Breeders' Cup 2017 Odds: Lines and Predictions for All Horses on Friday

The 2017 Breeders' Cup kicks off on Friday with four races at California's Del Mar Racetrack, which is hosting the prestigious racing event for the first time.

The Juvenile Fillies Turf, the Las Vegas Dirt Mile, the Juvenile Turf and the Longines Distaff will all be run on the opening day of action to whet the appetite for Saturday's nine races and the headlining Breeders' Cup Classic.

Although not the main day of action, Friday offers plenty of opportunities for punters in the betting market, and there will be a huge amount of quality on show.

Read on for a look at all the horses racing on the opening day, along with morning line odds from the Breeders' Cup official website.

Juvenile Fillies Turf (5:25 p.m. ET)

1. Best Performance, 12-1

2. Happily, 9-2

3. Now You're Talking, 30-1

4. Madeline, 20-1

5. Ultima D, 12-1

6. Orbolution, 20-1

7. Capla Temptress, 6-1

8. Significant Form, 8-1

9. Fatale Bere, 15-1

10. September, 6-1

11. Rushing Fall, 7-2

12. Dixie Moon, 20-1

13. Juliet Capulet, 12-1

14. Moon Dash, 15-1

15. Retro, 20-1

The Juvenile Fillies Turf, the opening race of the 2017 Breeders' Cup, is a tough one to call, as there are a number of top horses in the race.

Favourite Rushing Fall is trained by Chad Brown who has had the winning horse in the Juvenile Fillies Turf three times since its 2008 inception, and twice in the last three years.

There will be fierce competition, though, not least from Irish trainer Aidan O'Brien, who is enjoying a record-breaking season.

O'Brien runs second-favourite Happily alongside stablemate September in the Juvenile Fillies Turf, and both have a fine chance of taking victory on Friday and depriving Brown of another triumph in the race.

Prediction: September 

Las Vegas Dirt Mile (6:05 p.m. ET)

1. Iron Fist, 12-1

2. Giant Expectations, 12-1

3. Sharp Azteca, 9-2

4. Gato Del Oro, 30-1

5. Awesome Slew, 12-1

6. Mor Spirit, 3-1

7. Cupid, 8-1

8. Accelerate, 7-2

9. Battle of Midway, 10-1

10. Practical Joke, 6-1

Mor Spirit is the favourite for the Las Vegas Dirt Mile, and rightly so. The Bob Baffert-trained horse blitzed the field to win by seven lengths in the Met Mile at Belmont in June—see video below:

Second on that occasion was Sharp Azteca, who is 9-2 to prevail in Friday's second race at the Breeders' Cup, but he will have little chance if Mor Spirit reproduces his Belmont form.

However, as noted by racing expert Seth Merrow when speaking to Teresa Genaro of Forbes.com, Mor Spirit has not raced since June and could be at a disadvantage as a result.

If Mor Spirit has an off day and fails to win a fourth race on the bounce, stablemate Cupid could be one to watch out for, especially at attractive odds of 8-1.

Prediction: Mor Spirit

Juvenile Turf (6:50 p.m. ET)

1. Mendelssohn, 8-1

2. Untamed Domain, 8-1

3. Sands of Mali, 30-1

4. Catholic Boy, 12-1

5. Beckford, 8-1

6. Masar, 9-2

7. James Garfield, 6-1

8. Voting Control, 8-1

9. Encumbered, 15-1

10. Flameaway, 20-1

11. Snapper Sinclair, 15-1

12. Hemp Hemp Hurray, 8-1

13. My Boy Jack, 8-1

14. Rajasinghe, 30-1

15. Tap Daddy, 20-1

16. Pubilius Syrus, 20-1

The Juvenile Turf is a difficult race to call given the size of the field, but James Garfield is the early front-runner at 6-1.

In a packed field, racing announcer Matt Dinerman has picked out the George Scott-trained horse to prevail:

Scott is high on confidence for James Garfield's jockey, Frankie Dettori, who he believes "can make magic happen [and] do something special this week," per Tom Kerr of the Racing Post.

But it is far from a foregone conclusion, and Mendelssohn—trained by O'Brien and ridden by Ryan Moore—Hemp Hemp Hurray and Snapper Sinclair, a winner in his last two starts, could all also be in with a chance. 

Prediction: Hemp Hemp Hurray

Longines Distaff (7:35 p.m. ET) 

1. Champagne Room, 15-1

2. Stellar Wind, 5-2

3. Mopotism, 30-1

4. Abel Tasman, 4-1

5. Elate, 3-1

6. Forever Unbridled, 4-1

7. Paradise Woods, 9-2

8. Romantic Vision, 15-1

The Longines Distaff, the headline race of Friday's action, has an eight-horse lineup packed with quality.

Stellar Wind, ridden by Victor Espinoza, is the favourite, but Daily Racing Form's Jay Privman believes she will be bettered by Forever Unbridled:

The 4-1 shot is trained by Dallas Stewart, who has not had a winner in the Distaff since 2001, but Forever Unbridled has won on her last two outings, most recently chasing down Songbird in impressive fashion at the Personal Ensign Stakes.

Unlike Stewart, trainer Richard Mandella has won the Distaff twice in the last four years, including 2016, and he runs Paradise Woods in the 2017 race.

Jockeyed by Flavien Prat, Paradise Woods has plenty of pace and could well come through victorious assuming she makes a good start.

Prediction: Paradise Woods