The 2022 Breeders’ Cup takes place on Friday and Saturday with a total of 14 races, including the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic on Saturday. The Breeders’ Cup Classic will feature the unbeaten Flightline who could go off as the biggest favorite in Breeders’ Cup history. Other top horses to keep an eye on are Nest in the Distaff, Jackie's Warrior in the Sprint and Cave Rock in the Juvenile. We’ll take a look at the Breeders’ Cup Classic and see if there is any horse that can challenge Flightline and we’ll also look at other Breeders’ Cup picks.
2022 Breeders’ Cup Classic Odds
Post Position, Horse, Trainer, Jockey, Morning-line Odds
1. Taiba, Bob Baffert, Mike Smith, 8-1
2. Life Is Good, Todd Pletcher, Irad Ortiz Jr., 6-1
3. Happy Saver, Todd Pletcher, John Velazquez, 30-1
4. Flightline, John Sadler, Flavien Prat, 3-5
5. Hot Rod Charlie, Doug O’Neill, Tyler Gaffalione, 15-1
6. Epicenter, Steve Asmussen, Joel Rosario, 5-1
7. Olympiad, Bill Mott, Junior Alvarado, 10-1
8. Rich Strike, Eric Reed, Sonny Leon, 20-1
There are some people who are starting to compare Flightline to Secretariat and that seems crazy, but Flightline has won all five of his starts and the margins have been 13 1/4, 13 3/4, 11 1/2, 6 and 19 1/2 lengths. There is a real chance that Flightline will go off as the biggest horse betting favorite in Breeders’ Cup history. The field for the Breeders’ Cup Classic is actually a good one, as seven of the eight horses are Grade 1 race winners. Life is Good has won a total of four Grade 1 races. The other six horses in the field can each make a case for winning, including the longest shot in the field, Rich Strike, who won last year’s Kentucky Derby.
Breeders’ Cup Classic Picks
Do you really want to bet against a horse that is being compared in any respect to Secretariat? The hype may be a bit much, but there is no question that Flightline is in a class by himself. I want no part of going against a horse that is seriously being considered “great.” I am not sold on Life Is Good so I would probably leave him out on exotic tickets. I would be more inclined to take Taiba in an exotic ticket with Flightline. The bottom line with the Classic is that you go against Flightline at your own risk. The best option is to try and find some exotic tickets to put Flightline in and hope to get some decent prices on the second and third place horses.
Other Breeders’ Cup Picks
Friday’s races are oftentimes unpredictable with some longshots hitting the board. One race that has a favorite that I do like is the Juvenile where Cave Rock is the even money favorite. This horse has two Grade 1 wins and a 104 Beyer Speed Figure. I’ll take Cave Rock as my top pick in Friday’s Breeders’ Cup races.
Saturday’s action includes the Dirt Mile with Cody’s Wish my top choice. If you are into taking horses based on talent and on intangibles then you have to go with Cody’s Wish. The horse was named for Cody Dorman, a teenager with a rare genetic disorder. Cody Dorman follows every race of the horse and so far, things have gone very well for Cody’s Wish, as the horse has won six of his last seven races.
Another race to consider on Saturday is the Breeders’ Cup Filly And Mare Turf where Nashwa is the favorite. I think this horse is beatable and we get more value in taking In Italian at odds of 7-2. The horse is trained by Chad Brown and has won five of his eight starts. He won last time at Keeneland so we know he likes the track. I think he is the better choice in this race.
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