Breeders’ Cup 2023: Odds are Pletcher Still Boasts Strong Entrants

· Oct 25 - 5 minutes read

The 40th Breeders’ Cup is 10 days away, so let’s catch up on a couple notes of interest. Breeders’ Cup entries will be drawn on October 30, but a pair of Todd Pletcher-trained superstars — Forte and Nest — won’t be among the nearly 200 horses competing for a title. Pletcher, though, has several others in his stable that are capable of success. Also, extra soggy turf in England resulted in Grade I winner Inspiral potentially being rerouted to California.

Forte, Nest Leave Stable Empty of Stars, but not Depth

Pletcher won his eighth Eclipse Award as the nation’s top trainer in 2022, and has saddled 14 Breeders’ Cup champions, so his entrants must always be considered. Pletcher worked 12 horses on Thursday, with 11 likely to run on Nov. 4 or 5 at Santa Anita.

Breeders’ Cup 2023: Odds are Pletcher Still Boasts Strong Entrants — Todd Pletcher trainer of Kingsbarns, Forte and Tapit Trice | Andy Lyons/Getty Images/AFP

“It was a good morning, and I was pleased with all the works,”Pletcher told the media. “They did what we wanted them to.”

Pletcher has a candidate in the Classic with Bright Future. The son of Curlin is 4-for-7 lifetime after winning the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup at Saratoga in August and is listed at +1400 on BetUS. … Up to the Mark is among the favorites in the Turf. He is 6-for-11 after winning his last three races, defeating highly regarded Master of the Seas in the Coolmore Turf Mile at Keeneland last out.

Candied, Life Talk and Scalable are all headed for the Juvenile Fillies. Candied is 2-for-2 after winning the Grade 1 Alcibiades at Keeneland. Life Talk comes off a third in the Grade 1 Frizette at Aqueduct. Scalable is still a maiden after two starts, but finished second in the Grade 2 Chandelier at Santa Anita on Oct. 7, so experience over the track could help.

Pletcher could be represented by Locked, Noted and Be You in the Juvenile. Locked is 2-for-3 after winning the Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland at the 3-5 favorite at the racebook under jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. Noted is 2-for-4 with two seconds. … Annapolis, 6-for-13 with four seconds, will race in the Mile. The son of War Front was 11th in this race last year.

Pletcher is expected to have an entry in the Juvenile Turf in Agate Road. The son of Quality Road is 2-for-3 after winning the Grade 2 Pilgrim at Aqueduct. … Life’s an Audible looks like a go in the Juvenile Fillies Turf. The daughter of Audible comes off a second in the Grade 2 Miss Grillo at Aqueduct.

Any of these horses should receive consideration when betting online.

Forte was retired on Thursday. He won the 2022 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile en route to winning the Eclipse Award for champion 2-year-old. Nest will not be pre-entered, but offered at the Fasig-Tipton sale on Nov. 7. Nest was a lackluster fourth in the Spinster at Keeneland on Oct. 8.

Going to California?

British Champions Day at Royal Ascot on Saturday didn’t include Inspiral. The 4-year-old daughter of Frankel ran a subpar race on soft going in August, so her connections decided that the Filly and Mare Turf on a firm Santa Anita course was a better option. Inspiral is listed among the favorites in the Breeders’ Cup Classic odds in broader betting markets, provided she makes the trip.

“That will be the race to go for if she goes,” John Gosden, co-trainer and five-time BC winner, told the media about Inspiral.

Inspiral is 8-for-12 lifetime after winning her last two races – both Grade 1s, including the Sun Chariot Stakes. Frankie Dettori retired from British racing on Saturday, but said he would continue his career in the United States. He may have a mount waiting in Inspiral.

🔥 The Farwell Tour script continues to write itself!

🏆 A straightforward victory for Inspiral in the Group 1 @VirginBet Sun Chariot Stakes for John & @thadygosden

A 5️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ th win @NewmarketRace for @FrankieDettori pic.twitter.com/oFd81mcJqL

— Racing TV (@RacingTV) October 7, 2023

Odds and Ends

Santa Anita plays host to the Breeders’ Cup for the 11th time. The most memorable moment came in 2009, when Zenyatta made a remarkable last-to-first move to mow down the boys in the Classic as track announcer Trevor Denman cried “This-is-un-be-lievable!”
Irad Ortiz Jr. is taking ownership of the BC jockey colony. Ortiz has won 17 BC races, including three in each of the last two years and 14 since 2018. Mike Smith holds the all-time record with 27 trips to the BC winner’s circle.
D. Wayne Lukas leads trainers with 20 career BC victories followed by Bob Baffert (18), Aiden O’Brien (16), Chad Brown (16) and Pletcher (14).

Questions Of The Day

Which is the best bet to make on the Breeders’ Cup Classic?

That depends on how many horses you like in the race. If it’s one, play to win. If it’s two, consider an exacta box. If three, a trifecta box is the way to go.