Anyone who bets on horse racing makes sure to play the $7 million Breedersā Cup Classic on Saturday, November 1 at Del Mar. The richest race of the two-day Breedersā Cup meeting, the race drew the best Classic-distance dirt route horses for an epic clash. At stake is not only a huge purse, but a place in horse racing history and the fast track to end-of-year honors and a bright future at stud someday.
The top three finishers from the 2024 Breedersā Cup Classic are all back in action: Sierra Leone, Fierceness, and Forever Young. Mindframe, a versatile star who has won at the top level both sprinting and routing, tries to prove himself at the Classic distance as well. Though Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty spiked a fever and had to be scratched, top sophomores Journalism and Baeza square off against their older foes.
The winnersā list of the Breedersā Cup Classic features many of the greatest horses of the last 40 years and counting. Those superstars include Sunday Silence, A. P. Indy, Cigar, Curlin, Zenyatta, and American Pharoah, just to name a few.
Read on to find out who can join the list this year, and to learn how to bet the Breedersā Cup Classic online!
Breeders' Cup Classic Field
This is the official field for the 2025 Breeders' Cup Classic including post positions, trainers, jockeys, and morning lines:
- Fierceness (Todd Pletcher / John Velazquez) - 5/2
- Baeza (John Shirreffs / Hector Berrios) - 10/1
- Nevada Beach (Bob Baffert / Mike Smith) - 20/1
- Contrary Thinking (Chad Brown / Florent Geroux) - 50/1
- Forever Young (Yoshito Yahagi / Ryusei Sakai) - 7/2
- Sovereignty (Bill Mott / Junior Alvarado) - SCRATCHED
- Sierra Leone (Chad Brown / Flavien Prat) - 7/2
- Mindframe (Todd Pletcher / Irad Ortiz, Jr.) - 6/1
- Journalism (Michael McCarthy / Jose Ortiz) - 5/1
- Antiquarian (Todd Pletcher / Luis Saez) - 10/1
These odds, which were updated after the scratch of Sovereignty, are a good guide to who is expected to take betting action on Saturday. However, they are no guarantee of a price on race day, since on-track odds fluctuate until the door is open.
Your best bet is to wager on the Breedersā Cup Classic at an online sportsbook. Since online sportsbooks offer fixed-odds wagering on major races like the Breedersā Cup Classic, that means you can claim an overlay as soon as you see it, and then watch the race knowing exactly what youāll get when you win!
The odds for horses the top of the Breedersā Cup Classic market at the top online sportsbooks are featured below:
 |  |  | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fierceness | +275 | +300 | +310 |
| Sierra Leone | +300 | +320 | +320 |
| Forever Young | +400 | +425 | +400 |
| Journalism | +700 | +650 | +600 |
| Mindframe | +700 | +650 | +625 |
Breeders' Cup Classic Online Betting
There are many options for betting online, so choosing the best site can feel difficult at first. However, our online betting experts make your decision easy. Their trusted reviews let you quickly and easily figure out the features, advantages, and disadvantages of each option, and thus select the most profitable and best online sports betting site for your needs in a flash!
All of our recommended sites have the basics of a great Breedersā Cup Classic betting experience: market-leading odds, great user interfaces, and trusted payouts. Each one also offers its own bonuses, whose structures represent different kinds of bettors. Taking a few minutes now to read the reviews and learn which betting bonuses and promotions will benefit you the most can help you build your bankroll by hundreds, even thousands of dollars!
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Breeders' Cup Classic Handicapping
With your wagering account at the ready, it is now time to dive into the field for the richest race at the Breedersā Cup. Read on to get to know the best horses in the 2025 Breedersā Cup Classic starting gate.
Breeders' Cup Classic Top Contender
The top play in the Breedersā Cup Classic is Fierceness. He was the runner-up in 2024 and has every right to go one better this year. He won last out in the Pacific Classic (G1) over the Breedersā Cup Classic course and distance ā something East Coast trainer Todd Pletcher rarely does, but did with his only ever Breedersā Cup Classic winner so far, 2019 Classic winner Vino Rosso.
The rail draw is a bit of a question, since he veered in sharply toward the temporary rail after breaking in the Pacific Classic, and now heās drawn on the fence again. But, he bounced back well enough to win that race with authority, and more experience at Del Mar could help him behave better early. Plus, the rail draw should help the price.
Breedersā Cup Classic Price Horse
Baeza, despite being a later bloomer, hung with the best of the three-year-old class. He was third in the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont, second to Sovereignty in the Jim Dandy (G2)...and then stepped into the sun himself with a no-doubt-about-it score in the Pennsylvania Derby (G1).
This will be Baezaās first start against older horses. But the Pennsylvania Derby was a confidence-builder, and he looked strong and well-settled in his final workout at Del Mar before the Breedersā Cup. If he can build on his last race, he should be a serious threat ā and with such a deep field of older horses plus the more-heralded Journalism, Baeza should be a great price in this attempt to turn the tables.
Breedersā Cup Classic Exotic Contenders
Forever Young just keeps showing up. Third in the Breedersā Cup Classic at Del Mar last year, he has never been worse than third in 12 starts. Heāll likely be underlaid on the win end, but his stamina and consistency make him an eminently logical exotic key.
Todd Pletcher sends out top choice Mindframe, but also has another pair of horses who can find the exotics: Antiquarian and Mindframe. Antiquarian got lucky in the Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1), as the only horse who missed the chain reaction inside, but the race came back fast and he has another clean outside draw. Mindframe has been versatile and consistent, and is the epitome of a top-quality horse who stands to get ignored at the windows.
Free Breeders' Cup Classic Picks
With your betting account set up and the best contenders introduced, you have just one thing let to do: place your bets on the Breedersā Cup Classic!
These are the expert best bets for the race.
- $20 to win - #1 Fierceness
- $10 each way - #2 Baeza
- $1 exacta box - #1 Fierceness, #2 Baeza, #5 Forever Young
- $0.50 trifecta key - #1 Fierceness with #2 Baeza, #5 Forever Young, #10 Antiquarian
- $0.20 superfecta key - #1 Fierceness with #2 Baeza, #5 Forever Young, #8 Mindframe #10 Antiquarian
