2024 Breeders’ Cup Draw: City of Troy the Classic Favorite over Fierceness

City of Troy, Europe’s star 3-year-old, is the slight 5-2 morning-line favorite over America’s top contender Fierceness in the $7 million Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) at Del Mar on Saturday.

Breeders' Cup Classic 2024 Preview: City of Troy, Fierceness, and More Elite Contenders

While City of Troy will be running in the U.S. for the first time and racing on a dirt track rather than turf for the first time, the colt is a son of 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify and comes into the 1 ¼-mile Classic with four Grade 1 victories.

“It's probably the toughest race in the world, really, the Classic,’’ O’Brien said last week. “It's at the end of the season, even against older horses, for a try to be on a total different continent, a totally different race makeup, totally different surface.

“There's so many first times that he has to deal with. And no matter what we do in this part of the world, we can't replicate that. So, listen, it's very, very tough.”

Fierceness will attempt to win a second straight Breeders’ Cup race after last year’s victory in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) and is the 3-1 second betting choice in a full field o 14.

Forever Young, third in the Kentucky Derby (G1) in a three-horse photo, is back for another try in America, and is the 6-1 third choice. Two other Japan breds, Ushba Tesoro (12-1) and Derma Sotogake (20-1) are also in the field.

City of Troy, trained by Irish wizard Aidan O’Brien, drew post 3 and will be ridden by the world’s top-rated jockey Ryan Moore. O’Brien, with 18 BC victories (mostly on turf) is 0-for-17 in the Classic. City of Troy has a three-racing winning streak, most recently capturing the Juddmonte International (G1).

Fierceness and Thorpedo Anna Prepare for High Stakes in Breeders’ Cup Distaff

Fierceness, trained by Todd Pletcher, drew post 9 and will be ridden by John Velazquez. Fierceness comes into the race off victories in the Jim Dandy Stakes (G2) and the Travers Stakes (G1).

Entries were taken for all 14 races on Monday for the 41st Breeders’ Cup on Nov. 1-2, with five BC races for 2-year-olds on Friday, and the remaining nine on Saturday. Total prize money tops $34 million.

Thorpedo Anna, the star 3-year-old filly trained by Kenny McPeek, tops the field for the $2 million Breeders'Cup Distaff (G1) and is the 4-5 favorite in a field of 10. Thorpedo Anna has overpowered fellow fillies this year and finished a close second to Fierceness in the Travers on Aug. 24.

The $2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) on Friday drew a field of 10, with East Avenue the 5-2 favorite and Chancer McPatrick the 3-1 second choice.

Fierceness, trained by Todd A. Pletcher, exercises in preparation for the Longines Breeders' Cup Classicat Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, California on October 28, 2024. Carlos Calo/Eclipse Sportswire/Breeders Cup

The $5 million Breeders' Cup Turf (G1), the second richest race in the Breeders’ Cup, is led by a large contingent of international runners. Charlie Appleby-trained Rebel’s Romance, the 2022 Distaff winner, returns as the 5-2 favorite in a field of 13. O’Brien sends out two – Wingspan (15-1) and Luxembourg (12-1).

The main attraction will surely be the 1 ¼-mile Classic, which will be run as race 8 with a post time of 5:41 p.m. ET. There are four BC races prior to the Classic and four races after.

While there were 212 pre-entries, the final draw saw 179 entered, including 67 international runners out of 80 pre-entered.

Rest of the Classic field

The Classic field also includes Arthur’s Ride (15-1), Highland Falls (20-1), Mixto (30-1), Newgate (20-1), Next (8-1), Senor Buscador (30-1), Sierra Leone (12-1), Tapit Trice (30-1), and Pyrenees (30-1).

The top three betting choices are 3-year-olds. The field includes seven 4-year-olds, four 3-year-olds, two 6-year-olds (Senor Buscador, Next), and one 7-year-old (Ushba Tesoro).

The last Classic winner who raced outside the U.S. was Raven’s Pass in 2005.

Next comes into the Classic on a seven-race winning streak, all at distances of 1 ½ miles or longer.

Other favorites

Other favorites for Saturday’s race are Ways and Means (5-2) in the Filly & Mare Sprint, Cogburn (7-5) in the Turf Sprint, Notable Speech (7-2) in the Turf, Domestic Product (7-2) in the Mile, Federal Judge (3-1) in the Sprint, and War Like Goddess (5-2) in the Filly & Mare Turf.

No Triple Crown race winners in Classic

For the second year in a row none of the Triple Crown race winners are running the Classic.

Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Mystik Dan recently returned to training; Preakness (G1) winner Seize the Grey is 10-1 in the BC Dirt Mile; and Belmont (G1) winner Dornoch was recently retired.

 

2024 Breeders' Cup Classic Odds and Post Positions
PPHorseOddsTrainerJockey
1Forever Young (JPN)6-1Yoshito YahagiRyusei Sakai
2Highland Falls20-1Brad CoxLuis Saez
3City of Troy5-2Aidan O'BrienRyan Moore
4Mixto30-1Doug O'NeillKyle Frey
5Senor Buscador30-1Todd FincherJoel Rosario
6Derma Sotogake (JPN)20-1Hidetaka OtonashiChristophe Lemaire
7Ushba Tesoro (JPN)12-1Noboru TakagiYuga Kawada
8Pyrenees30-1Cherie DeVauxBrian Hernandez Jr.
9Fierceness3-1Todd PletcherJohn Velazquez
10Tapit Trice30-1Todd PletcherIrad Ortiz Jr.
11Sierra Leone12-1Chad BrownFlavien Prat
12Arthur's Ride15-1William MottJunior Alvarado
13Newgate20-1Bob BaffertLanfranco Dettori
14Next8-1William D. CowansLuan Machado

 

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