BET ON ONLY ONE HORSE DEL MAR Race 8 - Breeders' Cup Classic (Gr. 1) - Del Mar, CA - NBC, PEACOCK

Classic

1 1⁄4 miles, 3YO & up, $7 million (5:41 p.m.)

This year’s signature event has a distinct international flavor and requires a good look at
the foreign invaders. The top North American horse is Todd Pletcher’s Fierceness, last year’s
juvenile champion who has turned around a wildly inconsistent early 3-year-old season with
impressive back-to-back victories in the Jim Dandy and Travers Stakes at Saratoga. He breaks
from a perfect post position and could enjoy a distinct pace advantage if he’s on his game. As
usual, boom or bust. But this is the strongest international run at the Classic to date. Aidan
O’Brien is seeking his first Classic victory and the Wizard of Ballydoyle may have his best shot
yet in European superstar City of Troy, making his final appearance before retirement.
Although this will be his first and only start on dirt, the 5-2 morning line favorite was bred in the
US and is a son of 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify. (For what it’s worth, Justify’s trainer Bob
Baffert thinks City of Troy takes more after the turf side of his pedigree than the muscular
Triple Crown winner.) American racing fans will remember Japanese star Forever Young as
the hard-luck close-up third-place finisher in this year’s Kentucky Derby. He recently signaled
his readiness with a nice stakes win in his home country. Two other Japanese horses add to the
strength of the internationals - Derma Sotogake, another Kentucky Derby alumnus who
finished second in last year’s Classic, and Ushba Tesoro, a lifetime $16.4 million winner after
taking last year’s rich Dubai World Cup and a threat here on his best.

Derby runner-up Sierra Leone is a deep stretchrunner who might be a bit of a
“forgotten” horse after four straight in-the-money finishes including seconds to Fierceness in his
last two. The best of the North American older horses right now is Highland Falls, who won
Saratoga’s Jockey Club Gold Cup over this distance and is in the best form of his career. He’s a
viable betting alternative to the Big Three. Speedy Whitney winner Arthur’s Ride backed up
to fifth as the favorite in the Jockey Club Gold Cup, but should get a more favorable pace
scenario and should lead this field for a long way. Tapit Trice, the “other” Todd Pletcher horse,
has had a nice bounceback year, but he had only three horses to beat in the Woodward at
Aqueduct and has always seemed a cut below the best of his class. Next has become a
sentimental favorite after making a career of dominating lesser in marathons. Late runner
Senor Buscador made the score of his life in the $20 million Saudi Cup last February, but that
coach has turned back into a pumpkin. Frontrunning Mixto upset a weak Pacific Classic field
over this surface. Baffert’s Newgate did likewise when winning the Santa Anita Derby.
Pyrenees was beaten decisively by Highland Falls at Saratoga.