Breeders' Cup Kicks Off in Kentucky With 14 Races and Major Stars

The Breeders' Cup begins Friday at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky., with Bob Baffert's Hughes favored to win the Juvenile. The race marks the start of a two-day event that includes 14 contests. The meeting features nine horses that have won Breeders' Cup races in the past, including Forever Young, who is entered in Saturday's Classic. Eight horses from the 2024 and 2025 seasons hold Eclipse Award titles, led by Horse of the Year Sovereignty. The field includes more than two dozen horses ranked in the top 50 in North America and Europe, along with two Kentucky Derby winners.

The event is known for upsets, as historically unbeatable horses often fall to better-situated opponents. Racing correspondent Kevin Modesti notes that identifying which stars will perform and which are vulnerable is the primary challenge for bettors. The races start at 11:55 a.m. PDT on Friday and continue until 10:10 p.m. Saturday. Modesti provided top four picks for each race, citing form, jockey changes, and track conditions as key factors.

In the Friday Juvenile, Hughes is the favorite despite Salahudin's strong record in Kentucky. Salahudin won his last three starts on the turf, including a victory at Churchill Downs where he gave away many lengths. In the Juvenile Fillies, Baffert brought Miss Monica to Kentucky after a win at Del Mar, skipping the Oak Leaf Stakes at Santa Anita. Baffert said the decision was based on the horse's physical and mental growth. Trainer Aidan O'Brien, who is tied with Baffert for the most Breeders' Cup wins among trainers with 21 each, called Sun Goddess his best shot for a win this year.

Saturday's card includes a Turf Sprint where California jockey Juan Hernandez, who is 0 for 27 in Breeders' Cup races, rides Bacio. Hernandez has traveled to England to ride Bacio for trainer Wesley Ward. The Filly & Mare Turf features Precise, who passed a 1.25-mile test in France, against Blue Bolt, the leading European horse in global rankings. Blue Bolt has never raced longer than one mile, making the 1.25-mile distance a test. In the Distaff, Splendora was scratched on Thursday on the advice of a regulatory veterinarian, leaving Nitrogen as the favorite.

The main event, the Classic, is a $7 million race billed as a duel between Forever Young and Sovereignty. Sovereignty, a Kentucky Derby winner, battled a hind-foot abscess, leaving his preparation less than ideal. Forever Young is the favorite to pull off the first Classic repeat since Tiznow in 2000 and 2001. Knightsbridge, the winner of the Pacific Classic, is expected to be an exacta partner. In the Turf, Ryan Moore chose Irish Derby winner Benvenuto Cellini over the filly Diamond Necklace, drawing a preferable inside post. O'Brien said he has worked on making Benvenuto Cellini sharper early than he was in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.

Last year at Del Mar, five of the 14 races were won by the betting favorites. Modesti's column had six top picks that won, with theoretical bets returning $33 on $28. The event continues with the Dirt Mile and Mile races, where Notable Speech aims to repeat his 2025 victory at Del Mar. The Sprint features Englishman, trained by Cherie DeVaux, as the favorite. The Filly & Mare Sprint includes Ways and Means as the 7-5 favorite, with Baffert's Explora as a potential threat.