Breeders’ Cup picks for Saturday’s card that includes $7 million Classic

DEL MAR, Calif. — The Breeders’ Cup culminates Saturday with nine horse races seemingly designed to confound even the best handicappers in the land, including the extremely competitive marquee race, the $7 million Classic.

Following Friday’s five races for 2-year-olds, older horses of both genders step into the spotlight to settle divisional honors and possibly line up suitors for their second careers as stallions and broodmares. Here’s the lineup, along with my top three choices, odds for highlighted runners along with estimated post times for each race:

$1 million Filly and Mare Sprint, 7 furlongs on the dirt, noon

Sweet Azteca is favored in a race loaded with speed, which is her primary asset as well. Trainer Bob Baffert has three runners entered, at least one of whom will likely keep the heat on the favorite. That should set the table for an off-the-pace runner to take over in the stretch, with Baffert’s Splendora and jockey Flavien Prat my picks to do the deed.

■ My choices: Splendora (8-1); Tamara (7-2); Sweet Azteca (2-1)

$1 million Turf Sprint, 5 furlongs on the grass, 12:41 p.m.

Favored Motorious, second by a neck in this race last year, breaks from the rail and will try to mow them all down late. With plenty of speed signed on, the 7-year-old might get up in time, but I’ll try to beat him with Shisospicy, a lightning-fast 3-year-old filly trained by Jose D’Angelo and ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr.

■ My choices: Shisospicy (6-1); Governor Sam (15-1); Motorious (7-2)

$2 million Sprint, 6 furlongs on the dirt, 1:21 p.m.

Bentornato, runner-up in this race last year, is favored to win this time around, despite the presence of defending champ Strait No Chaser and many other tough newcomers to the Breeders’ Cup. My money will be on Big City Lights, as trainer Richard Mandella is a master at bringing horses back from long layoffs, and the 6-year-old has been working up a storm preparing for this. His other entrant, the fancied Kopion, can complete the exacta.

■ My choices: Big City Lights (15-1); Kopion (7-2); Imagination (6-1)

$2 million Distaff, 1 1/8 miles on the dirt, 2:01 p.m.

Seismic Beauty has been a monster since stretched out to longer distances, winning three straight on the lead. The favorite has a big speed figure edge over her competition and should be out winging again for Baffert and jockey Juan Hernandez.

■ My choices: Seismic Beauty (9-5); Dorth Vader (5-1); Alice Verite (20-1)

$5 million Turf, 1½ miles on the grass, 2:41 p.m.

Europe-based horses have won the last five runnings of this race and nine of 10. Favored Minnie Hauk, a 3-year-old filly, finished second by a head in the prestigious Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe 26 days ago and has deservedly been installed as the favorite. Her main rivals appear to be globe-trotting Rebel’s Romance, who won the Turf last year and in 2022 at Keeneland, and Goliath, a 5-year-old German-bred gelding who won a Group 1 in his native land last out.

■ My choices: Rebel’s Romance (5-2); Minnie Hauk (8-5); Amiloc (10-1)

$7 million Classic, 1¼ miles on the dirt, 3:25 p.m.

While the Classic lost some luster with the early scratch of Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes winner Sovereignty because of a fever, the race might be an even more difficult handicapping puzzle with the expected favorite’s absence. Fierceness, second in last year’s Classic to Sierra Leone, inherited the favorite’s mantle after Sovereignty’s scratch, but a case can be made for nearly all of the remaining entrants. Rather than throw darts, I’m backing Japanese invader Forever Young, the co-second choice on the revised morning line, to avenge last year’s hard-luck third in this race, but I recommend spreading if you’re playing multirace wagers.

■ My choices: Forever Young (7-2); Fierceness (5-2); Sierra Leone (7-2)

$2 million Mile, 1 mile on the grass, 4:05 p.m.

Europeans have not dominated this race to the same extent as the other long Breeders’ Cup turf races, but Godolphin runner Notable Speech from the powerful Appleby stable is nonetheless favored in this year’s edition. He’ll have to fend off a handful of nearly evenly matched rivals from Europe as well as sharp U.S.-based runners Program Trading and Johannes to persevere. I like Johannes to make it two in a row for Team U.S. at a fair price.

■ My choices: Johannes (8-1); Notable Speech (5-2); Argine (20-1)

$1 million Dirt Mile, 1 mile on the dirt, 4:45 p.m.

Favored Nysos is only a neck short of perfection from six starts, and that lone loss came in the slop. Baffert trainee is strictly the one to beat and is a logical single in multirace bets. His main competition is likely to come from several class horses who landed here instead of in the Classic: 2024 Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan, last year’s Juvenile star Citizen Bull and 2023 Classic winner White Abarrio.

■ My choices: Nysos (8-5); Goal Oriented (6-1); White Abarrio (8-1)

$2 million Filly and Mare Turf, 1 3/8 miles on the grass, 5:25 p.m.

While this is another race in which European runners have dominated in recent years, U.S.-based She Feels Pretty has reeled off six straight wins stateside and might be able to give the visitors a post-Halloween fright. The slight favorite, however, is French-bred filly Gezora, who bombed in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe against males last out, but is a Group 1 winner against her age group and ran quite well against older last out. I’ll go with her given She Feels Pretty’s problematic draw in post 13 in a race that begins right before the far turn.

■ My choices: Gezora (7-2); She Feels Pretty (4-1); Cinderella’s Dream (9-2)

Mike Brunker is a retired Review-Journal editor and horse racing writer who now spends a good amount of time lounging poolside with the Daily Racing Form.