The 2024 Breeders' Cup Classic will be held on Saturday at Del Mar Racetrack. The 14-horse field is looking like it could be one of the most competitive of the year. Fierceness is in the running for male three-year-old of the year after his win in the Travers Stakes and trainer Todd Pletcher will look for a second Breeders' Cup Classic win and 15th win overall in the series. However, he'll face stiff challenges from several accomplished international horses and highly experienced thoroughbreds. Fierceness is 3-1 in the 2024 Breeders' Cup Classic odds, just behind Irish champion City of Troy at 5-2. Japanese sensation Forever Young is 6-1, while Ushba Tesoro and Sierra Leone round out the top five 2024 Breeders' Cup Classic horses according to oddsmakers at 12-1. Post time is scheduled for 5:41 p.m. ET. With several of the world's best horses set to enter the starting gate on Saturday, you'll want to see what Santa Anita Park-based racing reporter and analyst Michelle Yu has to say before making any 2024 Breeders' Cup Classic picks.
Few people in racing are as well-connected as Yu. An on-air host and reporter who has provided racing analysis for TVG, HRTV and the Breeders' Cup, Yu has spent a lifetime in racing. Prior to her television career, she worked for trainers Steve Asmussen and Ron Moquett. She also is married to Santa Anita-based trainer Ryan Hanson.
Yu also has tremendous handicapping chops. In a wide-open Kentucky Derby in 2021, she gave out Medina Spirit, who crossed the finish line first, as the winner at 12-1. In Pool 5 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager two years ago, she suggested a play on All Other 3-Year-Olds, which cashed at a whopping 18-1 when Rich Strike won the Derby.
She enters the Breeders' Cup Classic on a roll. This year, she correctly called National Treasure to win the Pegasus World Cup, predicted Stronghold's upset win in the Santa Anita Derby, and smashed the exacta in the Apple Blossom Handicap. On the Belmont Stakes undercard, she nailed National Treasure's win in the Met Mile and had the winner and exacta in the Woody Stephens Stakes. Anyone who has followed her is way up.
For the 2024 Breeders' Cup Classic, Yu has handicapped the field, made her picks and constructed her best bets. You can head to SportsLine now to see them.
Top 2024 Breeders' Cup Classic predictions
One surprise: Yu is completely fading City of Troy, even though he is the 5-2 favorite. Irish trainer Aidan O'Brien has sent 17 horses to run in the Breeders' Cup Classic over the years and had some close calls, but he's never been to the winner's circle. This could be his best chance yet but there are still some major obstacles to overcome with this undoubtedly talented horse.
The son of Triple Crown winner Justify out of Galileo mare Together Forever was born in the United States but has never run stateside. Even worse, he's never run competitively on dirt with all seven of his career starts (six wins) coming on turf. He'll have kickback to deal with breaking from the No. 3 post and Yu is avoiding him entirely at his current price. You can see all of Yu's 2024 Breeders' Cup Classic bets here.
How to make 2024 Breeders' Cup Classic picks
Moreover, Yu's top pick is a horse who looks like a "willing and confident horse." She also is high on a double-digit longshot who "has been a fan favorite." She is including this horse in her 2024 Breeders' Cup Classic bets, and so should you. She's sharing which 2024 Breeders' Cup Classic horses to back only at SportsLine.
So who wins the 2024 Breeders' Cup Classic, and how has Yu constructed her wagers? Visit SportsLine to see Yu's picks for the Breeders' Cup Classic 2024, all from the Santa Anita-based racing insider who has been red-hot all year, and find out.
2024 Breeders' Cup Classic odds, contenders
Horse | Odds | Picks |
| City of Troy | 5-2 | SEE PICKS |
| Fierceness | 3-1 | SEE PICKS |
| Forever Young | 6-1 | SEE PICKS |
| Next | 8-1 | SEE PICKS |
| Sierra Leone | 12-1 | SEE PICKS |
| Ushba Tesoro | 12-1 | SEE PICKS |
| Arthur's Ride | 15-1 | SEE PICKS |
| Derma Sotogake | 20-1 | SEE PICKS |
| Highland Falls | 20-1 | SEE PICKS |
| Newgate | 20-1 | SEE PICKS |
| Mixto | 30-1 | SEE PICKS |
| Senor Buscador | 30-1 | SEE PICKS |
| Pyrenees | 30-1 | SEE PICKS |
| Tapit Trice | 30-1 | SEE PICKS |
2024 Breeders' Cup Classic post draw
1 Forever Young
2 Highland Falls
3 City of Troy
4 Mixto
5 Senor Buscador
6 Derma Sotogake
7 Ushba Tesoro
8 Pyrenees
9 Fierceness
10 Tapit Trice
11 Sierra Leone
12 Arthur's Ride
13 Newgate
14 Next