Breeders' Cup Classic 2024 prediction, odds, contenders, post positions, lineup: Racing insider's expert picks

The Triple Crown races attract plenty of attention, but there isn't a horse race in North America with a larger purse than the Breeders' Cup Classic. The 2024 Breeders' Cup Classic will take place at Del Mar Racetrack on Saturday and the purse is a staggering $7 million, up $1 million from last year. The 2024 Breeders' Cup Classic field is truly international, with three Japanese horses (Derma Sotogake, Forever Young and Ushba Tesoro), an American-bred Irish champion (City of Troy), and Saudi Cup winner Senor Buscador all scheduled to run.

City of Troy is the 5-2 favorite in the 2024 Breeders' Cup Classic odds. He's followed closely by Fierceness (3-1), arguably the best three-year-old in the United States coming off a Travers Stakes win. 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. Sired by Triple Crown winner Justify out of Galileo mare Together Forever, this Irish champion has six wins in seven career starts, including five career graded-stakes wins.

However, he has never run on dirt and this will be the most talented field he's ever faced. He drew the No. 3 post for Saturday, which puts him in a position where kickback could be an issue. Ultimately, those are enough question marks to make him a horse to avoid at his current price in Yu's eyes. 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

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