The $7 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic is taking place on Oct. 31, but you don’t have to wait until race day to get your win bets down. Instead, you can play the Breeders’ Cup Classic Future Wager, which opens on Friday, Aug. 28 and closes on Sunday, Aug. 30.

Horseplayers can place win bets on any of 23 individual horses or an “All Other Starters” option covering horses not individually listed in two future wager pools. The second future wager will be held Friday, Sept. 25, to Sunday, Sept. 27.

Betting future wagers comes with more risk than betting on race day. There’s no guarantee a horse you bet will wind up competing in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. You’ll want to demand higher odds than normal to offset the additional risk.

As a result, the morning-line odds for #21 Sovereignty (4-1) and #6 Forever Young (5-1) seem a bit short. Both boast decorated records: Sovereignty earned 2025 Horse of the Year honors and recently dominated the Grade 1 Whitney Stakes Aug. 8, while Forever Young won the 2025 Breeders’ Cup Classic.

But only one horse in 42 years has managed to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic twice, so Forever Young will have to buck history to deliver on his 5-1 odds. And Sovereignty missed the 2025 Breeders’ Cup Classic with an illness, illustrating the risks inherent in future wager betting.

The #24 All Other Starters (8-1) option also looks risky. You have to go back 10 years to find a Breeders’ Cup Classic winner who wouldn’t have been an obvious horse to individually list in a late-August future wager pool.

So, who should you bet? I believe #16 Phileas Fogg (25-1) offers the best value. The front-running gelding has won 11 of his 24 races and delivered a stellar performance in the July 4 Suburban Stakes Presented by Subourbon Life, leading all the way to win by 10 lengths in the fast time of 2:01.70.

The form of the Suburban has held up well. Third-place finisher Tiztastic returned to run fifth (beaten only six lengths) in the Whitney. Antiquarian, fourth in the Suburban, improved to third place in the Whitney. Original Sin, ninth in the Suburban, bounced back to finish second in the Grade 1 Pacific Classic Stakes Aug. 22.

Phileas Fogg has long shown flashes of serious talent, and the Suburban marked his best performance to date. He’s slated to face Sovereignty and Forever Young in the Sept. 18 Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup, and if he springs an upset, he’ll be a lot less than 25-1 in the Breeders’ Cup Classic.

Wagering Strategy

$20 to win on #16 Phileas Fogg

What to say at the betting window: Breeders’ Cup Future Wager, 1st race, $20 to win on 16

Good luck!