The culmination of horse racing’s second season (following the conclusion of the Triple Crown in June) is upon us, and the 2023 Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic set for Nov. 4 at Santa Anita Park is shaping up a very competitive and exciting race befitting the 40^th anniversary of the World Championships.

Last year’s Longines Classic at Keeneland featured an overwhelming favorite in unbeaten Flightline, who confirmed that status with a dominant 8 ¼-length win that will go down in racing history.

This year’s race, on the other hand, appears to be a wide-open affair that has an intriguing mix of 3-year-olds led by FanDuel Racing Pacific Classic Stakes winner Arabian Knight competing against older horses including Japan-based Dubai World Cup winner Ushba Tesoro.

The Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic will be televised live nationally on NBC with a scheduled post time of 6:40 p.m. ET, and also streamed on Peacock.

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Whether you are interested in making a couple of bucks on the race or just want to know a little bit about this year’s runners, we’ve got you covered with our 2023 Breeders’ Cup Classic Cheat Sheet Presented by 1/ST BET.

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1. Arcangelo (WITHDRAWN)

Jockey: Javier Castellano

Trainer: Jena Antonucci

Owner: Blue Rose Farm

Career record: 6 starts – 4 wins – 1 second – 0 thirds

Career earnings: $1,754,900

Earnings per start: $292,483

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 103

Pedigree: Arrogate – Modeling, by Tapit

Age: 3

Color: Gray or roan

Running style: Stalker

Notable achievements and interesting facts: Trainer Jena Antonucci withdrew Arcangelo from the Breeders’ Cup Classic field on Oct. 31 after the Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets and Travers Stakes winner was diagnosed with a medical issue in his left hind foot.

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2. Zandon (12-1 morning-line odds)

Jockey: Frankie Dettori

Trainer: Chad Brown

Owner: Jeff Drown

Career record: 13 starts – 3 wins – 6 seconds – 3 thirds

Career earnings: $2,140,000

Earnings per start: $164,615

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 114

Pedigree: Upstart – Memories Prevail, by Creative Cause

Age: 4

Color: Dark bay or brown

Running style: Closer

Notable achievements and interesting facts: Like fellow 4-year-old White Abarrio, Zandon finally recovered the form displayed early in his 3-year-old season with a recent high-level victory. In this colt’s case, it came in the Oct. 1 Woodward Stakes held at Belmont at the Big A, and snapped an eight-race losing streak going all the way back to April 2023, when he won the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes. Zandon rallied from sixth of eight starters in the Woodward, held around one turn at 1 1/8 miles, and easily moved ahead in midstretch en route to a 4 ¼-length score. Unlike White Abarrio, Zandon had answered the bell in all nine of his losses between the Blue Grass and Woodward, finishing second five times (including three straight times before the Woodward), third twice, and fourth once. That makes him a must-use horse for exacta, trifecta, and superfecta bets in the Longines Classic, although he’s a longshot to win. Attracting leading international jockey Frankie Dettori to ride is a big plus. Breeders’ Cup history: Dettori won the 2008 Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita aboard Raven’s Pass when the race was held on an all-weather track.

Bet Zandon in the Breeders’ Cup Classic

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3. White Abarrio (4-1)

Jockey: Irad Ortiz Jr.

Trainer: Rick Dutrow Jr.

Owners: C Two Racing Stable and Antonio Pagnano

Career record: 14 starts – 6 wins – 1 second – 3 thirds

Career earnings: $1,826,350

Earnings per start: $130,454

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 121

Pedigree: Race Day – Catching Diamonds, by Into Mischief

Age: 4

Color: Gray or roan

Running style: Press the pace/stalker

Notable achievements and interesting facts: White Abarrio returned to the national headlines Aug. 5 after a year-and-a-half spent largely under the radar when he finished explosively through the stretch and routed five opponents in the prestigious Whitney Stakes at Saratoga. He finished 6 ½ lengths clear of runner-up Zandon, with heavy race favorite Cody’s Wish another 3 ¾ lengths back, in what was easily the best performance of his career and his first stakes win since capturing the Curlin Florida Derby Presented by Hill ‘n’ Dale Farms at Xalapa way back in April 2022. This striking gray or roan colt had won one time in eight starts between the Florida Derby and Whitney – an allowance-optional claiming race at Gulfstream Park back in March of this year – and had struggled to compete in races 1 1/8 miles or longer until his Whitney breakthrough at that distance, which netted him an impressive 121 Equibase Speed Figure. Assessing his chances in this year’s Classic boils down to deciding whether or not his Whitney win was a one-off effort that he may not be able to repeat, and interestingly, trainer Rick Dutrow decided to skip an early fall prep for the Classic. Instead, Dutrow’s been working White Abarrio steadily at Santa Anita – a track the colt has never raced on before – since early September. At the very least, White Abarrio should be in the mix when the field turns for home under Eclipse Award winner Irad Ortiz Jr., and then we’ll see if any distance limitations kick in or if he’s overcome them. Breeders’ Cup history: Dutrow won the 2005 Breeders’ Cup Classic with Horse of the Year Saint Liam. Ortiz picked up his first win in this race in 2019 aboard Vino Rosso at Santa Anita.

Bet White Abarrio in the Breeders’ Cup Classic

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4. Missed the Cut (30-1)

Jockey: Luis Saez

Trainer: John Sadler

Owners: Bee Zee, Lanes End Racing, St. Elias Stables, Edward Babington, Edward Hudson Jr., and Lynne Hudson

Career record: 11 starts – 5 wins – 1 second – 0 thirds

Career earnings: $285,777

Earnings per start: $25,980

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 108

Pedigree: Quality Road – Beauly, by Sea The Stars

Age: 4

Color: Bay

Running style: Press the pace/stalker

Notable achievements and interesting facts: Should he draw into the race, Missed the Cut will be one of the longest shots in the Longines Classic field when the gates open Saturday afternoon. The Quality Road colt began his career in England and Saudi Arabia, where he made seven starts on turf and all-weather surfaces with four wins (including one stakes) before shipping to the U.S. last summer. He’s since started four times on these shores, three times on dirt and once on turf where he was a good fourth in the Del Mar Handicap Presented by The Japan Racing Association. In his start after that, Missed the Cut switched back to dirt and earned his first U.S. stakes win with an impressive 5 ½-length score in the Tokyo City Cup Stakes at Santa Anita on Oct. 1. He was a 3-5 favorite in the 1 ½-mile Tokyo City, in which he defeated three horses, and obviously contesting Saturday’s $6 million BC Classic against what looks to be a full field will be a far tougher challenge. On the positive side, handling 1 ¼ miles will be no problem at all for this long-winded type. Breeders’ Cup history: Trainer John Sadler conditioned both 2018 Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Accelerate and last year’s dominant champ Flightline. Jockey Luis Saez is seeking his first Breeders’ Cup Classic win, his best finish in the race coming in 2015 when Will Take Charge ran second by a nose.

Bet Missed the Cut in the Breeders’ Cup Classic

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5. Derma Sotogake (20-1)

Jockey: Christophe Lemaire

Trainer: Hidetaka Otonashi

Owner: Hiroyuki Asanuma

Career record: 9 starts – 4 wins – 0 seconds – 2 thirds

Career earnings: $1,162,164

Earnings per start: $129,129

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 93

Pedigree: Mind Your Biscuits – Amour Poesie, by Neo Universe

Age: 3

Color: Chestnut

Running style: Press the pace/stalker

Notable achievements and interesting facts: Derma Sotogake will make his first start since a sixth-place finish in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve in the Longines Classic. He was a “buzz” horse leading up to Derby 149 and went off as the 7.80-1 third betting choice in an 18-horse field. He never threatened after starting slow but also never quit, checking in eight lengths behind winner Mage. Prior to the Kentucky Derby, this son of Mind Your Biscuits won the UAE Derby Sponsored by Atlantis The Royal in gate-to-wire fashion and in 2022 took two stakes in his native Japan with stalking/closing trips. It will be interesting to see whether jockey Christophe Lemaire, who rode Derma Sotogake in both the UAE Derby and the Kentucky Derby, sends his mount to the contest the lead if he breaks well. If Lemaire does move him forward early, this colt could join Arabian Knight and Saudi Crown up front and possibly create an unsustainable pace. No matter which style he employs, Derma Sotogake will have to run the race of his life to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic.

Bet Derma Sotogake in the Breeders’ Cup Classic

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6. Saudi Crown (12-1)

Jockey: Florent Geroux

Trainer: Brad Cox

Owner: FMQ Stables

Career record: 5 starts – 3 wins – 2 seconds – 0 thirds

Career earnings: $817,085

Earnings per start: $163,417

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 112

Pedigree: Always Dreaming – New Narration, by Tapit

Age: 3

Color: Gray or roan

Running style: Pacesetter

Notable achievements and interesting facts: This son of Kentucky Derby winner Always Dreaming joins Arabian Knight as the main speed threats in the Longines Classic. Like his rival, Saudi Crown is lightly raced yet brims with potential – his best races appear ahead of him and we could see major improvement on Nov. 4. He enters the Classic off of a game half-length win over a rallying Dreamlike in the Pennsylvania Derby, which was held on a sloppy Parx Racing main track Sept. 23. Saudi Crown set an easy pace from the outset and opened up on his nearest challengers in early stretch. The Pennsylvania Derby served as a rebound victory after Saudi Crown had suffered the first two losses of his career in the Dwyer Stakes July 1 and the Jim Dandy Stakes Presented by DK Horse July 29 – both by a nose. Based on speed figures, Saudi Crown is among the leading win candidates in the Longines Classic, but it’s worth pointing out that in both of his starts going a mile and an eighth – the Jim Dandy and the Pennsylvania Derby – his lead in the stretch diminished nearing the finish. Can he improve enough in only his sixth start to not only handle an extra eighth of a mile but also withstand the pace pressure of Arabian Knight, who comes in off of a win in the 1 ¼-mile FanDuel Racing Pacific Classic Stakes? It’s a tough challenge to be sure, but not an impossible one, and he drew a good post position in the middle of the starting gate for his front-running style. Breeders’ Cup history: Trainer Brad Cox won the 2020 Breeders’ Cup Classic with front-running Knicks Go. Florent Geroux captured the 2017 Classic aboard Gun Runner.

Bet Saudi Crown in the Breeders’ Cup Classic

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7. Clapton (20-1)

Jockey: Tyler Gaffalione

Trainer: Chad Summers

Owner: RRR Racing

Career record: 24 starts – 6 wins – 4 seconds – 6 thirds

Career earnings: $823,450

Earnings per start: $34,310

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 108

Pedigree: Brethren – Alexandra Rylee, by Afleet Alex

Age: 4

Color: Chestnut

Running style: Closer

Notable achievements and interesting facts: Clapton enters the 2023 Classic off of a game victory by a head in the Lukas Classic Stakes Sept. 30 at Churchill Downs. He rallied from well off the pace in the Lukas Classic and earned his second graded stakes win in 2023, which has been his best year on the track to date by a considerable margin. His previous graded stakes victory came in the Ghostzapper Stakes at Gulfstream Park back in April, and Clapton has also been competitive when facing tougher competition, finishing second to Charge It in the Suburban Stakes in July and a decent fourth in the Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes behind Bright Future on Sept. 2. If he can maintain current form in by far the toughest race of his career, look for Clapton to be running late through the stretch at Santa Anita with a shot to round out the superfecta or possibly the trifecta at high odds.

Bet Clapton in the Breeders’ Cup Classic

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8. Ushba Tesoro (4-1)

Jockey: Yuga Kawada

Trainer: Noboru Takagi

Owner: Ryotokuji Kenji Holdings Co.

Career record: 30 starts – 10 wins – 1 second – 5 thirds

Career earnings: $9,540,345

Earnings per start: $318,012

Top Equibase Speed Figure: n/a

Pedigree: Orfevre – Millefeui Attach, by King Kamehameha

Age: 6

Color: Bay

Running style: Stalker/closer

Notable achievements and interesting facts: Here’s your wild card entry in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Ushba Tesoro has the aura of a Japanese Cigar – of course, Japan does not manufacture cigars, so in this case we’re referring to the legendary Hall of Famer who dominated the mid-1990s on these shores. Cigar was a modestly successful horse racing on turf until owner Allen Paulson and trainer Bill Mott moved him to dirt, and the same can be said for this Japan-bred and -based son of Japanese Triple Crown winner Orfevre. After Ushba Tesoro made 22 consecutive starts on grass through early April of last year, he debuted on dirt in a minor stakes race at Tokyo Racecourse on April 30, 2022 and won by four lengths. He finished third in his next start on dirt and since then has reeled off six consecutive wins on that surface, including three more stakes in his home country. Most impressively, however, Ushba Tesoro traveled to Dubai and Meydan Racecourse for the Dubai World Cup Sponsored by Emirates Airline, and won that nearly 1 ¼-mile dirt race by 2 ¾ lengths with a powerful closing kick after trailing 14 opponents in last through the backstretch. He has made one more start since the Dubai World Cup – an easy 2 ½-length win in a stakes race held at about 1 1/8 miles in Japan – and now he’ll face the best U.S. dirt horses in training. This bay horse is 5-for-5 in 1 ¼-mile races on dirt this year and stands to benefit most from a fast early pace set by the likes of Arabian Knight, Saudi Crown, and possibly fellow Japanese horse Derma Sotogake. Japanese horses were the story of the 2021 Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar as two shippers broke through with wins. After a year off, Ushba Tesoro could resume that narrative with a win in the $6 million Classic.

Bet Ushba Tesoro in the Breeders’ Cup Classic

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9. Senor Buscador (30-1)

Jockey: Geovanni Franco

Trainer: Todd Fincher

Owner: Joe Peacock Jr.

Career record: 14 starts – 6 wins – 0 seconds – 2 thirds

Career earnings: $763,427

Earnings per start: $54,531

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 115

Pedigree: Mineshaft – Rose’s Desert, by Desert God

Age: 5

Color: Bay

Running style: Closer

Notable achievements and interesting facts: Senor Buscador has reached his best form at age 5 with three consecutive strong outings on the Southern California circuit leading up to the Classic. The son of 2003 Horse of the Year Mineshaft upset the San Diego Handicap at 13.50-1 odds July 29 at Del Mar, and subsequently ran fourth in the FanDuel Racing Pacific Classic Stakes Sept. 2 and third in the Awesome Again Stakes Sept. 30 at Santa Anita, both Grade 1 events. He’s been consistent ever since winning his first two starts at Remington Park in Oklahoma during fall 2020, and came back after an absence of more than a year during summer 2022 having matured into a lunch-pail type of horse who brings his “A” game to different tracks. That being said, he lacks upside compared with most of his opponents in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, with a résumé that suggests filling out the superfecta or less likely the trifecta is his ceiling. Look for him to come from off the pace and pick off some tired horses in the stretch with a four- or five-wide move if the early pace is strong enough.  

Bet Senor Buscador in the Breeders’ Cup Classic

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10. Dreamlike (30-1)

Jockey: Jose Ortiz

Trainer: Todd Pletcher

Owners: Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable

Career record: 6 starts – 1 win – 3 seconds – 1 third

Career earnings: $349,450

Earnings per start: $58,242

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 112

Pedigree: Gun Runner – Time to Tap, by Tapit

Age: 3

Color: Chestnut

Running style: Stalker/closer

Notable achievements and interesting facts: Dreamlike joins Bright Future to give co-owners Mike Repole and Vincent Viola two chances at securing their second Breeders’ Cup Classic trophy following Vino Rosso’s win at Santa Anita in 2019. This colt rebounded from a fifth-place effort in a Saratoga allowance-optional claiming race Aug. 13 with a rallying runner-up finish behind Saudi Crown in the Sept. 23 Pennsylvania Derby at Parx Racing. Dreamlike stumbled at the start of the August allowance optional claimer and was never really involved as the 9-10 favorite, but he got back on track when racing on a sloppy track at Parx as he was gaining ground late on front-running Saudi Crown and lost by only a half-length, securing a 112 Equibase Speed Figure. In his four starts prior to his fifth-place finish in August, Dreamlike finished second twice, third by only a head in the Wood Memorial Stakes Presented by Resorts World Casino, and then first by a commanding 6 ¾ lengths in a maiden victory at Saratoga in July racing 1 1/8 miles. This well-bred runner from the family of Breeders’ Cup Distaff winner Untapable could be making that leap in development at just the right time and his mid-pack running style should be a plus in the Longines Classic, making him a live longshot. Breeders’ Cup history: Todd Pletcher won his first Breeders’ Cup Classic in 2019 with Repole and St. Elias’s Vino Rosso.

Bet Dreamlike in the Breeders’ Cup Classic

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11. Bright Future (10-1)

Jockey: John Velazquez

Trainer: Todd Pletcher

Owners: Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable

Career record: 7 starts – 4 wins – 0 seconds – 2 thirds

Career earnings: $716,940

Earnings per start: $102,420

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 111

Pedigree: Curlin – Sophia’s Song, by Bellamy Road

Age: 4

Color: Chestnut

Running style: Stalker

Notable achievements and interesting facts: This son of Hall of Famer Curlin has blossomed during his 4-year-old season into a Grade 1 winner. Bright Future earned distinction in the Sept. 2 Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes at Saratoga, which he won by a nose over fast-charging Proxy after opening up to a 2 ½-length lead in early stretch. Prior to that, Bright Future dominated a 1 1/8-mile allowance-optional claiming race at Saratoga by 4 ¾ lengths, and overall, his only poor effort through seven career starts dating back to spring 2022 came June 1 of this year when he was eased in the 1 ½-mile Brooklyn Stakes at Belmont Park. In addition to facing Proxy and Jockey Club Gold Cup fourth-place finisher Clapton again, Bright Future will also square off against six or seven other formidable contenders in the Classic, and that should elevate his post-time odds. But if he can maintain current form, this well-bred colt will be a threat to hit the board Saturday evening.  Breeders’ Cup history: Reigning Eclipse Award-winning trainer Todd Pletcher won his first Breeders’ Cup Classic in 2019 with Vino Rosso, the last time this race was run at Santa Anita. Vino Rosso was also the first Classic winner for co-owners Mike Repole and Vinnie Viola of St. Elias Stable. Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez picked up his first win in the Breeders’ Cup Classic in 2020 aboard Authentic.

Bet Bright Future in the Breeders’ Cup Classic

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12. Arabian Knight (3-1)

Jockey: Flavien Prat

Trainer: Bob Baffert

Owner: Zedan Racing Stables

Career record: 4 starts – 3 wins – 0 seconds – 1 third

Career earnings: $1,244,275

Earnings per start: $311,069

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 111

Pedigree: Uncle Mo – Borealis Night, by Astrology

Age: 3

Color: Bay

Running style: Pacesetter

Notable achievements and interesting facts: This colt will be making only his fifth career start in the Longines Classic and comes in off of an impressive win in the Grade 1 FanDuel Racing Pacific Classic Stakes Sept. 2 at Del Mar, where he set a pressured pace in the mile-and-a-quarter race and fended off a late challenge from fellow 3-year-old Geaux Rocket Ride to win by a neck. Arabian Knight had suffered his first defeat one race prior to that foe when he tired after setting the pace in the TVG.com Haskell Stakes July 22 at Monmouth Park and settled for third behind Geaux Rocket Ride and Mage. But the Haskell was Arabian Knight’s first start since late January and he’s stayed in a good training routine for four-time Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Bob Baffert since then. Arabian Knight will be facing a tougher field Saturday than he did in the Pacific Classic, where he was all out to prevail when trying 1 ¼ miles for the first time. He’ll need to set a moderate pace in the Classic in order to win, and that might be difficult with speedy Saudi Crown entered. That rival and possible pace presser Derma Sotogake both drew to the inside of Arabian Knight, who only has one horse to his outside, deep-closing Proxy. A good break will be essential for this inexperienced but very talented runner in order for him to use his early speed, angle in, and save ground before reaching the first turn.  Breeders’ Cup history: Baffert’s four Breeders’ Cup Classic wins came with Bayern (2014), American Pharoah (2015), Arrogate (2016), and Authentic (2020) – all of them 3-year-olds. Prat won last year’s Classic aboard superstar Flightline.

Bet Arabian Knight in the Breeders’ Cup Classic

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13. Proxy (12-1)

Jockey: Joel Rosario

Trainer: Mike Stidham

Owner: Godolphin

Career record: 19 starts – 6 wins – 7 seconds – 2 thirds

Career earnings: $2,224,970

Earnings per start: $117,104

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 113

Pedigree: Tapit – Panty Raid, by Include

Age: 5

Color: Bay

Running style: Closer

Notable achievements and interesting facts: This veteran racehorse may be the surest bet in the 2023 Breeders’ Cup Classic – not necessarily to win but to come running late through the stretch. Since February 2022, he’s made 12 starts and only fizzled once, winning four times, finishing second four times, third twice, and fifth once. His misstep came two starts back in the Stephen Foster Stakes held July 1 at Ellis Park, where he had to steady after breaking from the rail, raced wide, and then tired to finish last of eight. Proxy rebounded to win the Monmouth Cup Stakes three weeks later against a suspect field by changing tactics and leading at every point of call, and then was back to his old off-the-pace tricks in the Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes, where he closed steadily to just miss by a nose against Bright Future. One of this horse’s best career starts came on this track and at this distance in March, when he finished second by a neck to Stilleto Boy in the Santa Anita Handicap Presented by Yaamava’ Resort and Casino. Encouragingly, Proxy has shown the ability to rally even in races where the early pace was moderate, which boosts his chances to hit the board Saturday. He’ll probably go off at double-digit odds but should not be overlooked, and drawing the far outside post should not compromise his come-from-the-clouds style. Breeders’ Cup history: Jockey Joel Rosario has won two out of the last five editions of the Breeders’ Cup Classic, riding Accelerate in 2018 and Knicks Go in 2021.

Bet Proxy in the Breeders’ Cup Classic