The 63rd running of the Grade 1 Malibu December 26 at Santa Anita features a top-class field in the seven furlong event on the main track.
Shared Belief is the 4/5 morning line favorite for trainer Jerry Hollendorfer. The son of Candy Ride will look to rebound from his first career loss – a fourth place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Classic – while turning back in distance. Shared Belief has amassed career earnings of over $1.8 million in eight career starts, winning seven of them including the Grade 1 Pacific Classic. The versatile colt has won at six furlongs, seven furlongs, a mile and one sixteenth, a mile and an eighth, and a mile and a quarter. Ridden once again by Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith, Shared Belief will break from post eight likely finding a comfortable position behind the early leaders.
Of trainer Bob Baffert’s three entries, Chitu (4/1) looks to be the main danger. Chitu, a participant in the 2014 Kentucky Derby, won the Damascus Stakes October 31 after spending nearly six months on the sidelines. In the Damascus – which was also a seven furlong event at Santa Anita – Chitu broke for the early lead and set fast fractions while maintaining a comfortable margin in the stretch.
Diamond Bachelor (20/1) is working lights out for trainer Patrick Biancone, and rates an upset glance given his ability to pass horses in the stretch. If things get heated on the front end, Diamond Bachelor is a strong candidate to hit the board.
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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