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2018 Breeders' Cup Odds

What are the odds for Breeders' Cup contenders?

Wynn Las Vegas Breeders' Cup Odds | Finding Value at Breeders' Cup | Odds History

Created as a season-ending, multi-race championship event for Thoroughbred racing, the first running of the Breeders’ Cup in 1984 at the now-defunct Hollywood Park featured seven races worth a combined $13 million in purses.

The event has grown significantly in size and scope since then, with the 2018 event offering 14 races and $26.5 million in purses over a two-day program. The Breeders’ Cup days are the two biggest wagering days in North American racing each year.

Probables and Pre-entries for the 2018 running of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships meet, which will be held at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky on Nov. 2 and Nov. 3, will most likely by released on Wednesday, Oct. 24, at 8:30 a.m. Pacific Time (11:30 a.m. ET). It will be streamed live from Churchill Downs on www.breederscup.com, the official Breeders’ Cup App, and Facebook Live.

The Post Position Draw for 11 of the Breeders' Cup races will most likely take place at 1 p.m. Pacific Time (4 p.m. ET) at Churchill Downs on Monday, Oct. 29. It will be streamed live on www.breederscup.com.

Post positions will be drawn later that day at Churchill Downs for the $2 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff (4:05 p.m. Pacific Time, 7:05 p.m. ET) and the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic (4:10 p.m. Pacific Time, 7:10 p.m. ET).

Morning-line Breeders' Cup odds will also be announced on October 29. These are a track handicapper’s estimate of what the odds will be on the day, and no bets can be placed on these odds. Betting on the Breeders’ Cup races opens Friday morning, Nov. 2.

Find BRISnet Breeders' Cup Past Perfromances for probable horses that are pointed towards being pre-entered in the World Championships.

Finding Value at the Breeders’ Cup

When it comes to wagering on the Breeders’ Cup races, it’s a must to look for value in all the carded races – and because of the class of the horses and the size of the fields, there’s plenty to be found.

The Breeders’ Cup races frequently get somewhere near their capacity of 14 runners (12 for the Dirt Mile). Any time this happens, it’s usually likely there will be greater value than most races in the year, when there are usually about eight or nine runners. When there’s 14 horses in the field, the money has more runners to be spread around, which results in greater payouts.

In addition, the Breeders’ Cup usually brings together all the best horses in training in North America, along with some of the best from Europe, and occasionally from other parts of the world. There is normally never fields with as many good horses in each racing division than there is at the Breeders’ Cup, which means there’s likely to be better value for horses that usually start at shorter odds.

One good example of this was the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile in 2015. Bar his maiden race, the unbeaten Californian colt Nyquist hadn’t started at more than even money in any start prior to the Juvenile, including two grade one races. But at the Juvenile, with a full field of 14, and with the best of the East Coast runners there to take him on, he started as 4.7-1 second favorite. He duly won, and never started at those odds again – not even against 20 horses in the Kentucky Derby, which he won at 2.3-1 odds.

Another good example of how field strength can produce great odds was the Ladies’ Classic (which has since returned to its original name of the Distaff) in 2012. Defending champion Royal Delta had raced four times in the U.S. that year for three wins, and had not started at a price longer than 0.85-1. But in the Ladies’ Classic, despite a field size of eight, there was enough depth in the field that Royal Delta started at 1.7-1. She duly won the race.

Large field sizes also produce some fantastic returns for exotic bets. Over the last 10 years of the Breeders’ Cup, the average payouts for the exacta are $196, trifecta $1,870, and the superfecta $15,363. So when you’re risking your bankroll during the two days of Breeders’ Cup races, know that victory is found also in value, and sometimes a life changing score.

Looking to bet on the Breeders' Cup in 2017? TwinSpires.com is the official betting partner of the Breeders' Cup, offering horseplayers a comprehensive wagering menu and the best user experience.

The History of Breeders' Cup Odds and Post Position Draw

Each Breeders’ Cup race is limited to 14 runners, with the lone exception of the Dirt Mile, which is limited to 12 runners.   

After all the races have been drawn, the track handicapper derives a morning line for each race that is run on Friday and Saturday.

The Breeders’ Cup is known for long shots and the biggest payoff in the Breeders’ Cup Classic was in 1993 at Santa Anita, when a French horse named Arcangues won for jockey Jerry Bailey at staggering odds of 133/1. Arcangues paid a whopping $269.20 on a $2 win bet.

The shortest-priced favorites to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic are Cigar, who completed a perfect season when winning in 1995, and Triple Crown hero American Pharoah in 2015.

Sent off at 3/5, Cigar went on to win by 2 ½ lengths over a muddy track at Belmont Park and paying a minimal $3.40. That victory was jockey Jerry Bailey’s 3rd consecutive win in the Breeders’ Cup Classic.

American Pharoah’s victory completed U.S. Thoroughbred Racing’s Grand Slam for the first time – the Triple Crown plus the Breeders’ Classic. He coasted to victory by 6 ½ lengths under jockey Victor Espinoza.  

One of the best wagers during Breeders’ Cup weekend is the pick 4. The pick 4 is offered three times on Friday and Saturday race cards. The pick 4 is a very budget friendly wager for bettors as the minimum wager is 50 cents, and it can produce some fantastic payoffs.

In 2011, the late pick 4 of St Nicholas Abbey (Turf), Hansen(Juvenile), Court Vision (Mile), and Drosselmeyer (Classic) paid $46,814 on a 50-cent wager, and in 2014 there was another huge five-figure pick 4 payout for $32,691 for Take Charge Brandi (Juvenile Fillies), Dayatthespa (Filly & Mare Turf), Judy the Beauty (Filly & Mare Sprint), and Bobby’s Kitten (Turf Sprint).

Wynn Las Vegas Breeders' Cup Odds

The Wynn Las Vegas provides advance odds on horses to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic and while some horses will earn their way into the Classic through the ‘Win and You’re In’ Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series, others will be pointed towards the race and rely on top race efforts that earns points and prestige.

On June 18, 2018, Wynn Las Vegas opened wagering for the 2018 Breeders’ Cup Classic, and offered 68 horses as early wagering entries. Justify was the favorite at 5/2 odds.

Odds on the horses can changed based on wagers and amount accepted by the Wynn. Also, wagers on horses listed that do not start the Breeders‘ Cup Classic are considered losing wagers and there are no refunds.

Here is a listing of the expected contenders, some long shots and notable wins by those challengers for the Classic. An asterisk (*) indicates probable.

last updated: June 20, 2018