Breeders' Cup 2014 Odds: Final Lines and Predictions for All Horses in Classic

The Triple Crown might draw the most media attention to horse racing, but in some ways they offer a relatively narrow view of what the sport has to offer, as most of the attention is focused on three-year-old thoroughbreds.

The Breeders' Cup, which will finish up on Nov. 1 at Santa Anita Park, is a wild two-day event that features races for elite colts, fillies, mares and everything in between. It offers a full gamut of horse racing, and rarely do the big races disappoint. 

The Classic is arguably the crown jewel of the entire Breeders' Cup tournament, which features a huge helping of Grade 1 races that brings horses and jockeys from all across the country in search of a lucrative payday. On Day 2 alone, the nine purses add up to a grand total of $19.5 million, per Joe Drape of The New York Times.

Diehard horse racing fans will be familiar with most of the competitors in the Classic, but there are a couple of names that could draw the attention of casual fans as well. California Chrome, winner of the 2014 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, is in the 14-horse field, along with Tonalist, who dashed Chrome's Triple Crown hopes with a victory in the Belmont Stakes.

Here's a look at the latest odds heading into the Classic, via Odds Shark, along with a complete rundown of predictions and a closer look at some of the top horses in the field. 

Post	Horse	Jockey	Trainer	Odds	Predicted Finish
1	Prayer for Relief	Irad Ortiz Jr.	Dale Romans	30-1	14th
2	Cigar Street	John Velazquez	William Mott	20-1	9th
3	Imperative	Lanfranco Dettori	George Papaprodromou	30-1	13th
4	Moreno	Javier Castellano	Eric Guillot	25-1	10th
5	V.E. Day	Joseph Talamo	James Jerkins	20-1	6th
6	Shared Belief	Mike Smith	Jerry Holendorfer	7-5	1st
7	Bayern	Martin Garcia	Bob Baffert	13-2	4th
8	Zivo	Jose Lezcano	Chad Brown	15-1	7th
9	Toast of New York	Jamie Spencer	Jamie Osborne	12-1	3rd
10	Footbridge	Rafael Bejarano	Eoin Harty	20-1	8th
11	Tonalist	Joel Rosario	Christophe Clement	7-2	2nd
12	Candy Boy	Corey Nakatani	John Sadler	25-1	11th
13	California Chrome	Victor Espinoza	Art Sherman	7-1	5th
14	Majestic Harbor	Tyler Baze	Sean McCarthy	30-1	12th
AE	Big Cazanova	Elvis Trujillo	Peter Miller	40-1	15th (if in competition)

Horses With Best Odds

Shared Belief

There might not be a better pairing of horse and jockey at the Breeders' Cup than Shared Belief and Mike Smith.

Shared Belief is not a big-name horse among casual fans. This is likely a result of his absence from the Triple Crown this year due to an unfortunate hoof injury. However, the smooth-galloping gelding boasts an undefeated record heading into the Classic, winning all seven of his career starts. 

Smith, a consummate professional, is the all-time leader in Breeders' Cup wins (20), and his dedication to the sport makes him one of the best jockeys in the field, even at the advanced age of 49. Retired jockey Richard Migliore relayed Smith's ability to get in perfect sync with a horse during a race, via Sports Illustrated's Tim Layden:

"

His gift as a rider is letting horses find their rhythm, find their stride and then get them in the clear to make one run. And he won’t use the whip until extremely late in the game, just to get that one, last little bit of energy out of a horse. I can’t tell you how difficult it is to build to that kind of crescendo.

"

This is indeed a dynamic pairing that should have the other horses quaking in their stalls. The stars may be truly aligning for this horse, as TVG host Britney Eurton noted the No. 6 post is perfect for Shared Belief:

It's tough to bet against such a prestigious horse with such short odds. Anything can happen over the 1 1/4-mile Santa Anita track, but don't be surprised if Shared Belief gets out to an early lead and holds off this next horse by a nose at the finish line.

Prediction: 1st

Tonalist

Tonalist might be a bit of a classic heel in this race after beating out California Chrome in the Belmont Stakes and forcing sports fans to wait at last another year for a Triple Crown thoroughbred. However, it's not like Tonalist was undeserving of victory. The Kentucky colt has never finished worse than fourth in his eight career starts. He's also coming off a win in the Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes (Grade 1) at Belmont Park.

All of that running at Belmont, including the aforementioned win in the 1 1/2-mile Belmont Stakes, should ensure Tonalist is able to deal with the length and pace of the Classic. 

TVG analyst Frank Mirahmadi thinks Tonalist, among others, has a real shot at winning the Classic on Saturday:

"

I believe one of the following will win the Classic, in order of preference: Cigar Street, Bayern, Tonalist, Toast of New York.

— Frank Mirahmadi (@FrankMirahmadi) October 28, 2014"

Tonalist is even getting some props from the competition. Alex Solis Jr., a part-owner of Shared Belief, thinks the Belmont Stakes winner may be the most dangerous horse in the field. 

"I think he's the one to beat," Solis said of Tonalist, via The Courier-Journal's Jennie Rees. "I think it's a very good group of 3-year-olds. California Chrome drew the 13, but it's perfect for him. … He's going to get his shot to prove he's the best 3-year-old. I want everyone to run their best race. I want to know who the best one is."

That's high praise coming from the owner of a front-runner. Tonalist will take off from the start, but it won't be enough to overcome the dynamic pairing of Smith and Shared Belief.

Prediction: 2nd

California Chrome

Jae C. Hong/Associated Press

California Chrome certainly has a home-state advantage in this race, but he may not be in the best of shape heading into the Classic.

After finishing a disappointing fourth in the Belmont Stakes on June 7, California Chrome has competed in just one race, the Grade-2 Pennsylvania Derby. He finished sixth in that race, which doesn't bode well for his run in such a tough, pressure-packed event. 

Owner Art Sherman is bullish on his horse's chances at a familiar track.

"California Chrome is actually training better than I had him prior to the Santa Anita Derby (which he won),” Sherman said, via the New York Daily News' Jerry Bossert “He’s right on his game. He seems really happy. Of course, he loves Santa Anita. He has always trained good here."

California Chrome will start out at the No. 13 post, which will keep him out of the scrum at the inside rail and give him a chance to make his patented break at the top of the home stretch.

However, the quality of the field, the length of the race and Chrome's recent inactivity will prevent him from overtaking some of the other top horses. Expect California Chrome to race well, but don't look for him to win, place or show.

Prediction: 5th