The Breeders' Cup began in 1984 with the goal of bringing together the world's top horses. Today, the event has evolved into a two-day, 14-race gala that goes a long way in determining the end-of-the-year Eclipse Awards like Horse of the Year. If the Kentucky Derby is the Super Bowl of horse racing, the Breeders' Cup is the Olympics. And on Saturday, the event, held this year at Santa Anita Park, culminates with the biggest race of them all, the 2019 Breeders' Cup Classic. The Bob Baffert-trained McKinzie is the 3-1 favorite in the current 2019 Breeders' Cup Classic odds. Two East Coast-based horses, Code of Honor and Vino Rosso, are the second-biggest favorites in the 2019 Breeders' Cup Classic field of 11 at 4-1. Six of the 11 Breeders' Cup 2019 horses are listed at 8-1 or shorter, and post time is at 8:44 p.m. ET.
This year marks the 10th anniversary of arguably the most memorable Breeders' Cup Classic. In 2009, the undefeated Zenyatta took on 11 other horses in the Classic at her home track, Santa Anita. As was her style, she trailed at the back of the pack for much of the race. As the field turned for home, Zenyatta still had a wall of horses in front of her. But jockey Mike Smith moved her off the rail and down the center of the track. Before the deafening roar of her home crowd, she shifted into another gear, powering to victory by a length over Gio Ponti. Her victory remains the only one by a female in the Classic.
With so much history, there's a method to picking which horses to focus on for exacta, trifecta and superfecta bets in a Breeders' Cup Classic like this, and SportsLine's Jody Demling knows what it is. He can help you make the top 2019 Breeders' Cup Classic picks possible.
A fixture in the horse racing world who has been writing about, talking about and betting on races for years, Demling has scored big on some of the biggest races this year. In January, he nailed the superfecta at the prestigious Pegasus World Cup, a $678 payout on a $1 bet. In April, Demling scored the exacta and trifecta in the Santa Anita Derby, Blue Grass Stakes and Wood Memorial on the same day. One week later, he hit the same bets in the Arkansas Derby. Then in May, he hit his exotic bets in the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes, turning a $50.40 investment into $208.57.
Two years ago Demling nailed the Breeders' Cup Classic, correctly picking Gun Runner to win while also hitting the exacta and superfecta. Anyone who followed Demling's lead cashed in. Here's a refresher on those bet types from horse racing guru Jody Demling:
Exacta: Pick the first- and second-place finishers in the correct order. This paid $130.80 on a $1 bet in last year's Classic with Accelerate and Gunnevera.
Trifecta: Pick the first-, second- and third-place finishers in the correct order. This paid $806.55 on a $0.50 bet last year with Accelerate, Gunnevera and Thunder Snow.
Superfecta: Pick the first-, second-, third- and fourth-place finishers in the correct order. This paid $1,617.91 on a $0.10 bet last year with Accelerate, Gunnevera, Thunder Snow and Yoshida.
While Demling has no quibbles with the favorite status of McKinzie (3-1), he plans to hold tickets with Elate (6-1), plus three other under-the-radar horses.
Demling has specific recommendations for trifecta and superfecta wagers so you can cover all your bases at the Breeders' Cup Classic 2019. He's only sharing at SportsLine.
So which horses do you take? And in what combinations? Visit SportsLine to get Demling's picks for win, place and show as well as his trifecta and superfecta bets for the 2019 Breeders' Cup Classic.
