The beauty of betting future odds through an online racebook such as Bovada.lv is that you can lock in a pick in a big race like the Breeders' Cup Classic in most cases at much higher odds than you will get on the day of the race.
The danger is that if the horse you pick is scratched or otherwise doesn't run in the race, you don't get your money back. And it should be noted that as of right now, Bovada is offering future bets on 19 possible BC Classic runners, but the race is restricted to 14, so some of the horses listed now will certainly not run. It's a big risk/reward propostion, and that being the case, it's never advisable to risk too much on a future bet, and in fact, Bovada has a $100 limit on future bets.
Futures are also only avilable for straight Win bets, no Place, Show or exotic wagering. With those details out of the way, here's a closer look at four of the more interesting entries in the Bovada racebook future wager for the BC Classic.
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Arrogate (even odds)
All eyes will be on superstar Arrogate on Saturday, August 19 with the running of the (G1) Pacific Classic at Del Mar. The highest-earning thoroughbred in history, with just over $17 million in the bank, over the past year or so he had looked invincible, racking up seven straight wins including the (G1) Travers Stakes, the (G1) 2016 Breeders' Cup Classic, and the two richest races in the world, the (G1) Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream in Florida, and the Dubai World Cup from Meyden Race Track in Dubai.
A little less than a month ago, however, things fell off the rails, when he could do no better than fourth in the (G2) San Diego Handicap, a race where he went off at overwhelming odds of 1-20. While it's hard to know why he suddenly ran so poorly, one concern for trainer Bob Baffert has to be that he simply doesn't like the ground at Del Mar. Prior to the San Diego, he had raced one other time over the surface. Although he won that race, it wasn't in dominant fashion, and against a field of only two other horses. His performance in the Pacific Classic will go a long way to determining if the San Diego was just a blip on the radar, or something of bigger concern for his connections.
Gun Runner (+300)
Second choice right now in the Bovada futures, Gun Runner is well deserving of his contender status, and would likely be the clear favorite if not for Arrogate. A four-year-old who ran third in the 2016 Kentucky Derby, he seems to have improved in 2017, and has won four of his last five starts - he ran second to Arrogate in Dubai - with two of those open-length wins in Grade 1 races.
The concern here is with the 1 1/4 mile distance. His most dominating races have been at 1 1/8 miles or less, and both times he's tried 1 1/4 he finished third. In fact, last year his connections decide to keep him out of the BC Classic, and instead run him in the Dirt Mile, where he led but faded late to finish second.
Classic Empire (+1600)
In what has been an erratic year for three-year-old colts, Classic Empire's season may be the most erratic of all. The winner of the 2016 BC Juvenile, his training schedule has been a mess as he's dealt with a series of minor injuries. He only has one win in his last four starts, but all agree he overcame a terrible trip to get a better-than-it-looked fourth in the Kentucky Derby, and he then took on Derby winner Always Dreaming in the Preakness Stakes and blew him away, only to be caught at the wire by Cloud Computing.
He hasn't raced since then, and the apparent plan now is to use the (G1) Pennsylvania Derby in late September as his final BC Classic prep. If he wins handily, and Arrogate falters in the Pacific Classic, he could be the post time favorite on November 4th at Del Mar.
Always Dreaming (+1600)
The 2017 Kentucky Derby winner looked very much like a star in the making when he won that event by an easy 2 3/4 lengths, but his efforts in two races since then makes it look more and more like he caught the biggest breaks on a very sloppy track the first Saturday in May. He was a badly beaten eighth in the Preakenss and then third in the (G2) Jim Dandy where he was passed by two others in the final stretch. It's unclear when he'll race next, but there's every chance he may be at even higher odds than this in the BC Classic.
Category : Betting Picks
Tag : Breeders Cup Classic , Breeders' Cup Classic Odds , Horse Racing
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