hidetaka Otonashi, Christophe Lemaire, 20-1
7. Ushba Tesoro, Noboru Takagi, Yuga Kawada, 12-1
8. Pyrenees, Cherie DeVaux, Brian Hernandez Jr., 30-1
9. Fierceness, Todd Pletcher, John Velazquez, 3-1
10. Tapit Trice, Todd Pletcher, Irad Ortiz Jr., 30-1
11. Sierra Leone, Chad Brown, Flavien Prat, 12-1
12. Arthur’s Ride, Bill Mott, Junior Alvardo, 15-1
13. Newgate, Bob Baffert, Frankie Dettori, 20-1
14. Next, William Cowans, Luan Machado, 8-1
Also eligible
15. Rattle N Roll, Kenny McPeek, Jose Ortiz, 30-1
Jason Frakes of the Louisville Courier Journal looks at the horses running Saturday. He has this to say of favorite City of Joy: “He’s the favorite for the Classic, but there’s a big question mark as he’s never raced on dirt. He’s won six of seven career races in Europe and has the pedigree as the son of 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify. O’Brien has won 18 Breeders’ Cup races but is 0 for 17 all-time in the Classic.”
The Courier Journal has a list of picks for this weekend. Ed DeRosa digs deep and has your best picks for this day of racing.
DeRosa writes about the Turf Sprint: “Cogburn has done very little wrong, and since we’re against Thorpedo Anna at odds on in the next race, I’ll play some tickets that won’t let this one beat me. He is a Horse of the Year sleeper if both Thorpedo Anna and Fierceness lose and he wins.”