One of the top horse racing events of the year is set to take place this weekend with the 39th edition of The Breeders’ Cup.
A total of 14 races will be held on Nov. 4 and 5 from Keeneland racetrack in Lexington, Ky.
The two-day event signals the end of the North American racing schedule for the year.
Here’s what you need to know about the Breeders’ Cup, including the featured race – the Breeders’ Cup Classic.
2022 Breeders Cup Schedule
The two-day racing event will be telecast throughout the weekend. USA Network and FanDuel TV will be broadcasting Friday’s races and Saturday’s early races.
NBC will have live coverage of the final three races on Saturday. NBC’s streaming service, Peacock, will also provide coverage throughout the weekend.
FanDuel+ is offering up exclusive on-air content for The Breeders’ Cup.
The actual 14-race schedule will run as listed below:
Friday, Nov. 4
- 3 p.m.: Juvenile Turf Sprint ($1 million purse)
- 3:40 p.m.: Juvenile Fillies ($2 million)
- 4:20 p.m.: Juvenile Fillies Turf ($1 million)
- 5 p.m.: Juvenile ($2 million)
- 5:40 p.m.: Juvenile Turf ($1 million)
Saturday, Nov. 5
- 11:50 a.m.: Filly & Mare Sprint ($1 million)
- 12:29 p.m.: Turf Sprint ($1 million)
- 1:10 p.m.: Dirt Mile ($2 million)
- 1:50 p.m.: Filly & Mare Turf ($2 million)
- 2:30 p.m.: Sprint ($2 million)
- 3:10 p.m.: Mile ($2 million)
- 3:55 p.m.: Distaff ($2 million)
- 4:40 p.m.: Turf ($4 million)
- 5:40 p.m.: Classic ($6 million)
Flightline a clear Breeders Cup Classic favorite
The Breeders’ Cup Classic is a 1¼ mile race on a dirt track featuring Grade 1 horses of 3 years of age or older.
Eight horses will contend for the 2022 title, but Flightline has emerged as the clear favorite.
The undefeated 4-year-old colt is listed as a 3/5 favorite out of the fourth position. He is one of the shortest-priced betting interest in Breeders’ Cup history.
At 5-0 over its racing career, Flightline has picked up wins in the Metropolitan Handicap and Pacific Classic Stakes in 2022. He’s been ridden by jockey Flavien Prat in all of his victories.
The nearest contender to Flightline in the odds race is Epicenter at 5/1 out of the sixth position. Life is Good (6/1) in the second position and Taiba (8/1) out of the first position are the only other horses with less than 10/1 odds as of Thursday.
How to bet on horse racing
Betting on horse races is easy, particularly online. Knowing the terminology is important, but the bets themselves are all straightforward.
Regardless of the form of horse racing you are betting on, the types of wagers are all similar. Here’s your options for betting on The Breeders’ Cup.
Straight bets
- Win: You bet on a horse to win.
- Place: You bet on a horse to finish first or second.
- Show: You bet on a horse to finish first, second, or third.
Exotic bets
- Exacta: You bet on two horses to finish first and second, in that order. Big payouts await if you can pick the exact finishing order of the top two. You can also box this bet, flipping the order of finish for two separate bets.
- Quinella: You bet on two horses to finish first and second, in any order. Decent payouts await if you can pick the top two finishers, but this combination will yield smaller results than an exacta.
- Trifecta: You bet on three horses to finish first, second and third, in that order. Even bigger payouts await if you can pick the exact finishing order of the top three. You can also box this bet, flipping the order of finish for the three horses.
- Superfecta: You bet on four horses to finish first, second, third and fourth, in that order. Massive payouts await if you can pick the exact finishing order of the top four. You can also box this bet, but be aware that flipping the order of finish for four horses starts to get expensive.
Wheeling
You can also wheel all of the exotic bets listed above. This is the process of fixing the finishing position of your top horses and adding bets with combinations of even more horses to the later finishing positions.
It’s a way to save money over boxing and still give yourself some additional chances to win.
Where to bet on The Breeders Cup in Michigan
Michigan has multiple online betting options when it comes to horse racing.
TVG was the first to go live in Michigan in June of 2020 and is one of the most recognized names in horse racing betting. TVG is offering up a risk-free first wager up to $200 for new users for The Breeders’ Cup. Just click below to get started.
FanDuel Racing is a recent option that allows users with a FanDuel online sportsbook or casino account to go directly to betting on horse racing. Though FanDuel also owns and operates TVG, it launched its own name brand horse racing app.
TwinSpires also offers online horse racing betting. Launched in September of 2020, TwinSpires attempted to enter the online casino and sports betting industry in Michigan. However, it elected to go back to just the horse racing industry earlier this year.
Xpress Bet launched in March of 2021 for Michigan, while NYRA Bets is also an option for Michigan bettors. It was approved in October of 2021 and is a partner of BetMGM Racing, which is a horse racing online app in other states.
