Breeders’ Cup World Championships 2023: Races, Schedule & Preview

The eyes of the horse racing world will be on Santa Anita Park in November as the 40th edition of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships is staged.

Now firmly established as the climax of the annual international flat racing calendar, the Breeders’ Cup is a must-watch event for all horse racing fans.

The two-day is meeting is headline by 14 thrilling races designed to crown the champion horse across each of the different divisions.

The action gets underway on November 3, with five top-class juvenile races staged on Future Stars Friday. There is also a stacked supporting card.

Nine championship races headline another packed card the following day including the prestigious $6 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic.

That whopping prize pot is part of a staggering $31m pool paid out to owners, stallion nominators, and foal nominators.

Owners are paid down to the tenth finish position in each race and share a percentage of their winnings with their trainer and jockey on their own terms.

A maximum of 14 starters are allowed in each of the Breeders’ Cup races expect the Dirt Mile, Turf Sprint and Juvenile Turf Sprint.

Read on as we look at the schedule for the 2023 Breeders’ Cup World Championships before assessing some of the horses who could feature in the event.

Breeders’ Cup 2023: Schedule

Friday, November 3

ET GMT

  • Race 1 2:55 PM 6:55 PM
  • Race 2 3:25 PM 7:25 PM
  • Race 3 3:55 PM 7:55 PM
  • Race 4 4:30 PM 8:30 PM
  • Race 5 5:05 PM 9:05 PM
  • Race 6 5:50 PM 9:50 PM Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint
  • Race 7 6:30 PM 10:30 PM Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies
  • Race 8 7:10 PM 11:10 PM Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf
  • Race 9 7:50 PM 11:50 PM Breeders’ Cup Juvenile
  • Race 10 8:30 PM 12:30 AM Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf

<h3>Saturday, November 4</h3>

ET GMT

  • Race 1 1:15 PM 5:15 PM
  • Race 2 1:50 PM 5:50 PM  
  • Race 3 2:25 PM 6:25 PM
  • Race 4 3:05 PM 7:05 PM Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint
  • Race 5 3:40 PM 7:40 PM Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint
  • Race 6 4:19 PM 8:19 PM Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile
  • Race 7 4:59 PM 8:59 PM Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf
  • Race 8 5:38 PM 9:38 PM Breeders’ Cup Sprint
  • Race 9 6:20 PM 10:20 PM Breeders’ Cup Mile
  • Race 10 7:00 PM 11:00 PM Breeders’ Cup Distaff
  • Race 11 7:40 PM 11:40 PM Breeders’ Cup Turf
  • Race 12 8:40 PM 12:40 AM Breeders’ Cup Classic

Breeders’ Cup 2023: Preview

The Breeders’ Cup World Championships is one of the biggest betting events of the year, with all of the top bookmakers offering odds months in advance.

The leading horse racing betting sites pay plenty of attention to the Breeders’ Cup Classic – a race described by the organisers as ‘the ultimate test for a thoroughbred on dirt’.

Run over one-and-a-quarter-miles, the Classic has previously been won by some of the finest horses ever to compete on a racetrack.

This year’s Triple Crown series has not produced an outstanding three-year-old candidate, which has created an open feel to the ante-post markets for the Classic.

Godolphin’s Cody’s Wish looks an interesting contender among the older horses, with his pedigree suggesting the ten furlongs trip should not be a problem.

The 2022 Breeders’ Cup Mile winner recorded two easy Grade 1 victories earlier this year before finishing third on his most recent outing at Saratoga.

However, a line can be drawn through that run as the horse stumbled at the start and was unable to get back into contention against some talented opponents.

Forte could be the pick of the three-year-olds having followed up his second-place finish in the Belmont Stakes with a victory in the Jim Dandy Stakes at Saratoga.

The Breeders’ Cup Mile is another race which garners plenty of interest in betting circles and may well feature one of the banker bets of the meeting this year.

The Aidan O’Brien trained Paddington booked his place in the race with a dominant victory in the Sussex Stakes at Goodwood earlier this month.

The three-year-old colt has made rapid progress from handicap company to Group 1 level and could be tough to beat if he runs in the Mile.

Elite Power will also attract plenty of interest from punters when he bids to win the Breeders’ Cup Sprint for the second successive year.

The five-year-old has recorded three more victories since then, including a triumph in the Grade 1 Alfred G Vanderbilt Handicap at Saratoga at the end of July.The son of Curlin was pushed hard by Gunite on that occasion and the pair may well serve up another Breeders’ Cup thriller in the rematch at Santa Anita.

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