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Must-See Breeders’ Cup Classic Trifecta Picks

Pop Culture
November 1st, 2018
Fans at Churchill Downs cheer for the racehorses in the stretch. (Penelope P. Miller/America's Best Racing)

America's Best Racing reached out to some well-known racing fans to get their top three selections for the $6 million Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Classic at Churchill Downs on Saturday. Find out which Classic runners these friends of ABR landed on to fill out the trifecta in the marquee race of the World Championships.

NBC Sports will televise 12 of the 14 Breeders’ Cup championship races, starting on the Breeders' Cup "Future Stars Friday" program with five races, and continuing on Saturday with seven more. Eight races will be televised on NBCSN, and the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic at approximately 5:44 p.m. ET will anchor a 2 1/2-hour telecast on NBC slated for 3:30-6 p.m. Eastern on Nov. 3 that will also include live broadcasts of the Breeders' Cup Mile, Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff, and Longines Breeders' Cup Turf.   

Donna Barton Brothers

Reporter, NBC Sports

Follow on Twitter: @donnabbrothers

1. West Coast
2. Thunder Snow
3. Yoshida

Matt Bernier

Daily Racing Form, "The Matt Bernier Show"

Follow on Twitter:  @bernier_matt

1. Mind Your Biscuits
2. McKinzie
3. Yoshida

Bram Weinstein

Host of "The Bram Weinstein Show" and ABR's "The Winner's Circle" 

Follow on Twitter: @RealBramW

1. McKinzie
2. Catholic Boy
3. Yoshida 

Joel Stein

Author, “Man Made: A Stupid Quest For Masculinity” 

Follow on Twitter: @thejoelstein

1. West Coast
2. Accelerate
3. Mendelssohn

Bonnie-Jill Laflin

Reporter, TV personality, former NBA scout

Follow on Twitter: @BJLaflin

1. McKinzie
2. West Coast
3. Mendelssohn

Fred Gaudelli

Executive producer, NBC's Sunday Night Football

Follow on Twitter: @NBCSNF

1. Mind Your Biscuits
2. Lone Sailor
3. Discreet Lover

Horse Racing's Fourth Major: Breeders' Cup 2018 from America's Best Racing on Vimeo.

Jeff Duncan

Columnist for The Times-Picayune/NOLA.com

Follow on Twitter: @JeffDuncan_

1. Accelerate
2. Yoshida
3. Catholic Boy

Sue Finley

Publisher and CEO, Thoroughbred Daily News

Follow on Twitter: @suefinley

1. Accelerate
2. Mendelssohn
3. Roaring Lion

Townsend Lunsford Jr.

Founder and CEO of Belle Vodka

1. Accelerate
2. Mind Your Biscuits
3. Catholic Boy

Bob Ike

Partner and vice president of HorseBills.com, radio host

Follow on Twitter: @bobike1

1. McKinzie
2. West Coast
3. Accelerate 

Nick Pinchuk

CEO, Snap-On Tools

1. Catholic Boy
2. Accelerate
3. Yoshida

Marc Doche

Founder and CEO of HorseBills.com

1. McKinzie
2. Catholic Boy
3. Axelrod

Mandy Minger

Vice President of Marketing, Daily Racing Form

Follow on Twitter: @mandyminger1

1. Catholic Boy 
2. Yoshida 
3. Gunnevera  

Jason Avila

Horseplayer

1. Yoshida
2. Toast of New York
3. Mind Your Biscuits

Mark Beal

Author, “Decoding Gen Z: 101 Lessons Generation Z Will Teach Corporate America, Marketers & Media”

Follow on Twitter: @markbealpr

1. Catholic Boy
2. Accelerate
3. Yoshida

Where Legends Are Made: Breeders' Cup 2018 from America's Best Racing on Vimeo.

Peter Fornatale

Co-founder of World Horseplayers’ Tour, Daily Racing Form podcast host

Follow on Twitter: @loomsboldly

1. Yoshida
2. Catholic Boy
3. Mind Your Biscuits

Chris “Bear” Fallica

ESPN College GameDay

Follow on Twitter: @chrisfallica

1. Pavel
2. Thunder Snow
3. Mind Your Biscuits 

Eric Barlund

Vice President of Marketing, Tito’s Handmade Vodka

Follow on Twitter: @BarlundEric

1. Mind Your Biscuits
2. McKinzie
3. Accelerate

Dave Hill

Comedian, writer for America's Best Racing/The Ringer

Follow on Twitter: @davehill77

1. Thunder Snow
2. Accelerate
3. Yoshida

Monti Carlo

Celebrity Chef

Follow on Twitter: @TheMontiCarlo

1. Mind Your Biscuits
2. Accelerate
3. West Coast

Gene Kershner

Turf writer, The Buffalo News

Follow on Twitter: @EquiSpace

1. McKinzie
2. Yoshida
3. Mind Your Biscuits

The Time is Now: Which Stars Will Shine at 2018 Breeders’ Cup? from America's Best Racing on Vimeo.

Jon Miller

President of Programming, NBC Sports

Follow on Twitter: @JDM1114

1. Mendelssohn
2. Catholic Boy
3. Yoshida

Bob Ehalt

Sports/Turf writer

Follow on Twitter: @BobEhalt

1. McKinzie
2. Accelerate
3. Thunder Snow

Gene Menez

Former Sports Illustrated writer, racing fan

Follow on Twitter: @genemenez

1. West Coast

2. Mind Your Biscuits

3. Mendelssohn

Esther de Jong

International model

1. West Coast
2. Mendelssohn 
3. McKinzie

Jane Motion

Daughter of Kentucky Derby-winning trainer Graham Motion

Follow on Twitter: @janemotion

1. Mendelssohn
2. Catholic Boy
3. Mind Your Biscuits

Blackjack Fletcher

Senior gambling analyst for The Action Network

Follow on Twitter: @BlackjackFletch

1. Catholic Boy
2. McKinzie
3. Accelerate

Nate Newby

Vice President of Marketing, Santa Anita Park

Follow on Twitter: @nnewby

1. Accelerate
2. Thunder Snow
3. West Coast

Jim Mulvihill

Senior Director of Betting Information at Churchill Downs Inc.

Follow on Twitter: @yourfriendjimbo

1. Lone Sailor
2. West Coast
3. Thunder Snow

2018 Breeders' Cup Classic
November 3rd, 2018

Winning Time: 2:02.93
  • Purse: $6,000,000
  • Distance: 1 1/4 Miles
  • Age: 3 yo's & up
  • Surface: Dirt
  • Winning Time: 2:02.93
Results
Win
Place
Show
1st
14 Accelerate
$7.40
$6.00
$4.40
2nd
4 Gunnevera
$21.80
$11.80
  • Owner / Margoth
  • Breeder / Brandywine Farm & Stephen Upchurch
3rd
1 Thunder Snow (IRE)
$8.00
4th
10 Yoshida (JPN)
5th
9 Mendelssohn
6th
5 Lone Sailor
  • Owner / G M B Racing
  • Breeder / Alexander - Groves - Matz, LLC.
7th
7 West Coast
8th
13 Discreet Lover
9th
12 Axelrod
10th
8 Pavel
11th
11 Mind Your Biscuits
12th
6 McKinzie
13th
3 Catholic Boy
14th
2 Roaring Lion
Scratches
Toast of New York
Collected
Payoff
Pick 3
11-2-14
11-2-14
$19
Pick 4
7-11-2-14/15/16
7-11-2-14/15/16
$158
Pick 5
9-7-11-2-14/15/16
9-7-11-2-14/15/16
$564
Pick 6 Jackpot
6-9-7-11-2-14/15/16
6-9-7-11-2-14/15/16
$62
Pick 6 Jackpot
6-9-7-11-2-14/15/16
6-9-7-11-2-14/15/16
$3,707
Daily Double
BCJUV/BCCLASSIC 9-14
BCJUV/BCCLASSIC 9-14
$22
Daily Double
2-14
2-14
$19
Exacta
14-4
14-4
$131
Head2Head
MENDELSSOHN V THUNDER SNOW- 2
MENDELSSOHN V THUNDER SNOW- 2
$3
Superfecta
14-4-1-10
14-4-1-10
$1,618
Super High Five
14-4-1-10-9
14-4-1-10-9
$171,749
Trifecta
14-4-1
14-4-1
$807
Payoff
Pick 3
11-2-14
11-2-14
$19
Pick 4
7-11-2-14/15/16
7-11-2-14/15/16
$158
Pick 5
9-7-11-2-14/15/16
9-7-11-2-14/15/16
$564
Pick 6 Jackpot
6-9-7-11-2-14/15/16
6-9-7-11-2-14/15/16
$62
Pick 6 Jackpot
6-9-7-11-2-14/15/16
6-9-7-11-2-14/15/16
$3,707
Daily Double
BCJUV/BCCLASSIC 9-14
BCJUV/BCCLASSIC 9-14
$22
Daily Double
2-14
2-14
$19
Exacta
14-4
14-4
$131
Head2Head
MENDELSSOHN V THUNDER SNOW- 2
MENDELSSOHN V THUNDER SNOW- 2
$3
Superfecta
14-4-1-10
14-4-1-10
$1,618
Super High Five
14-4-1-10-9
14-4-1-10-9
$171,749
Trifecta
14-4-1
14-4-1
$807
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