Breeders’ Cup Saturday: Betting for big payoffs with budget-friendly exotic wagers

Want to win big on a small budget?  The Breeders’ Cup is always a great opportunity for bettors with limited capital to chase huge payoffs.

The quality of competition ensures that very talented horses start at enticing prices in the betting. Hitting a single trifecta might be all you need to enjoy a profitable weekend.

With this strategy in mind, we’ve taken $50 and put together four exotic wagers (including three trifectas) for Breeders’ Cup Saturday at Keeneland. Our goal will be to cash at least one four-figure payoff while keeping out initial outlay to a minimum.

Race 5: Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (G1, 12:39 p.m. ET)

#1 Big Runnuer (12-1) has been unstoppable this season, going 3-for-3 in 5 1/2-furlong turf sprints at Santa Anita. The lightly-raced 5-year-old possesses an abundance of early speed, as evidenced by his last two victories. In the Siren Lure S., Big Runnuer sprinted to the front through blazing splits of :21.28 and :43.56 before continuing on to win by 1 1/4 lengths. Then in the Eddie D (G2), Big Runnuer broke like a rocket, threw down fractions of :21.96 and :43.98, and cruised home on top by a length.

Big Runnuer has been training up a storm in recent weeks, wrapping up his pre-race preparations with a bullet 5 furlongs in :58 3/5. I’m optimistic he’ll be the “speed of the speed” in the Turf Sprint, so at 12-1 I’m keen to play him on top in the exotics. If he gets out in front and forgets to stop, the stage will be set for a big payday.

We’ll bet Big Runnuer on top in the trifecta and single him to start a double.

• $1 trifecta: 1 with 3,7,8,11,12 with 3,7,8,11,12 ($20)
• $6 double: 1 with 5
  
  Total: $26

Race 7: Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1, 1:18 p.m. ET)

If #5 Knicks Go (7-2) runs back to his blistering allowance win at Keeneland last month, his Breeders’ Cup rivals are surely running for second place. The improving 4-year-old went straight to the lead and widened readily down the straight to score by 10 1/4 lengths in 1:40.79, breaking the track record for 1 1/16 miles.

This performance produced a massive 110 Brisnet Speed rating, the highest figure in the Dirt Mile field. Knicks Go displayed ample class as a 2-year-old, finishing second in the 2018 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1), but he’s improved by leaps and bounds since being transferred to the care of hot trainer Brad Cox. Cox has been on fire at Keeneland, going 15-for-39 (38%) during the fall meet, and Knicks Go’s proven affinity for racing two turns gives him an advantage over one-turn specialist #10 Complexity (2-1).

Let’s key Knicks Go on top in the trifecta while emphasizing Blue Grass (G2) winner #1 Art Collector (6-1) and Pacific Classic (G1) runner-up #2 Sharp Samurai (15-1) underneath.

• $1 trifecta: 5 with 1,2 with 1,2,3,7,8,10,12 ($12)
• $1 trifecta: 5 with 1,2,3,7,8,10,12 with 1,2 ($12)
  
  Total: $24

Good luck!