Outside of the Triple Crown, The Breeders’ Cup is thoroughbred racing’s biggest event. Held annually in the fall, The Breeders’ Cup traditionally consists of more than $30 million in stakes races over two days.
The Breeders’ Cup has been around since 1984 and now includes as many as 14 different stakes races. The host track changes every year, although Santa Anita Park in California and Churchill Downs in Kentucky remain the two most popular destinations.
This year, the 2024 Breeders’ Cup will go off at Del Mar Racetrack in Del Mar, California, on Friday, Nov. 1, and Saturday, Nov. 2. What’s different about the 2024 edition, particularly for people in Pennsylvania, is that you now have more places to bet on the races than ever before.
Read on to find out how Breeders’ Cup betting works and how you can bet on any Breeders’ Cup race right here in PA.
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Breeders’ Cup bet types
Anyone can bet on the Breeders’ Cup. The betting is the same as any other horse race and it’s easy to do.
Pick a horse to win, place, or show. Or, pick combinations of horses in exact or varied finishing order. It’s all up to you.
Here’s a list of the basic bets you can place on any Breeders’ Cup race:
- Win: A bet on one horse to win a Breeders’ Cup race.
- Place: A bet on one horse to finish first or second in a Breeders’ Cup race.
- Show: A bet on one horse to finish first, second, or third in a Breeders’ Cup race.
- Exacta: A single bet on two horses to finish first and second in the exact order in a Breeders’ Cup race. You also can box the Exacta, placing another bet changing the finishing order.
- Trifecta: A single bet on three horses to finish first, second, and third in the exact order in a Breeders’ Cup race. You also can box the Trifecta, covering all finishing order combinations.
- Superfecta: A single bet on four horses to finish first, second, third, and fourth in the exact order in a Breeders’ Cup race. You also can box the Superfecta, covering all finishing order combinations.
- Wheeling: You can also wheel the Exacta, Trifecta, and Superfecta, fixing the finishing position of certain horses and covering different horses and finishing order combinations.
Bet on Breeders’ Cup online
Betting online has never been easier and FanDuel Racing remains the best place to do it. You can bet on The Breeders’ Cup with FanDuel Racing using your computer, phone or tablet, wherever you are inside the state, provided you have access to the internet. Simply download the FanDuel Racing app to your iOS or Android mobile device or access the FanDuel Racing website on your computer.
Sign up for an account, deposit money in that account, and browse through the Breeders’ Cup betting markets until you find something you want to bet on.
If you opt to wager in person at retail sportsbooks in PA, be aware that they might not offer the same parimutuel betting FanDuel Racing does. Parimutuel betting gets you in the betting pool created by wagers at tracks, legal OTBs, and online horse betting operators nationwide. That ensures you get paid at the odds set by the market on all bets.
Sportsbooks taking Breeders’ Cup bets outside the pari-mutuel pool may cap payouts on longshots and certain exotic bets. If you’re thinking of placing a bet with long odds, check with the specific sportsbook first to see how they handle horse race betting.
Breeders’ Cup odds 2024
Opening odds are set for each horse in every Breeders’ Cup race by track handicappers. They use things like the horse’s previous record and current condition to determine the odds. Then, the market takes over. Essentially, the final odds are set by the amount of money bet on each horse relative to how much is bet on the other horses.
That means you can see the odds change in real-time before the start of every race. These changes can be pretty drastic, turning opening long shots into favorites if enough money is bet on the horse.
Unlike traditional sports betting, you don’t lock in the current odds when you make a bet. The odds you get paid are the odds when the race starts and all the bets are in.
Here’s a look at the current 2024 Breeders’ Cup betting odds from bet365 Sportsbook PA. These odds are current as of 10/17:
| Post | Horse | Jockey | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | City of Troy | R. Moore | +225 |
| 2 | Fierceness | J. Velazquez | +450 |
| 3 | Forever Young | R. Sakai | +500 |
| 4 | Sierra Leone | F. Prat | +1000 |
| 5 | Highland Falls | F. Prat | +1100 |
| 6 | Ushba Tesoro | Y. Kawada | +1400 |
| 7 | Newgate | J. Velazquez | +1600 |
| 8 | Arthur's Ride | J. Alvarado | +2000 |
| 9 | Tapit Trice | D. Davis | +2000 |
| 10 | Seize the Grey | J. Torres | +2000 |
| 11 | Pyrenees | B. Hernandez Jr. | +2500 |
| 12 | Dragoon Guard | J. Torres | +3300 |
| 13 | Derma Sotogake | C. Lemaire | +3300 |
| 14 | Senor Buscador | J. Talamo | +3300 |
| 15 | First Mission | F. Geroux | +4000 |
| 16 | Mixto | K. Frey | +4000 |
| 17 | Batten Down | J. Alvarado | +5000 |
Breeders’ Cup betting offers & odds boosts
Take advantage of the fact FanDuel Racing is running a welcome offer right now for new sign-ups looking to bet on the Breeders Cup or other races.
Use our links above when signing up at FanDuel Racing and be eligible for a $500 No Sweat First Bet if your first single-horse wager happens to lose.
FanDuel Racing will also be running a variety of Breeders’ Cup promos surrounding specific races that may include:
- Money-back specials offering you cashback on a horse that finishes second or third
- Exacta and pick four insurance giving you cashback if you come close
- Win bonuses paying off a little extra on winning bets
- Free play contests allowing you to bet on certain races without risking anything
Who won the Breeders’ Cup Classic last year?
The biggest Breeders’ Cup Race is the $7 million Breeders’ Cup Classic. It is the final race in the series held for three-year-olds and upon a 1¼ mile track.
That means this year it’s the fifth-to-last race on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, scheduled at Del Mar Race Track. Post time is scheduled for 5:40 p.m. ET.
The Breeders’ Cup Classic is widely considered horse racing’s premier race and almost always includes the winners of the Preakness Stakes, Kentucky Derby, and Belmont Stakes among its 14 starters.
Here’s what happened in the 2023 Breeders’ Cup Classic:
| Finish | Program # | Horse | Jockey | Trainer | Morning Line |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | White Abarrio | I. Ortiz Jr. | R. Dutrow Jr. | 4-1 |
| 2 | 5 | Derma Sotogake | C. Lemaire | H. Otonashi | 20-1 |
| 3 | 13 | Proxy | J. Rosario | M. Stidham | 12-1 |
| 4 | 12 | Arabian Knight | J. Hernandez | B. Baffert | 3-1 |
| 5 | 8 | Ushba Tesoro | Y. Kawada | N. Takagi | 4-1 |
| 6 | 11 | Bright Future | M. Franco | T. Pletcher | 10-1 |
| 7 | 9 | Senor Buscador | J. Talamo | T. Fincher | 30-1 |
| 8 | 10 | Dreamlike | I. Ortiz | T. Pletcher | 30-1 |
| 2 | Zandon | L. Dettori | C. Brown | 12-1 | |
| 6 | Saudi Crown | F. Geroux | B. Cox | 12-1 | |
| 7 | Clapton | D. Davis | C. Summers | 20-1 | |
| 4 | Missed The Cut | J. Doyle | J. Sadler | 30-1 |
Breeders’ Cup purse
The Breeders’ Cup consists of the following stakes races with the following purses:
- $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf
- $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf
- $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint
- $1 million Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile
- $1 million Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint
- $1 million Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint
- $2 million Breeders’ Cup Sprint
- $2 million Breeders’ Cup Mile
- $2 million Breeders’ Cup Distaff
- $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies
- $2 million Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf
- $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile
- $5 million Breeders’ Cup Turf
- $7 million Breeders’ Cup Classic
The purses are awarded according to the following purse distribution percentages:
Finish/Purse percentage
- 1st 52%
- 2nd 17%
- 3rd 9%
- 4th 5%
- 5th 3%
- 6th 2%
- 7th 1%
- 8th 1%
- 9th 1%
- 10th 1%
The Breeders’ Cup Classic has a $7 million purse, which means the following prizes will be awarded:
Finish/Purse
- 1st $3,640,000
- 2nd $1,190,000
- 3rd $630,000
- 4th $350,000
- 5th $210,000
- 6th $140,000
- 7th $70,000
- 8th $70,000
- 9th $70,000
- 10th $70,000
Breeders’ Cup post times 2024
The 2024 Breeders’ Cup will consist of the following stakes races with the following post times or start times. Get all bets down before these post times:
Friday, November 1, 2024
- $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint 5:45 p.m. ET
- $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies 6:25 p.m. ET
- $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf 7:05 p.m. ET
- $2 million Breeders’ Cup FanDuel Juvenile 7:45 p.m. ET
- $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf 8:25 p.m. ET
Saturday, November 2, 2024
- $1 million Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile 3:00 p.m. ET
- $1 million Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint 3:41 p.m. ET
- $2 million Breeders’ Cup Distaff 4:21 p.m. ET
- $4 million Breeders’ Cup Turf 5:01 p.m. ET
- $7 million Breeders’ Cup Classic 5:41 p.m. ET
- $2 million Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf 6:25 p.m. ET
- $1 million Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint 7:05 p.m. ET
- $2 million Breeders’ Cup FanDuel Mile 7:45 p.m. ET
- $2 million Breeders’ Cup Sprint 8:25 p.m. ET
More than just the races, the 2024 Breeders’ Cup also includes watch parties and various events at Del Mar and other affiliated tracks across the country.
Breeders’ Cup records/trivia
These are widely considered the great moments in Breeders’ Cup history:
- In 2015, American Pharoah became the first horse to win the Triple Crown in 37 years. American Pharoah then went wire-to-wire to win the 2015 Breeders’ Cup Classic and complete the Grand Slam of Thoroughbred Racing.
- In 2010, Goldikova became the first-ever three-time Breeders’ Cup winner. Goldikova won the Breeders’ Cup Mile three years in a row from 2008 through 2010.
- At the inaugural Breeders’ Cup in 1984, long shot Wild Again won the first-ever Breeders’ Cup Classic. Wild Again win tickets paid 31:1.
- In 2001, Year Tiznow won the second of back-to-back Breeders’ Cup Classic races.
- In 2016, Beholder won the Distaff to become the second three-time winner in Breeders’ Cup history. Beholder previously won the 2012 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies and the 2013 Breeders’ Cup Distaff.
Here’s a look at some of the more notable records set in the Breeders’ Cup Classic:
- In 2004, Ghostzapper set the record for the fastest Breeders’ Cup Classic time at Lone Star Park. The time was 1:59:02.
- In 2015, American Pharoah’s set a track record at Keeneland winning the Breeders’ Cup Classic and completing the Grand Slam of Thoroughbred Racing in a time of 2:00.07
- American Pharoah also set the record for the largest winning margin in the Breeders’ Cup Classic at 6.5 lengths.
- In 2016 Bob Baffert set the record for the most Breeders’ Cup Classic wins by a trainer at three. Baffert’s horses won the Breeders’ Cup Classic three years straight, including Bayern in 2014, American Pharoah in 2015, and Arrogate in 2016.
How do horses qualify for the Breeders’ Cup?
The Breeders’ Cup is widely considered horse racing’s World Championship. A series of Breeders’ Cup Challenge races are held throughout the horse racing season allowing horses to qualify for certain Breeders’ Cup races.
Breeders’ Cup Challenge events are held from December through August at tracks all around the world, some of which include:
- San Isidro Racecourse
- Kenilworth
- Tokyo Racecourse
- Hanshin Racecourse
- Santa Anita
- Belmont
- Ascot
- Churchill Downs
- Hanshin Racecourse
- Monmouth Park
- Goodwood Racecourse
- Saratoga
- Del Mar
- France Galop
- York Racecourse
All winners of Breeders’ Cup Challenge races are invited to the Breeders’ Cup to compete in the races they are qualified to run in.
Plus, there’s a points system ranking horses based on their performance in major races throughout the season. The top point earners are also invited to the Breeders’ Cup to compete in the races they are qualified to run in.
Finally, there’s a panel of experts who select horses to fill out the 14-horse Breeders’ Cup fields.
For each Breeders’ Cup race, seven horses come from the Breeders’ Cup Challenge series and the points system. Plus, seven others are chosen by the panel.
Final Thoughts on Breeder’s Cup betting
Outside of the Triple Crown, the Breeder’s Cup is the biggest race on the US horse racing calendar. With two days of massive purses and superstar horses at the best racetracks in the world, there is plenty to do. Breeder’s Cup betting, either online or (if you’re lucky enough) in person is a fantastic way to immerse yourself in race weekend.