Breeders Cup

In what is shaping up to be one of the most competitive of the 2017 Breeders' Cup World Championships races, the Filly & Mare Turf is expected to draw a field of one solid favorite and several other strong contenders. The last ten winners have been evenly split between European and American horses.

The shortest of all the Breeders' Cup World Championships races, the BC Turf Sprint will be run at 5 furlongs for 2017 at Del Mar. In sharp contrast to the BC Turf, where European-based horses have dominated, the Turf Sprint has historically favored US-based runners.

It's all about speed in the Breeders' Cup Sprint, a 3/4 mile, go-for-broke dash from the gate on the dirt track. Historically one of the most exciting races on the Breeders' Cup card, the Sprint tends to produce very close finishes. Getting away from the gate is always key.

The longest of the Breeders' Cup World Championship races at 1 1/2 miles, the BC Turf has been dominated over the years by horses shipping over from Europe. And horses that have previously competed in the Turf tend to do well their second time around.

Typically one of the most competitive races on the Breeders' Cup World Championships card, the Filly & Mare Sprint is usually a tough handicapping race, but one where the right choices can lead to big payouts, particularly if you get it right in the exacta and trifecta wagers.

What the Breeders' Cup Classic is for male horses, the Distaff brings together the best female runners. Traditionally the Distaff has drawn some of the smallest fields of the Breeders' Cup races with typically one or two heavy favorites, but the field for 2017 looks like the most competitive in years.

The second of the two main turf races for older horses at the 2017 Breeders' Cup World Championships, the Breeders' Cup Mile differs from the Turf not only in distance, but in the fact North American-based horses have been much more successful than their European cousins.

The Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile has been a very good betting race over the past decade, with an average winning odds of +1100, and high payouts on exactas and trifectas. Here's how the projected 2017 Dirt Mile field stacks up when looking for future bet value.

A wide-open field of 13 fillies and mares go to the gate on Sunday at Keeneland Race Course for the running of the $500,000 (G1) Juddmonte Spinster Stakes. They'll be racing 1 1/8 miles over the Keeneland dirt track, chasing a share of the prize money and a spot in the 2017 Breeders' Cup Distaff.