There aren’t many bigger races on the international calendar than the G1 Breeders’ Cup Classic. Horses aged three and older compete in the race, which offers an eye-watering purse of $6 million.
This year’s race will take place at Keeneland, as the Breeders’ Cup moves to a new track annually.
There is no denying the favourite in the race this year, as the TwinSpires.com odds shows, as John Sadler-trained Flightline has looked incredible throughout this season, and was stepped up in distance to win the G1 Pacific Classic with a Beyer Speed Figure that was the highest for over ten years.
However, the betting for the Classic always offers value due to the quality in the field, but which outsiders could be worth a second look at Keeneland?
Cyberknife
Brad Cox trained the winner of the Classic last year, as Knicks Go stormed to victory at Del Mar. He could have another leading contender this year, as Cyberknife has impressed throughout the season. He may actually be one of the most underrated three-year-olds in training this season, and was excellent at Saratoga earlier in the year despite finishing second to Epicenter in the G1 Travers Stakes.
Before that he won back-to-back races after a disappointing outing in the G1 Kentucky Derby, which included success in the G1 Haskell, beating Taiba and Jack Christopher. The only blemish on his record was his below par run in the Derby, as he finished 18th, but it could pay to forget about that run when it comes to the Classic for one of the leading trainers in the U.S.
Happy Saver
Happy Saver is likely to be a massive price for the Classic later this year. The runner for Todd Pletcher is extremely competitive, and could be a leading chance back up in Classic distance. He has finished second in every race that he has run this season, and that record also stretches back to the final two races that he run last year. However, it does go against his chances given the fact that he has finished second to a number of runners that are likely to line up in the Classic this year.
He was beaten by Life is Good in the G1 Whitney, while Flightline got the better of him in the G1 Metropolitan and Olympiad got the win in the G2 Alysheba. But, his consistency does make him a very interesting betting angle, as it would seem that it’s only a matter of time before he finally gets his nose in front.
Americanrevolution
If the Kentucky Derby taught us anything this year, then that is to not rule out the massive outsiders in the field. Americanrevolution is another likely runner in the Classic this year for Pletcher, and there is plenty to like about the progression that he has shown throughout 2022.
He was second to Olympiad in the G1 Jockey Club Gold Cup on his latest start, but he still has good form in the book. Americanrevolution finished second in the G2 Stephen Foster, and it appears that he could be crying out for this extended distance that he will get at Keeneland. He has already won in Grade 1 company, as he landed the G1 Cigar Mile at Aqueduct last year from Following Sea. He has also won further stakes races in the forms of the Empire Classic, Albany and New York Derby. One thing that could also be in his favour is the fact that he has previous experience at Keeneland as he made his debut at the track in October 2020.