Breeders’ Cup Classic Handicapping Picks
Horse racing gamblers are you looking for 2023 Breeders’ Cup Classic Free Pick & Handicapping Odds…plus some predictions? Need some advice on who to take? The 2023 Classic is set for November 4 at Santa Anita Race Track in Arcadia, CA. Here’s a preview of our top contenders.
Breeders’ Cup Classic Preview
- Race: BC Classic
- Purse: $6 million
- Track: Santa Anita
- Date: November 4
- Post Time: 6:40 PM (ET)
- Live: BC Classic Odds: Click Here
Before we can give you our expert 2023 Breeders’ Cup Classic free pick, we have to break down the entries! In fact, we’d love to hear from you after you’ve given this post a read to see if you see an angle that we don’t!
2023 Breeders’ Cup Classic Handicapping
For the first time in the 40-year history of the Breeders’ Cup, the (G1) Breeders’ Cup Classic will not close out the BC. Instead it will go as race seven of nine on Saturday, in order to avoid a TV scheduling conflict with NBC’s college football coverage.
Be that as it may, the $6 million Classic remains the marquee event of the weekend. The Classic is open to horses age three and older, and they race 1 1/4 miles on the Santa Anita dirt track.
Betting Angles: Fifteen of the past 20 Classic winners won their final prep race (although one was DQ’s to second), and 19 of 20 had a previous Grade 1 win on their resume. Specific to the eight Classics run on the Santa Anita dirt track, none of the races were won by the post-time favourite, and four winners won at odds of 9-1 or higher.
Odds listed here are provided by the Santa Anita track oddsmaker.
2023 Breeders’ Cup Classic Free Pick & Handicapping: Arabian Knight Race Odds: 3-1
The lightly raced Arabian Knight will be making only his fifth lifetime start, and comes in off an eye-catching win last out over a very good runner-up and a third-place finisher that came back to win his next start. He also did so going wire-to-wire while carving out some pretty solid early fractions.
He is a front-runner, and will likely be facing some pace pressure here.
2023 Breeders’ Cup Classic Free Pick & Handicapping: White Abarrio Race Odds: 4-1
A contender in the 2022 Kentucky Derby, White Abarrio’s career seeed to stall out a year ago where he went through a string of six consecutive losses.
He has been very good lately, however, having won two of his last three including a last out win in the (G1) Whitney Stakes, hitting the wire 6 1/2 lengths ahead of next-out winners Zandon, who he’ll face here again, and Cody’s Wish, who is the heavy favourite for this year’s BC Dirt Mile.
Bright Future Race Odds: 10-1
One of the more intriguing long shots on the field, Bright Future started the season with a win in a first-level allowance race at Gulfstream and spent the summer moving up, until last out capturing the (G1) Jockey Club Gold Cup at Saratoga. That race was at this 1 1/4 length distance.
Now he will have to step up again, but in his second start off a layoff he’s one that is trending in the right direction.
Zandon Race Odds: 12-1
Something of a perpetual bridesmaid, Zandon has only won three of his 13 lifetime races, but has also only failed to hit the board once, with six seconds and three thirds to his name. He also gets credit for consistently showing up in the big races against the best of his class.
He was no match for White Abarrio in the Whitney, but did rebound from that with a confidence-boosting win next out in the (G2) Woodward Stakes.
Here’s My 2023 Breeders’ Cup Classic Free Pick.
There’s no doubt the Classic field has taken a bit of hit this year, quality wise, with the earlier losses of Kentucky Derby winner Mage, Juvenile champ Forte and a strong contender in Geaux Rocket Ride, plus this week’s scratch of Belmont and Travers Stakes hero Archangelo. With those four out, it’s fair to say the field has been watered down.
In handicapping terms, I was looking at both Archangelo and Geaux Rocket Ride as my top two picks, but since it’s not to be, I’m going to go in a completely different direction and take a bit of a shot with Bright Future.
I think Saudi Crown will have no option but to gun for the lead out of the gate, and he’ll take a couple others with him, quite possibly the favourite Arabian Knight. If that happens, Bright Future should be able to sit a good trip just behind the front-runners and then it will simply be a matter of if he’s good enough as they turn for home.
Full Field: 2023 Breeders’ Cup Classic Odds
By post position
- #1 – Archangelo
- #2 – Zandon 12-1
- #3 – White Abarrio 4-1
- #4 – Missed The Cut 30-1
- #5 – Derma Sotogake 20-1
- #6 – Saudi Crown 12-1
- #7 – Clapton 20-1
- #8 – Ushba Tosoro 4-1
- #9 – Señor Buscador 30-1
- #10 – Dreamlike 30-1
- #11 – Bright Future 10-1
- #12 – Arabian Knight 3-1
- #13 – Proxy 12-1
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