Arabian Knight is 3-1 favorite for the Breeders' Cup Classic
Three of the four horses back to defend their 2022 Breeders' Cup titles — Cody's Wish, Elite Power and Goodnight Olive — were installed as morningline favorites Monday during the post-position draw at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium for this year's championship races.
Santa Anita will host the two-day event, which includes 14 races worth more than $31 million in purses and awards, Friday and Saturday for a record 11th time. Future Stars Friday includes five races that spotlight the juveniles and will begin at 11:30 a.m. with four undercard races. Saturday's action, highlighted by the $6 million Breeders' Cup Classic, kicks off at 10:10 a.m. with two undercard races.
Cody's Wish, most everyone's sentimental favorite, drew the No. 3 post position and is 9-5 on the morning line in the Dirt Mile. Elite Power is the 9-5 choice in the Sprint and will try to become the third horse to win the race in multiple years. Goodnight Olive is the 6-5 favorite in the Filly & Mare Sprint. While Caravel is not the favorite in the Turf Sprint after last year's victory, he's co-second choice on the morning line at 5-1.
The Bob Baffert-trained Arabian Knight was installed as the 3-1 favorite in the Classic and drew the No. 12 post. He'll be ridden by Flavien Prat and will
BREEDERS’ CUP
Facts and figures for this year's 40th running: When: Friday and Saturday. Where: Santa Anita; Friday at 11:30a.m. and Saturday at 10:10a.m.
TV: USA and FanDuel TV (Friday); NBC, USA and Peacock (Saturday).
try to give Baffert his fifth victory in the mile-and-aquarter race. Baffert is second (20-18) behind his good friend D. Wayne Lukas for most Breeders' Cup victories by a trainer.
Arcangelo, who goes into the Classic off victories in the Belmont and Travers and will be ridden by resurgent jockey Javier Castellano, drew the No. 1 post and is the 7-2 second choice in a field trimmed to 13 because of injuries to Forte and Geaux Rocket Ride.
Trainer Jena Antonucci, who became the first female trainer to win a Triple Crown race and only the second to saddle a Travers winner, is fine with her colt's post position.
“He's won from the one before, so that's what we think of it,” she said.
Arcangelo kicked the wall in his stall with his left hind leg over the weekend and Antonucci had to replace the shoe. She decided not to gallop the son of Arrogate on Saturday but instead just walked him.
“It seems everyone is quite stressed about this for us,” Antonucci said. “So thank you everybody for your grave concern for us. He had a warm hind foot and we pulled the shoe off. Horses love to see our schedules. They're rather inconvenienced. We'll be patient. We always put the horse first and make sure he is 100 percent.”
Asked if she's confident Arcangelo will be ready to go by Saturday, the 48-yearold trainer gave a thumbs up.
“He's rather annoyed at us right now, so yes,” she said.
Japanese favorite Ushba Tesoro, who's won six consecutive races, including three this year, closes from far back and has turned into a different horse since taking to the dirt. It took him eight races to break his maiden in 2021, but many believe he's got a huge chance in this year's Classic if he gets a pace to his liking. He's co-third choice at 4-1 with White Abarrio and will be ridden by Yuga Kawada.
East Coast-based jockeys Prat and Irad Ortiz, Jr. are scheduled to ride in 13 of this weekend's 14 races. Prat is without a mount in the final Breeders' Cup race of the weekend, the Sprint, and Ortiz Jr. will not ride in the Dirt Mile.
Juan Hernandez, Santa Anita's leading jockey, will ride seven horses in search of his first Breeders' Cup victory. International standout Frankie Dettori, who announced recently he will delay his retirement and ride fulltime during Santa Anita's upcoming winter-spring meet, has been booked to ride five races.