Although we may be approaching the end of 2021, there is still one of the more anticipated events of the year still to come and for many fans of thoroughbred racing, the upcoming Breeders Cup Classic is the pinnacle of any sporting calendar.
For those who are not in the know, the Breeders Cup Classic has been held every year since 1984 and although it is no longer the richest race in the world, it is still one that pays out a considerable sum to the winner.
A winner that will be declared after one and a quarter miles of frenetic action and with a world-class entry list being announced for its 2021 edition, the question is who will be the next jockey and horse combination to be added to the ever-growing list of Classic winners.
A list that last year saw Authentic cross the finishing line and with John R. Velazquez leading the Bob Baffert-trained thoroughbred to victory, they would snare the biggest slice of the $6m purse that was made available.
Not only that but Authentic certainly lived up to its name, as it was the first time a winning horse had recorded a time of less of two minutes since 2014 – when Bayern was led to victory by jockey Martin Garcia.
Of course, there is a certain synergy between the victories of Authentic and Bayern, as Bob Baffert trained both horses to victory and when it comes to victories in this race, Baffert has been the dominate force since 2014.
A threepeat of trained winners was recorded between 2014 and 2016 and with Authentic doing the business in 2020, it meant that the 68-year-old has won four of the previous seven Breeders Cup Classics.
While Baffert will be hoping that record becomes five wins in the last eight by the end of this week and with Medina Spirit announced into this year’s entry list, such an outcome could well be a possibility.
A possibility that the sports betting and horse racing community feel is a rather large one and with Medina Spirit being considered as one of the favorites to win, the cup could once again be in the possession of the legendary trainer.
Looking at the pre-race odds, Medina Spirit is currently the fourth favorite for victory in just a few days and with such a winning pedigree being attached to the horse’s trainer, odds of +700 look somewhat appealing.
Then again, there are three more contenders who are currently being highly considered for victory and the first of those is Knicks Go. A horse that will be making his retirement at the end of this weekend’s race.
With Knicks Go’s owners announcing that he will be retired to Taylor Made Stallions, it will bring an end to what has surely been a remarkable career up until now and it is a career that has earned $5.5m in winnings in the process.
Such is the figure when it comes to career earnings, that it is nearly the whole of the purse that will be on offer in the 2021 Breeders Cup Classic and although Knicks Go would not scoop it all by crossing the finishing line first, it would certainly add more to its overall winnings before bowing out.
While of course, the world of sport loves fairy tale endings and with just one race left remaining, what better end to Knicks Go’s time on the track, than by signing off with a hard-fought win at the Del Mar racetrack.
Should that be the case and you either believe the horse in question will come out on top or you simply get caught out in the romanticism of it all, you can currently back Knicks Go to win at odds of +275.
If the above outcome does not unfold it may need some essential quality for Knicks Go to be beaten and with the second favorite possessing that very name, it could be Essential Quality at +300 which offers slightly more value.
Add Hot Road Charlie into the mix at +500 and these three along with Medina Spirit will likely comprise your pool of potential winners. The question now, is just which one of these fearsome thoroughbreds will come out on top?
