Breeders’ Cup Classic Betting Tips and Preview PT 1

It was another eventful and exciting weekend for America thoroughbred racing as the major Breeders’ Cup preps unfolded at both Belmont Park in Elmont, New York and Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. With both Tonalist and Shared Belief winning their respective races they now both appear to be gaining serious momentum for their Breeders’ Cup Classic bids as their connections seek out the lion’s share of the whopping $5,000,000 that will be up for grabs on November 1st. 

CLICK HERE FOR YOUR FREE BET WITH LADBROKES!

Tonalist was able to navigate a very tricky scenario when Wicked Strong unseated his rider and ran loose for much of the race. While it could have been a very difficult situation for virtually any rider, all it basically did was ensure that the last quarter mile was run at a very slow 50.75. It will be interesting to see how that plays into the betting strategies of many punters whose eyes are fixed on the Classic. 

It’s also worth noting that Tonalist, who the bookmakers have floated at a 7/1 margin for Classic glory, will be able to handle a trip that is not on his preferred surface at Belmont Park. The winner of the Belmont stakes and the vanquisher or Triple Crown contender California Chrome, Tonalist ran without Lasix - a very progressive statement from his world class conditioner Christophe Clement. 

Wicked Strong has been more or less removed from contention for the Classic due to an injury sustained in his last race and, while he had been trading at a 10/1 price for the big race he will remain on the shelf until 2015 starts. Another likely withdrawal from the Classic is Moreno, who is conditioned by Eric Guillot. Moreno was closely involved involved in the incident that sent Wicked Strong’s jockey to the floor and the word on the street is that he is unlikely to make the cross-country trip to Santa Anita for the Classic with just a few weeks in between those particular races.

There was also plenty of controversy regarding Shared Belief’s run in the Awesome Again Stakes at Santa Anita. With world class jockey Mike Smith in the irons, Shared Belief was very quickly race-ridden to the far outside by Victor Espinoza who was aboard Sky Kingdom - part of an uncoupled entry for trainer Bob Baffert that included the more prominent Fed Biz.