Breeders' Cup 2014 Post Positions: Horse Odds, Prize Money Predictions and More
California Chrome thrilled the nation when he challenged for a Triple Crown with a Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes victory, but he is not even the favorite in Saturday’s 2014 Breeders’ Cup Classic.
That should tell you how deep the field is this year.
The Breeders’ Cup is the richest race in all of North America with a $5 million purse and is the grand finale of the horse racing season. Here is a look at the field of 14 horses for the 1 1/4-mile race, as well as the odds and purse information. The odds and purse information are courtesy of BreedersCup.com as of Friday evening.
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| 1 | Prayer for Relief | 30-1 |
| 2 | Cigar Street | 12-1 |
| 3 | Imperative | 30-1 |
| 4 | Moreno | 20-1 |
| 5 | V.E. Day | 20-1 |
| 6 | Shared Belief | 9-5 |
| 7 | Bayern | 6-1 |
| 8 | Zivo | 15-1 |
| 9 | Toast of New York | 12-1 |
| 10 | Footbridge | 30-1 |
| 11 | Tonalist | 5-1 |
| 12 | Candy Boy | 20-1 |
| 13 | California Chrome | 4-1 |
| 14 | Majestic Harbor | 20-1 |
| 1 | $2,750,000 |
| 2 | $900,000 |
| 3 | $500,000 |
| 4 | $300,000 |
| 5 | $150,000 |
California Chrome is the marquee name for casual horse racing fans who only tune in to the Triple Crown competitions, but Shared Belief is undefeated and the clear favorite.
Shared Belief missed the Triple Crown races with a foot injury but has done nothing but win when healthy. Tonalist, who won the Belmont Stakes, and Bayern, who won the Pennsylvania Derby, are also in the field.
California Chrome was a part of that Pennsylvania Derby race and disappointed with a sixth-place finish. Trainer Art Sherman discussed that performance, as reported by The Associated Press (via ESPN.com):
"I wish [Espinoza] could have gotten him out; the pace was not that fast. You hate making excuses, but I thought he could have gone after that horse a little bit earlier and got out from behind, but the other horse kept him down on the rail, which I really didn't want."
It was no accident that Bayern won that race. He is very fast, but there are some questions about his endurance because he finished in ninth and 10th place in his two races beyond nine furlongs.
California Chrome has such favorable odds because of his name recognition considering he has not run well since his race for the Triple Crown, with disappointing finishes at the Belmont and in Pennsylvania. If he did manage a victory, he would become the first Kentucky Derby winner to also win the Breeders’ Cup Classic since 2009 when Mine That Bird accomplished the feat.
Tonalist could also sneak up and win the Breeders’ Cup Classic with the momentum he has after the Belmont Stakes and Jockey Club Gold Cup victories. While Tonalist has those marquee victories, it is his consistency that truly stands out and makes him a threat in this long race.
He has only finished off the board once in his entire career, which just so happened to be the first start of his career. He has yet to finish worse than third place since then.
With so many potentially dangerous horses in the field, CBS Philly doesn’t think the favorite Shared Belief is a safe bet:
"It will still be the best group of runners Shared Belief has faced in his brief career. He is clearly a talented horse but his short price and lack of experience makes him a bad bet. The talented California-based Game on Dude finished out of the top three in the last two Breeders’ Cup Classics as the betting favorite, I predict the same for Shared Belied this year.
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Still, Shared Belief is an up-and-coming superstar in the sport of horse racing and this is his moment to shine.
The undefeated record in seven tries is impressive, but it feels somewhat hollow since he missed the Triple Crown races. However, six of those wins were in dominating fashion, and the close one was largely because he was forced to the outside at Santa Anita and had to race wide.
The fact that he still won is a testament to how incredibly fast he is when racing.
California Chrome is not running like he did during the Triple Crown races. This is Shared Belief's race, and he will deliver on the big stage on Saturday.
Predictions for Prize-Money Placements: 1. Shared Belief 2. Tonalist 3. Bayern 4. California Chrome 5. Toast of New York
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