The 2023 Breeders’ Cup is a two-day festival of Thoroughbred racing featuring some of the best horses, trainers and jockeys in the world and is a highlight of the racing calendar, apart from the horse racing version of a year-end championship that it does not award championships – these must wait until voting for the Eclipse Awards begins later this month.
The Breeders’ Cup is one of the best and most anticipated horse racing weekends held each year. Each race is highly competitive, there are many horses that can compete, making for great betting and handicaps.
This year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic does not have a clear favorite like Flightline did last year, who won on the road.
Cody’s Wish, one of the happiest stories in racing from last year, will return and attempt to repeat his Dirt Mile victory.
Horse racing may be about the stories, but it’s also and above all about the bets, which is why we’ll be back with a look at all 14 races on Friday and Saturday.
When will the Breeders Cup 2023 take place?
It will take place this year on Friday and Saturday, November 3rd and 4th, at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California.
Which horses are in the Breeders Cup 2023?
Over the two days, horses bred and raced in the United States, Ireland, Great Britain, France, Canada, Japan, Argentina and Chile will compete in 14 races for a total prize money of $28 million. The Breeders’ Cup is one of the few occasions when horses from other countries are sent to race in the United States. The European horses are particularly notable in the grass races, as racing on sand is a rarity in Ireland, Great Britain and France.
The size of the fields in each race, the mystery of how international horses handle travel and racing conditions in the US, and the sheer quality of the runners make for an enticing two days of betting. In last year’s Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint, Caravel paid $87.78 to win, topping a trifecta of $4,084.15 for a stake of 0.50, admittedly an anomaly in an otherwise unusually formative two days of racing .
Regrettably, even the most die-hard enthusiasts recognize that this weekend’s event, like so many others this racing year, will take place under a certain amount of shadow. The headlines leading up to these races were filled less with predictions and boasts and more with a heightened level of concern for horse safety.
In the weeks before and after the Kentucky Derby, six horses died at Churchill Downs. At Saratoga Race Course this summer, two high-profile horses collapsed at the finish line in Class 1 races and were euthanized in front of a packed grandstand and clubhouse. Both the public and industry experts view the sport with heightened awareness – and fear – of horse injury, and a spate of recent bad news about horse training at Santa Anita has only exacerbated those concerns.
On October 29, Geaux Rocket Ride, expected to compete in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, was seriously injured during morning practice; Due to his injuries, he was euthanized on November 1st. On October 31, Practical Move, competing in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, collapsed and died of an apparent heart condition after morning practice. Later that morning, Belmont Stakes and Travers Stakes winner Arcangelo was ruled out of the Classic with a foot problem and immediately retired.
With racing starting on Friday, event organizers and participants are hoping for two days of spectacular – and safe – racing, as are those who will be in attendance and watching the Breeders’ Cup broadcasts.
Here’s how to watch and stream the 2023 Breeders Cup
The races are shown on the NBC family of channels – which doesn’t necessarily mean they’re easy to find.
Five Breeders’ Cup races are scheduled for Friday, all for 2-year-old horses and all shown on USA Network from 4 to 8 p.m. Those watching online can head to NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app.
On Saturday, coverage begins at 1:30 p.m. ET on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app and includes the first two Breeders’ Cup races. From 3:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. ET, NBC and Peacock will broadcast five Breeders’ Cup races, culminating with the Classic. The final two Breeders’ Cup races, the Turf Sprint and the Sprint, will not be part of an NBC broadcast.
Race schedule for Friday, November 3rd
Juvenile Turf Sprint (release time: 5:00 p.m. ET) – $1 million in prize money
Juvenile Fillies (release time: 5:40 p.m. ET) – $2 million in prize money
Juvenile Fillies Turf (Time: 6:20 p.m. ET) – $1 million in prize money
Youngster (Release Time: 7:00 p.m. ET) – $2 Million Purse
Juvenile Turf (release time: 7:40 p.m. ET) – $1 million in prize money
Race schedule for Saturday, November 4th
Dirt Mile (release time: 2:30 p.m. ET) – $1 million in prize money
Filly and Mare Turf (release time: 3:10 p.m. ET) – $2 million in prize money
Filly and Mare Sprint (release time: 3:50 p.m. ET) – $1 million in prize money
Mile (Release time: 4:30 p.m. ET) – $2 million purse
Distaff (release time: 5:10 p.m. ET) – $2 million in prize money
Turf (release time: 5:50 p.m. ET) – $4 million in prize money
Classic (release time: 6:40 p.m. ET) – $6 million in prize money
Turf Sprint (release time: 7:25 p.m. ET) – $1 million in prize money
Sprint (release time: 8:00 p.m. ET) – $2 million in prize money
Who won the 2022 Breeders Cup Classic?
Last year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic winner as the heavy favorite, Flightline, was retired immediately after the race – immediately, I mean the next morning – to begin a breeding career. The same was true for last year’s Distaff winner Malathaat. A frustrating irony of the event is that success is often the prelude to horses disappearing from the public eye.
What are the morning odds for the 2023 Breeders Cup Classic?
| post | Horse | opportunities |
|---|---|---|
1 | Arcangelo | Scratch |
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 |
8th | Ushba Tesoro | 4-1 |
9 | Mr. Buscador | 30-1 |
10 | Fantastic | 30-1 |
11 | Shining future | 10-1 |
12 | Arabian knight | 3-1 |
13 | Deputy | 12-1 |
(Image credit: Horsephotos / Getty Images)