The eagerly anticipated day for racing enthusiasts and wagering aficionados is nearly upon us. The Breeders’ Cup Saturday schedule is set to showcase the leading international equine athletes and jockeys in a series of nine championship contests on Saturday, Nov. 1 at Del Mar. The highlight of the occasion will be the $7 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic, recognized as the most lucrative horse race in North America.
Live television coverage on NBC is scheduled for 3 ½ hours, from 3:30-7 p.m. ET/12:30-4 p.m. PT, featuring five Breeders’ Cup races, culminating with the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Comprehensive coverage of the entire Saturday program from Del Mar will be available on FanDuel TV and Peacock. USA Network will broadcast live from 2-3:30 p.m. ET/11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. PT, presenting a preliminary race followed by the initial Breeders’ Cup event. USA’s coverage will resume from 7-8 p.m. ET/ 4-5 p.m. PT for the Breeders’ Cup Mile and Dirt Mile.
Here are essential details regarding Saturday’s nine Breeders’ Cup championship races.
PNC BANK BREEDERS’ CUP FILLY & MARE SPRINT
Distance: Seven furlongs on dirt
Post time: 3:00 p.m. ET (12 p.m local time)
Wagering Menu: Win/place/show, exacta, trifecta, superfecta, super hi-5, double, pick 3, pick 4, All-Dirt Pick 4
Background: The Filly & Mare Sprint was introduced in 2007, expanding the Breeders’ Cup beyond its original eight races. Over 18 previous stagings, no contender has secured victory leading from start to finish. This tendency for horses to win from behind was evident in the previous year’s race, where Soul of an Angel surged from the rear to claim victory for trainer Saffie Joseph Jr.
Favorites: This year’s Filly & Mare Sprint appears to be dominated by contenders with California affiliations, providing them with the benefit of competing on familiar ground. Richard Mandella trains Kopion, the victor of Churchill Downs’ seven-furlong Grade 1 Derby City Distaff Stakes Presented by Kendall-Jackwon Winery, showcasing impressive speed figures in three of her recent four appearances, along with Tamara, a past Grade 1 champion who recently won Santa Anita Park’s Grade 3 Chillngworth Stakes. Bob Baffert trains Hope Road, the winner of Saratoga’s Grade 1 Resorts World Casino Ballerina Stakes, and Richi who was runner up in Santa Anita’s Grade 2 Zenyatta Stakes. Richard Baltas trains Sweet Azteca, boasting a perfect 2-for-2 record this year, including a triumph in Del Mar’s Grade 3 Rancho Bernardo Handicap.
Interesting Storylines: The runner in this event ridden by jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. often emerges as a formidable competitor. Irad has secured four victories in the last eight editions of the Filly & Mare Sprint, triumphing in 2017, 2018, 2022, and 2023.
PREVAGEN BREEDERS’ CUP TURF SPRINT
Distance: Five furlongs on turf
Post time: 3:41 p.m. ET (12:41 local time)
Wagering Menu: Win/place/show, exacta, trifecta, superfecta, super hi-5, double, pick 3, pick 5, All-turf Pick 4
Background: The initial nine installments of this race, which began in 2008, were primarily contested at 6 ½ furlongs until transitioning to a 5 or 5 ½-furlong sprint in recent years. At Del Mar, the race is consistently run over five furlongs. Trainers from Southern California once held a strong grip on this race, but no stable from SoCal has achieved victory since Belvoir Bay, trained by Peter Miller, in 2019. Starlust, a European invader, won the previous year’s race with a payout of $69.20.
Favorites: The prior year’s Turf Sprint concluded in a closely contested three-horse photo finish, with Starlust ultimately claiming the top spot. Both Motorious, the runner-up, and Ag Bullet, the third-place finisher, are set to return and vie for favoritism this year. Arizona Blaze, who secured second place in the preceding year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint, enters this race in excellent form following a Group 1 victory in Ireland in his most recent start.
Interesting Storylines: The 5-year-old mare Ag Bullet, who previously triumphed against male competitors in Saratoga’s Grade 1 Jaipur Stakes, is among three fillies pre-entered in the main roster for the 2025 Turf Sprint, along with European contender She’s Quality and Shisospicy, who has a flawless record in American turf sprints in 2025, including three stakes victories. Japanese filly Puro Magic is the first alternate on the also-eligible list. Another notable on the also-eligible list is Nobals, the 2023 Turf Sprint champion.
CYGAMES BREEDERS’ CUP SPRINT
Distance: Six furlongs on dirt
Post time: 4:21 p.m. ET (1:21 local time)
Wagering Menu: Win/place/show, exacta, trifecta, superfecta, super hi-5, double, pick 3, pick 4
Background: The Sprint is one of the original Breeders’ Cup races, consistently held at the six-furlong distance. In the three previous runnings of the Sprint at Del Mar, the winners were Roy H in 2017, Aloha West in 2021, and Straight No Chaser in 2024. Aloha West entered the race following a second-place finish in the Stoll Keenon Ogden Phoenix Stakes at Keeneland, while Straight No Chaser and Roy H, both based in SoCal, secured wins in the Santa Anita Sprint Championship Stakes Presented by Estrella Jalisco.
Favorites: The 2025 Sprint showcases a rematch between Straight No Chaser and Bentornato, the first- and second-place finishers from the 2024 Sprint, who were separated by a narrow margin of only a half-length. Both horses have maintained light racing schedules this season, with Straight No Chaser participating in three races and Bentornato securing a victory in his sole outing since the prior year’s Sprint. The Grade 2 Santa Anita Sprint Championship has emerged as a significant preparatory race for Breeders’ Cup Sprints hosted at Del Mar, bolstering the prospects of this year’s winner, Imagination, trained by Bob Baffert.
Interesting Storylines: Straight No Chaser seeks to become the fourth horse to win the Sprint in consecutive years, emulating the achievements of Elite Power in 2022-23, Roy H in 2017-18, and Midnight Lute in 2007-08. Spectators and analysts anticipating a display of pure speed may be disappointed, as the Sprint in the 2020s has not conformed to that expectation, unlike in the 2010s. Elite Power secured victories in the 2022 and 2023 Sprints with late surges from the latter half of the field, Whitmore rallied from seven lengths behind in 2020, Aloha West overcame a slow start to win in 2021, and Straight No Chaser failed to secure the early lead in 2024.
LONGINES BREEDERS’ CUP DISTAFF
Distance: 1 1/8 miles on dirt
Post time: 5:01 p.m. ET (2:01 local time)
Wagering Menu: Win/place/show, exacta, trifecta, superfecta, super hi-5, double, pick 3, pick 4, pick 6, Distaff-Classic Daily Double
Background: The Distaff has been a part of the Breeders’ Cup since its inception in 1984, though it was briefly known as the Ladies Classic and held on Fridays in the late 2000s. This race has featured some of the most accomplished fillies and mares, including champions like Monomoy Girl, Beholder, Zenyatta, Ashado, Paseana, Bayakoa, Personal Ensign, Lady’s Secret, and others. Last year’s winner, 2024 Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna, will be recognized with a plaque in the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs.
Favorites: Seismic Beauty, trained by Bob Baffert, is expected to be the favorite in the 2025 Distaff due to her impressive rise this season, which includes three consecutive wins in California, starting with an allowance optional claiming win and followed by graded stakes victories, including Del Mar’s Grade 1 Clement L. Hirsch Stakes Presented by Oak Tree Racing Association. She has won each race leading from start to finish. Seismic Beauty’s main competition may come from the top two finishers in Keeneland’s Grade 1 Juddmonte Spinster Stakes, Gin Gin and Nitrogen (winner of the Alabama Stakes Presented by Keeneland Sales at Saratoga), or from Dorth Vader, who finished a close second to Thorpedo Anna in Saratoga’s Grade 1 Personal Ensign Stakes.
Interesting Storylines: Thorpedo Anna’s dominance last year discouraged many potential challengers, resulting in a field of only seven horses. However, with no clear standout this year, the race has attracted 14 pre-entries. Historically, the Distaff has seen many memorable matchups between 3-year-olds and older horses, but with the exception of Thorpedo Anna in 2024, older fillies and mares often prevail. A 3-year-old filly has won the race only five times in the last 20 years.
LONGINES BREEDERS’ CUP TURF
Distance: 1 ½ miles on turf
Post time: 5:41 p.m. ET (2:41 local time)
Wagering Menu: Win/place/show, exacta, trifecta, superfecta, super hi-5, double, pick 3, pick 5
Background: The $5 million grass feature of the Breeders’ Cup card consistently attracts an international field of top turf competitors, and this year will be no different, with more than half of the pre-entered horses coming from overseas. Since 2007, only three American-based horses have won the Turf: Little Mike in 2012, Main Sequence in 2014, and Bricks and Mortar in 2019. Trainer Aidan O’Brien ended a six-year drought by winning with Auguste Rodin in 2023, giving him seven career Turf wins. He has also finished second six times and third five times.
Favorites: Rebel’s Romance will attempt to secure his third Turf win (after victories in 2024 and 2022), making him the first-ever three-time winner of this race. He has already won five times this year in four different countries, including his U.S. victory in the Grade 1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Stakes in New York. However, Rebel’s Romance may not even be the favorite in the 2025 Turf. Aidan O’Brien has pre-entered Minnie Hauk, the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe runner-up, a 3-year-old filly sired by Frankel and owned by Coolmore who won three consecutive Group 1 races this summer before finishing second in the Arc by a head.
Interesting Storylines: O’Brien will attempt to become the first trainer to win a Breeders’ Cup race eight times, but in recent years, Charlie Appleby and Godolphin have challenged O’Brien’s and Coolmore’s dominance, with three Turf wins in the past four years. Appleby will have two entrants this year, including Rebel’s Romance. European horsemen used to dislike Breeders’ Cups in California due to the heat and the Pacific time zone, but they have recently favored Del Mar due to its cooler seaside fall temperatures. European horses have won every Breeders’ Cup Turf run at Del Mar in 2017, 2021, and 2024.
LONGINES BREEDERS’ CUP CLASSIC
Distance: 1 ¼ miles on dirt
Post time: 6:25 p.m. ET (3:25 local time)
Wagering Menu: Win/place/show, exacta, trifecta, superfecta, super hi-5, double, pick 3, pick 4
Background: The Classic is the premier race of the day and the season-ending championship race in North American racing. With a purse of $7 million, the Classic is among the world’s richest races and has the highest purse of any race in North America. The world’s best dirt horses compete at the classic distance of 1 ¼ miles, impacting the Eclipse Awards in the older male, 3-year-old, and Horse of the Year divisions. Many American greats have won this race, including Flightline (2022), Gun Runner (2017), American Pharoah (2015), Zenyatta (2009), Curlin (2007), Tiznow (2000-01), Cigar (1995), and Sunday Silence (1989).
Favorites: The 2025 Classic is shaping up to be one of the best in its history, not because of one star horse, but due to the number of star horses and potential stars in the field. Sovereignty, the winner of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve and the Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets, as well as Saratoga’s DraftKings Travers Stakes and Jim Dandy Stakes Presented by Mohegan Sun, will likely be the favorite. The Classic will also feature the winners of many of the year’s top races, including Sierra Leone, last year’s Classic winner who won the 2025 Whitney Stakes; Fierceness, who won Del Mar’s Pacific Classic Stakes; Mindframe, who won the Stephen Foster Stakes; and Antiquarian who won the Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes, plus 3-year-olds Journalism who won the Preakness Stakes; Baeza who won the Pennsylvania Derby; and Nevada Beach who won Santa Anita Park’s Goodwood Stakes.
Interesting Storylines: Sierra Leone will attempt to become only the second repeat winner in the history of the Classic (Tiznow, 2000-01). All three of last year’s top finishers will return for this 2025 rematch, including 2024 runner-up Fierceness and third-place finisher Forever Young. While foreign horses have won this race in the past, and Japanese horses have won other Breeders’ Cup races, Forever Young will attempt to become the first Japanese-based horse ever to win the Classic.
FANDUEL BREEDERS’ CUP MILE PRESENTED BY PDJF
Distance: 1 mile on turf
Post time: 7:05 p.m. ET (4:05 local time)
Wagering Menu: Win/place/show, exacta, trifecta, superfecta, super hi-5, double, pick 3
Background: As one of the original seven Breeders’ Cup events, and with a $2 million purse, the Mile attracts an international all-star field. North American horses have won the Mile 22 times, including last year’s winner More Than Looks, trained by Cherie DeVaux. However, European connections have recently had an advantage, with five of the last seven winners, largely due to trainer Charlie Appleby and Godolphin winning three years in a row with Master of the Seas in 2023, Modern Games in 2022, and Space Blues in 2021.
Favorites: Charlie Appleby and Godolphin aimed for their fourth straight Mile win in 2024, but fell short, finishing third with Notable Speech. This year, Notable Speech returns, seeking redemption. He now comes in with a North American prep race win, the Grade 1 Rogers Woodbine Mile Stakes. That should be enough to earn him favoritism for the second year in a row. Formidable Man, trained by Mike McCarthy, may also deserve to be favored. He has a perfect 6-for-6 record at Del Mar, including back-to-back wins this summer in the Eddie Read Stakes and the Del Mar Mile Stakes.
Interesting Storylines: Nothing is certain except death and taxes, especially in horse racing and gambling, but one thing is almost guaranteed: the front runner or any horse involved in the early pace almost never wins the Breeders’ Cup Mile. Except for Hall-of-Famer Lure in 1992-93, no other pacesetter has ever won the Mile (Tepin in 2015, Kip Deville in 2007 and Goldikova in 2008 raced closer to the pace than most winners). Most Mile winners have been stalkers or closers like More Than Looks, who came from last place. In the last 16 runnings since 2009, no winner except Tepin was within three lengths of the lead at the first call.
BREEDERS’ CUP DIRT MILE
Distance: 1 mile on dirt
Post time: 7:45 p.m. ET (4:45 local time)
Wagering Menu: Win/place/show, exacta, trifecta, superfecta, super hi-5, daily double
Background: First held at the 2007 Breeders’ Cup, the Dirt Mile has gained prominence in the 2020s, becoming one of the headline events of the Breeders’ Cup program. Recent winners include Knicks Go (2020), Life Is Good (2021), and Cody’s Wish (2022 and 2023). This year’s edition features one of the best fields in the race’s history.
Favorites: Defending Dirt Mile champion Full Serrano returns to defend his title against a loaded field. To repeat, he must defeat a lineup including Mystik Dan (winner of the 2024 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve) who exits a win in Churchill Downs’ Grade 2 Lukas Classic Stakes, White Abarrio (winner of the 2023 Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic) who won the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes early this season, and Bob Baffert’s strong trio of Nysos, Citizen Bull (2024 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner), and Goal Oriented.
Interesting Storylines: Nysos has shown the potential for greatness as a middle-distance horse but has been sidelined at key points in his career. He won his first three races by a combined 26 ¾ lengths before an ankle chip caused him to miss over a year (February 2024 to May 2025). More recently, he was the morning-line favorite in the Pacific Classic on Aug. 30, but was scratched the morning of the race with a bruised hoof. Nysos has won five of his six career races, but can he be ready without a final prep race for the Dirt Mile? His most recent race was on July 26, when he won Del Mar’s San Diego Handicap. Despite the doubts, Nysos will be a difficult horse to ignore when betting the race.
MAKER’S MARK BREEDERS’ CUP FILLY & MARE TURF
Distance: 1 3/8 miles on turf
Post time: 8:45 p.m. ET (5:45 local time)
Wagering Menu: Win/place/show, exacta, trifecta, superfecta, super hi-5
Background: First held in 1999, the Filly & Mare Turf was the Breeders’ Cup’s first expansion from its original seven-race program. For more than a decade, this race has been dominated by overseas invaders (seven of the last nine editions) or horses trained by Chad Brown (four of the last 13 years). In the previous year, Canadian champion Moira ended a streak of five consecutive foreign-based runners winning the Filly & Mare Turf.
Favorites: She Feels Pretty will lead the North American group and may be favored based on her three wins in four outings this season, including two Grade 1 wins. To win, she must beat several European challengers, including Gezora (winner of France’s Group 1 Prix de Diane Longines) and See the Fire, who recently finished second in the Group 1 Prix de l’Opera Longines. The chances of every other horse in the field will decrease if Minnie Hauk, a multiple Group 1 winning 3-year-old filly, enters the Filly & Mare Turf, but her first preference appears to be the $5 million Longines Turf.
Interesting Storylines: Chad Brown is the most prominent trainer in the female turf division domestically and has won this race a record four times (but not since 2018 with Sistercharlie). Brown will attempt to break his dry spell with Village Voice, a 5-year-old mare who came to his barn this season and won her only start of 2025 in Saratoga’s Grade 3 Waya Stakes at the race’s 1 3/8-mile distance. Charlie Appleby won this race in 2017 with Wuheida, but he finished second and fourth last year with Cinderella’s Dream and Beautiful Love. He will have two major contenders this year as Cinderella’s Dream returns, along with Diamond Rain, who recently missed by a head behind She Feels Pretty in her North American debut in Woodbine’s Grade 1 E. P. Taylor Stakes.
