Breeders' Cup 2016 Post Positions: Horse Odds, Prize-Money Predictions and More
Saturday's Breeders' Cup Classic at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California, features a star-studded field, but all eyes will be on California Chrome as he chases a perfect season.
The 2014 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner hasn't lost since March of last year, and he is looking to atone for a third-place result in the 2014 Classic won by Bayern.
Ahead of California Chrome's run for history, here is a look at the odds and post positions for every horse, as well as predictions for how the race will play out.
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Breeders' Cup Classic Posts and Odds
| 1 | Effinex | James Jerkens | Flavien Prat | 40-1 |
| 2 | Frosted | Kiaran McLaughlin | Joel Rosario | 15-2 |
| 3 | Keen Ice | Todd Pletcher | Javier Castellano | 25-1 |
| 4 | California Chrome | Art Sherman | Victor Espinoza | 8-11 |
| 5 | Win The Space | George Papaprodromou | Gary Stevens | 66-1 |
| 6 | Melatonin | David Hofmans | Joseph Talamo | 16-1 |
| 7 | War Story | Mario Serey, Jr. | Scott Spieth | 100-1 |
| 8 | Shaman Ghost | James Jerkens | Irad Ortiz, Jr. | 25-1 |
| 9 | Hoppertunity | Bob Baffert | John Velazquez | 22-1 |
| 10 | Arrogate | Bob Baffert | Mike Smith | 11-4 |
Finish and Prize-Money Predictions
| 1 | California Chrome | $3.3 million |
| 2 | Hoppertunity | $1.02 million |
| 3 | Frosted | $540,000 |
| 4 | Melatonin | $300,000 |
| 5 | Arrogate | $180,000 |
| 6 | Keen Ice | $60,000 |
| 7 | Shaman Ghost | $60,000 |
| 8 | Win The Space | $60,000 |
| 9 | Effinex | --- |
| 10 | War Story | --- |
Win-Place-Show
Win: California Chrome
Following California Chrome's fourth-place finish in the 2014 Belmont Stakes when vying for the Triple Crown, he experienced a significant drop-off.
He won only one of his next five races and looked like his best days were behind him, but that changed when the calendar flipped to 2016.
Chrome has reeled off six consecutive victories, and trainer Art Sherman is blown away by his horse's form per Frank Angst of BloodHorse.com: "He's done about everything a horse could do. Should he win the Breeders' Cup, it would be really a feather in his hat. He's more mature, bigger, stronger, and you can see it in the way he's running. He's pretty well focused. ... He's kind of awesome to watch, to be honest with you."
California Chrome is understandably a heavy favorite with only Arrogate coming close on the heels of his dominant Travers Stakes triumph.
The difference between them in terms of experience is significant, however, especially in big-time races such as the Classic.
California Chrome has gotten the job done on the biggest stages in horse racing, and with horse of the year honors potentially on the line, he will come through and win the top race missing from his already impressive resume.
Place: Hoppertunity
Like California Chrome, the five-year-old Hoppertunity is a highly experienced horse who has run against many of the best in high-stakes races.
His results have been mixed at times, but he has six career victories to his credit and hasn't finished worse than fourth since his first-ever race.
He is also coming off a win in the Jockey Club Gold Cup, as well as a triumph at Santa Anita earlier in the year in the San Antonio Handicap.
Per the Breeders' Cup's official Twitter account, trainer Bob Baffert loves what he has seen from his horse as of late:
Baffert is looking for his third consecutive Classic win, and although Arrogate is the Baffert horse who most give the best chance, Hoppertunity could be a factor.
He has raced against California Chrome many times and been highly competitive, so a second-place finish is very much in the cards, although overtaking his rival in the biggest race of the year is unlikely.
Show: Frosted
Frosted hasn't enjoyed a flawless 2016, but with three victories to his credit, including a record-breaking performance in the Metropolitan Handicap, he is undoubtedly a horse worth watching Saturday.
The four-year-old colt won the Met Mile in record time and by a record margin. Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin heralded it as an all-time great showing, and pointed out that Frosted will be operating on rest similar to what he was given prior to that race, according to PaulickReport.com:
"It's the best performance by a horse that I've ever seen almost, much less be the trainer. It was just a wow race. Unbelievable for him to be a length in front at the quarter pole and win by 14 drawing off is pretty crazy. It was just a wild race.
[...]
We gave him 70 days from the World Cup to that race. We're giving him 60 days this time. He was back on Lasix and it just worked out very well, the whole race.
"
While Frosted finished a disappointing seventh in last year's Classic, he has a penchant for showing up at the biggest events.
Frosted was fourth in the 2015 Kentucky Derby and second in the Belmont Stakes behind only Triple Crown winner American Pharoah.
History suggests Frosted will be in the mix Saturday at the very least, and that should allow him to sneak into a top-three spot.
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