NBC Sports will provide extensive coverage of the 42nd Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Del Mar on Oct. 31 – Nov. 1. The season-culminating event features 14 races worth more than $34 million in purses and awards.

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The action begins on “Future Stars Friday,” when the promising 2-year-olds from across the world compete in five Breeders’ Cup races, the first four of which will be aired on USA Network from 4-8 p.m. ET. The $2 million FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance serves as the centerpiece for the card. The last of the five World Championships races, the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (Race #10), will be streamed live on Peacock.

Coverage resumes on USA Network from 2-3:30 p.m. ET on Championship Saturday before switching to NBC from 3:30 to 7 p.m. ET. Post time for the $7 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic, a 1 ¼-mile contest that often goes a long way toward determining Horse of the Year, is set for 6:25 p.m. ET. Then it is back to USA Network from 7-8 p.m. ET. Additionally, all races will be livestreamed on Peacock.

As always, NBC’s broadcast will rely heavily on Randy Moss’s expert analysis. He examined many aspects of the Breeders’ Cup during a far-ranging question-and-answer session conducted on behalf of America’s Best Racing.

PEDULLA: I think defending Classic champion Sierra Leone has been a bit under the radar for a horse that has hit the board in all 13 career starts. Can he repeat?

MOSS: He’ll need a quick pace, which is the reason why they entered a pacemaker for him in Contrary Thinking. Last year, you could have made the case that Fierceness was the better horse because Fierceness was up on the pace and Sierra Leone benefitted from laying back and picking up the pieces. That’s one reason why Sierra Leone might be a bit under the radar here. But he’s definitely in with a chance.

Fierceness wins Pacific Classic Stakes (BENOIT photo)

PEDULLA: Fierceness ran fifth in the Whitney Stakes at Saratoga, then he won the Pacific Classic Stakes at Del Mar impressively. Does that inconsistency trouble you?

MOSS: He’s always been a touch inconsistent. That was the criticism of Fierceness in his 3-year-old year. He’s gotten better in that regard. The Whitney was a bit of a head scratcher. He ran a very good race in the Pacific Classic. He overcame adversity for the first time in his career. He seems to do better on the faster racing surfaces in Southern California.

PEDULLA: Saudi Cup winner Forever Young has just one race since he ran third in the Dubai World Cup in early April. Does that concern you?

MOSS: That’s not concerning to me at all. He had one race before the Breeders’ Cup Classic last year in the fall in Japan and it set him up nicely for the Breeders’ Cup. He was probably too close to the pace just like Fierceness was. He ran a heck of a race and finished third. He’s possibly a better horse now as a 4-year-old than he was as a 3-year-old. His race in the Saudi Cup was the best dirt race run in the world so far this year. If he can duplicate that form in the Classic, he’s got a great chance.

PEDULLA: How costly is it to Mindframe that he lost his rider in the Jockey Club Gold Cup, his final race before the Classic?

MOSS: Marginally, I would say. As [trainer] Todd Pletcher pointed out, he did get something out of the race because he ran around there without a rider. Todd had his choice of prepping him one more time and bringing him back before the Breeders’ Cup and he felt like he didn’t really need to. I would trust Pletcher on that one. The question is simply, ‘Is Mindframe good enough?’

Preakness Stakes winner Journalism (Eclipse Sportswire)

PEDULLA: Can the move to Jose Ortiz to ride Journalism make a difference for him or is it still an uphill climb?

MOSS: To me, you can take the names of the top 20 riders in the country and put them in a bag and pull one out and they’re all good enough to win these big races. I don’t think it makes a whole heck of a lot of difference. [Umberto] Rispoli has shown in the Kentucky Derby, in the Belmont Stakes, in the Pacific Classic that he is capable of riding the horse without incident and riding him very well. To me, I’m paying no attention at all to the jockey change.

PEDULLA: Can Rebel’s Romance win the Longines Turf for a third time or, at 7, is he possibly not the same horse?

MOSS: In his last race in New York, he was every bit as good as he’s ever been. He’s obviously got the advantage of being a seasoned traveler. This will be his fifth trip across the Atlantic to run in the United States. He has been successful in the Breeders’ Cup twice before. That eliminates one perpetual cause for concern for any horses coming over from Europe to the United States. How will they handle the travel? How will they handle the difference in racing style in the United States, the tighter turns, things like that.

PEDULLA: Who is Japan’s best hope for a Breeders’ Cup winner this year?

MOSS: Maybe I’m underestimating some of their horses. Their form is difficult for us to gauge because there are not a whole lot of Japanese runners that come to the United States. We really don’t know in a lot of cases how they stack up with our best horses. But, to me, in looking at the Japanese horses on paper, Forever Young is the only one that I could say with any confidence is in with a very good chance.

PEDULLA: Who is your pick for the Longines Distaff?

Clement L. Hirsch Stakes winner Seismic Beauty (Eclipse Sportswire)

MOSS: Seismic Beauty, hands down. Even if Thorpedo Anna had been in the Distaff, I’d pick Seismic Beauty. She is really cooking on all cylinders. There is not a lot of early speed in the race. It’s a home game for her and the Bob Baffert barn. If she runs the way she ran in her last two, you’ll probably see her in the winner’s circle.

PEDULLA:  May I ask you for a live longshot?

MOSS: It’s possible that See the Fire in the Filly & Mare Turf will be 8-1 or 10-1. Americans aren’t going to be as familiar with her European form. You’ve got She Feels Pretty, who is always heavily bet. You’ve got a couple of Godolphin [runners] in there who have excellent form. See The Fire might be the best price play of the two days.

PEDULLA: Lastly, which horses comprise your top four for the Classic?

MOSS: Fierceness, Sierra Leone, Forever Young, Baeza.