Thousands are expected at the Del Mar track for the 2-day Breeders’ Cup World Championships

On November 2, 2024By Littum

DEL MAR, Calif. (CNS) – Thousands of horse racing fans are expected at Del Mar Racetrack when the two-day Breeders’ Cup World Championships begin Friday, with the first day’s events highlighting the sport’s potential future stars.

It is the third time that one of horse racing’s most prestigious annual series of races has been hosted by Del Mar, which also hosted the Breeders’ Cup in 2017 and 2021 and has already been selected as the site for next year’s event.

“Our return to Del Mar for years marks the continuation of a wonderful collaboration and successful partnership, both with our friends at the track and with the greater San Diego area, demonstrating our continued commitment to California horse racing,” Drew Fleming, President and CEO of Breeders’ Cup Ltd, said after Del Mar was chosen to host the 2025 Breeders’ Cup.

Del Mar will be limited to 37,500 for each of the two days of the Breeders’ Cup.

Friday’s events – dubbed “Future Stars Friday” – will include five Breeders’ Cup races for 2-year-old colts and fillies, with the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Filly.

East Coast invader East Avenue – who is unbeaten in two starts and won his last race by 5 1/2 lengths – is the 5-2 morning line favorite in a field of 10 for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile.

Scottish Lassie, who won her last race in New York by nine lengths, is the 5-2 morning line favorite in a field of 10 for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Filly.

Other races Friday will include the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint, with unbeaten Japan-based runner Ecoro Sieg as the 7-2 morning line favorite; the UK-based and unbeaten Lake Victoria as the 8-5 morning line favorite in the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf; and New Century as the 5-2 morning line favorite in the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf.

There will also be five other races on Friday starting at 11:35

Some of the world’s best 3-year-old and older horses will take to the track Saturday, with the premier race — the $7 million Breeders’ Cup Classic — pushed up to 6 p.m. 14.41, a few hours earlier in the day than it is typically run.

Saturday’s race is set to begin at 10:05 a.m., with the first Breeders’ Cup race set for

City of Troy — who has six wins in seven career starts on turf in England and Ireland and is a son of Triple Crown winner Justify — will run on dirt for the first time as the 5-2 morning line favorite in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. He will battle 13 other horses, including Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner 2023 Fierceness (3-1 morning line) and Forever Young (6-1 morning line), a Japanese-based colt who suffered his only loss with a third-place finish in the Kentucky Derby .

Thorpedo Anna – who has won five of her six races this year and suffered her only defeat in a head defeat to Fierceness in the Travers in August – is the 4-5 morning line favorite for the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Distaff.

Other morning line favorites are:

— Rebel’s Romance, seeking his second Breeders’ Cup victory as the 5-2 morning line favorite in the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Turf;

— War Like Goddess, returning for a fourth Breeders’ Cup run as the 5-2 morning line favorite in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Fylly and Mare Turf;

— Federal Judge, attempting his third straight win this year as the 3-1 morning line favorite in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Sprint;

— Notable Speech, the European-based runner who is the 7-2 morning line favorite in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Mile;

— Cogburn, unbeaten in three races this year as the 7-5 morning line favorite for the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint;

— Domestic Product, seeking his third straight win as the 7-2 morning line favorite for the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile;

— Ways and Means, vying for his fourth straight victory as the 5-2 morning line favorite for the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Jumping and Jumping Sprint.

The races will be shown in part on NBC, Peacock, USA Network and Fanduel.