The Breeders' Cup Las Vegas Dirt Mile has essentially become the NIT of the Breeders' Cup. Horses that don't quite have the quality or the distance in them to run in the Breeders' Cup Classic still need a place to run against other top competition, and the Dirt Mile is just the race for them. That's why so many of the top contenders for the second race on Friday at the Breeders' Cup are ones who were on the Kentucky Derby trail at one point in their careers.
The $1,000,000 Breeders' Cup Las Vegas Dirt Mile is the second event of the Breeders' Cup and shouldn't be missed by bettors on Friday, November 3, 2017. Post-time from Del Mar Racetrack is scheduled for 6:05 p.m. ET, and all of the action can be seen live on NBC Sports Network.
Breeders' Cup Las Vegas Dirt Mile Opening Odds
#6 Mor Spirit +300
#8 Accelerate +350
#3 Sharp Azteca +450
#10 Practical Joke +600
#7 Cupid +800
#9 Battle of Midway +1000
#1 Iron Fist +1200
#2 Great Expectations +1200
#5 Awesome Slew +1200
#4 Gato Del Oro +3000
Top Contenders
It's a wonder if any of these racers should be sharing the same track as Mor Spirit. In a different year in which he wasn't dealing with a long layoff, Bob Baffert may have tried his hand with this colt in the Classic. As it is, 3 to 1 favorite, Mor Spirit seems to be better-suited for the one-turn races instead of the two-turn races.
Alongside Mor Spirit is Accelerate, the only horse in this field to have won multiple graded stakes races at Del Mar in his career. Accelerate is the second choice at 7 to 2, and a lot of that is due to the fact that he was apart a good field at the San Diego Handicap here at Del Mar by 8 1/2 lengths just a few months ago.
Sharp Azteca has a really good setup here at the Breeders' Cup Las Vegas Dirt Mile. He has posted seven straight races with at least a 100+ Beyer Speed Rating and six in a row with at least a 104. The likelihood that he hits the board should legitimately be higher than anyone else even though he's the third-favorite at 9 to 2.
Sharp Azteca is going to be a speed ball out of the gate, and he should be able to run a slightly shorter race than his main rival, Mor Spirit, who will start one post to his outside.
That said, Sharp Azteca was put down by 6 1/4 lengths by Mor Spirit when the two last met in the Met Mile in June. That also happened to be Mor Spirit's last race.
Practical Joke is fourth in line at 6 to 1, but it should be noted that he is undefeated in his career when running at a mile or less (and is winless when running more than a mile).
Breeders' Cup Las Vegas Dirt Mile Pick
Had Mor Spirit run over the course of the last couple months in any race whatsoever with success, he would have been the odds-on favorite in the Las Vegas Dirt Mile, maybe by a country mile.
We know that it's really hard to come from having not raced in months and months to getting thrown right back into the mix in a Grade 1 race at the Breeders' Cup, but Mor Spirit has the chops to get the job done. He's the fastest horse in this field and is largely thought of as the best of the 10. If he's really as good as he's built up to be, this 3 to 1 price is too good to leave on the table, even against a good field.
Breeders' Cup Las Vegas Dirt Mile Pick: #6 Mor Spirit
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