Breeders' Cup 2015: Post Time, Post Positions and Friday TV Coverage
Triple-Crown winner American Pharoah and nine other elite horses will race to win the Breeders' Cup Classic on Saturday afternoon.
Per Jonathan Lintner of the Courier-Journal, here's a look at the post positions, post times, purse and distance for Saturday's race from Keeneland in Lexington, Kentucky.
When: 5:35 p.m. ET on Saturday, Oct. 31
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Purse: $5 million.
Distance: 1 1/4 miles.
1. Tonalist
2. Keen Ice
3. Frosted
4. American Pharoah
5. Gleneagles
6. Effinex
7. Smooth Roller
8. Hard Aces
9. Honor Code
10. Beholder (scratched, per Lintner)
Can Any Horse Challenge American Pharoah?
Per Odds Shark, American Pharoah is a 5-4 favorite to win the Breeders' Cup Classic. Those odds could become even more favorable considering Beholder was scratched from competition due to a lung irritation.
Odds Shark had the Richard Mandella-trained horse listed as the biggest threat to American Pharoah at 4-1 odds.
If all goes as planned, American Pharoah could push his career earnings up to $8.5 million with a win in North America's richest horse race, according to the Los Angeles Times' Bill Dwyre. Tonalist is now the horse to keep an eye on.
Christophe Clement's horse won the 2014 Belmont Stakes to thwart California Chrome's Triple Crown run. Could he play spoiler against American Pharoah more than a year later? Tonalist has 13-2 odds according to Odds Shark. If the challenge doesn't come from him, it probably won't come at all.
Friday's Races
The Classic will get most of the attention, but there are four races on Friday with huge purse payouts. Take a look at the schedule for the entire list of Breeders' Cup events, per BreedersCup.com:
| Race | Post Time (ET) | Network | Surface | Distance | Purse |
| Juvenile Turf | 3:30 p.m. (Fri) | NBCSN | Turf | 1 Mile | $1 Million |
| Las Vegas Dirt Mile | 4:10 p.m. (Fri) | NBCSN | Dirt | 1 Mile | $1 Millon |
| Juvenile Fillies Turf | 4:50 p.m. (Fri) | NBCSN | Turf | 1 Mile | $1 Million |
| Longines Distaff | 5:35 p.m. (Fri) | NBCSN | Dirt | 1 1/8 Miles | $2 Million |
| 14 Hands Winery Juvenile Fillies | 12:05 p.m. (Sat) | -- | Dirt | 1 1/16 Miles | $2 Million |
| Turf Sprint | 12:45 p.m. (Sat) | -- | Turf | 5 1/2 Furlongs | $1 Million |
| Filly & Mare Sprint | 1:25 p.m. (Sat) | NBCSN | Dirt | 7 Furlongs | $1 Million |
| Filly & Mare Turf | 2:10 p.m. (Sat) | NBCSN | Turf | 1 3/16 Miles | $2 Million |
| TwinSpires Sprint | 2:50 p.m. (Sat) | NBCSN | Dirt | 6 Furlongs | $1.5 Million |
| Mile | 3:30 p.m. (Sat) | NBCSN | Turf | 1 Mile | $2 Million |
| Sentient Jet Juvenile | 4:10 p.m. (Sat) | NBC | Dirt | 1 1/16 Miles | $2 Million |
| Longines Turf | 4:50 p.m. (Sat) | NBC | Turf | 1 1/2 Miles | $3 Million |
| Classic | 5:35 p.m. (Sat) | NBC | Dirt | 1 1/4 Miles | $5 Million |
The Longines Distaff is the most lucrative event on the opening day of races at Keeneland. The race features the best female dirt horses. Beholder won the event for three-plus-year-olds back in 2013.
Here's a look at the post positions for the race, per Bloodhorse.com:
| 1. I'm a Chatterbox |
| 2. Frivolous |
| 3. Salama |
| 4. Stopchargingmaria |
| 5. Calamity Kate |
| 6. My Sweet Addiction |
| 7. Wedding Toast |
| 8. Curalina |
| 9. Stellar Wind |
| 10. Yahilwa |
| 11. Untapable |
| 12. Got Lucky |
| 13. Warren's Veneda |
| 14. Sheer Drama |
| 15. Peace and War |
You can see the post positions for every stakes race on Friday at Bloodhorse.com.
Looking for a winner? Terri Bey of the Camel Clutch blog, wrote:
"The horses that have the best shot to win are Sheer Drama, Got Lucky, and Wedding Toast. I like that Got Lucky has a win over the track in the Grade I Spinster Stakes. If we were at Belmont Park, I would bet the farm on Wedding Toast. She has a stellar record there. I think Sheer Drama is the best horse in the field. In her 7 starts, she’s won four times, and placed 3 times.
"
Untapable is the defending champion, but she isn't the horse getting the most love from prognosticators. Sheer Drama should definitely be on the radar. Aside from her history of success, she's also starting from the 14th post position in a crowded 15-horse field. Having the ability to run with just one horse pushing her toward the crowd should be a benefit.
To go against the grain a bit, keep an eye on Curalina in the eighth spot. She may not get the same attention that Sheer Drama or Wedding Toast will receive, but she's trained by Todd A. Pletcher and ridden by Joel Rosario.
There's a ton of winning associated with that trainer and jockey combination. Don't count her out.
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