The field is almost set for the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) at Santa Anita Park on Saturday (Nov. 4). The 1¼-mile Classic is the centerpiece of racing’s two-day, 14-race, $31 million championships. In the days leading up to the race, usracing.com will publish snapshots of the entries. Updates with odds and post positions will be published following the draw on Monday, Oct. 30.
Saudi Crown, trained by Brad Cox during morning workouts at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California on October 31, 2023 as horses prepare for the 2023 Breeders’ Cup World Championships. Carlos J. Calo/Eclipse Sportswire/Breeders Cup
Breeders’ Cup Classic Contenders: SAUDI CROWN
By US Racing Team
The son of 2017 Kentucky Derby (G1) hero Always Dreaming is two noses away from being 5-for-5 for trainer Brad Cox. He has sharp early speed, fights when challenged, and is lightly raced, an outstanding profile for the Classic. But this field is by far the toughest he’s ever faced, and the first time he’ll be asked to go 1¼ miles.
His sire won the Derby on a wet track and passed that ability to Saudi Crown, who narrowly missed beating 2022 2-year-old champion Forte in the Jim Dandy (G2) at sloppy Saratoga before taking the Pennsylvania Derby (G1) in the mud at Parx. Some caveats: It’s unlikely it will be raining on race day at Santa Anita, and Saudi Crown’s lead at Parx dwindled from two lengths at the furlong pole to a half-length at the wire. The 1 1/8-mile Pennsylvania Derby was a Grade 1 in name only, and the runner-up, Dreamlike, is 1-for-6 lifetime.
On the plus side, Saudi Crown has been working impressively at Cox’s base, Churchill Downs, breezing 6 furlongs in 1:12 and 1:11 on Oct. 15 and 23 to build his stamina. Maybe he can handle 10 furlongs, but you never know until they do it. Cox’s Knicks Go, also a front-runner, had never gone that far until he won the 2021 Classic by 2¾ lengths at Del Mar. But that was the 24th start for the 5-year-old, and Saudi Crown has only been competing since mid-April.
After the Pennsylvania Derby, Cox said, “Saudi Crown is every bit as capable of getting a mile and a quarter as Knicks Go was. Santa Anita lends itself to speed, but he’s not the only one with speed.”
Breeders’ Cup Classic Odds and Post Positions
Betting advice: Bob Baffert’s Arabian Knight, another gifted need-the-lead type, should make the job harder for the Saudi Crown and could turn him into a pace casualty. If you think Saudi Crown can get to the front early, avoid a duel, and set reasonable fractions, he’s worth a bet, and the price will be generous.
Post position: 6
Odds: 12-1
Jockey: Florent Geroux
Trainer: Brad Cox
Owner: FMQ Stables (Faisal M. Alqahtani)
Biggest Win: Pennsylvania Derby (G1), Parx, Sept. 23
Age: 3
Career record: 5-3-2-0
Career earnings: $817,085
Top Equibase speed figure: 112
Pedigree: Always Dreaming-New Narration, by Tapit
Color: Gray
Running style: Front-runner
Notes: Cox, 43, made a dramatic rise in the past 10 years, from a claiming trainer working with mostly cheap horses to running a world-class operation. “It’s been an amazing roller-coaster ride to get to the point where we are now,” he said … Cox won the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Trainer in 2020 and 2021. He had a record-tying four winners at the 2020 Breeders’ Cup and nine overall … His top horses have been 2021 Horse of the Year and Classic winner Knicks Go and Essential Quality, who took the 2020 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and the 2021 Belmont Stakes … Grew up a few blocks from Churchill Downs, where his father took him as a boy.
The writing team at US Racing is comprised of both full-time and part-time contributors with expertise in various aspects of the Sport of Kings.
