The $300,000 Grade 1 Awesome Again September 27 at Santa Anita is perhaps the most significant Breeders’ Cup prep race in a weekend jammed with enough Breeders’ Cup prep races to make a handicapper’s head spin.
While there are surely better races from a wagering standpoint over the weekend, Shared Belief’s performance will almost assuredly dictate which horse is the betting favorite in the BC Classic. Tabbed at 3/5 on the morning line in the mile and an eighth Awesome Again, it seems a foregone conclusion that Shared Belief will deliver a victory against a modest field and extend his perfect record to seven wins in seven tries. If that happens, Shared Belief could be the first heavily-favored three year-old in the Breeders’ Cup Classic since Bernardini went off at even money in 2006 at Churchill Downs.
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Unlike Bernardini who finished second to superstar and eventual Horse of the Year Invasor, Shared Belief will be facing a rather lackluster group of older horses in the BC Classic - particularly in the absence of the retired Palace Malice. Despite Shared Belief’s brilliance, the Jerry Hollendorfer trainee hasn’t exactly faced elite horses in his short career. His main rival in the Awesome Again, Majestic Harbor (5/1), arguably represents the best horse Shared Belief has faced up to this point.
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Shared Belief easily defeated Majestic Harbor in the Pacific Classic, but Majestic Harbor is clearly a better horse on dirt and returns to the site of his Grade 1 triumph in the Hollywood Gold Cup. If Majestic Harbor – or another horse – is good enough to beat Shared Belief or give him a scare in the Awesome Again, then the Breeders’ Cup Classic picture gets much more complicated.
Saturday, January 29 at Gulfstream Park is one of the biggest races of the year: the Pegasus World Cup (G1)! This $3 million race, covering a mile and an eighth on the Gulfstream dirt track, drew a field of nine handicap horses. The eyes of the racing world will be on Gulfstream on Saturday, and you can bet it from the comfort of your own home here in Canada!
The Kentucky Derby trail makes its way to Oklahoma on Friday, December 17 for the Remington Springboard Mile! The race drew a field of nine up-and-coming two-year-olds to go a mile on the main track. The prizes are rich: a $400,000 purse, as well as Road to the Kentucky Derby points (10-4-2-1) for the first four horses across the wire.
The Los Alamitos Futurity (G2), California’s most important Kentucky Derby Prep in December, is coming up on Saturday, December 11! The race features the most promising two-year-olds in California, set to go a mile and a sixteenth over the dirt at Los Alamitos Racecourse. The race offers a purse of $300,000, as well as Road to the Kentucky Derby points, apportioned 10-4-2-1 to the top four finishers.
Let's have a look at the 2021 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf betting picks and predictions.
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