Breeders' Cup 2019 Odds: Lines and Predictions for All Horses on Friday

The 2019 Breeders' Cup festival gets underway on Friday when the first five events of a much-anticipated weekend of horse racing feature at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California.

One of the biggest weekends of the United States' thoroughbred racing calendar also yields the opportunity for big punter returns.

Many bettors might think the best of this weekend's action will be saved for Saturday's main draw, but the talent competing in Friday's curtain-raisers is worthy of its own attention.

All but one of Friday's races are of a Grade 1 standard—the first race of the day, the Juvenile Turf Sprint, is a Grade 2—with elite-level contenders present across the field.

Friday's Schedule, Predictions

Juvenile Turf Sprint, 4:12 p.m. ET

Four Wheel Drive: 3-1

Kimari: 3-1

A'Ali: 5-1

Alligator Alley: 12-1

Chimney Rock: 14-1

Band Practice: 14-1 

Cambria: 14-1

King Neptune: 16-1

Dream Shot: 20-1 

Dr Simpson: 20-1 

Another Miracle: 33-1 

Encoder: 40-1

Juvenile Turf Presented by Coolmore America, 4:52 p.m. ET

Arizona: 5-2

Decorated Invader: 9-2

Structor: 6-1

Fort Myers: 14-1

Hit The Road: 14-1

Peace Achieved: 16-1

Andesite: 16-1

Our Country: 16-1

Graceful Kitten: 25-1

Gear Jockey: 40-1

Billy Batts: 50-1

Proven Strategies: 50-1

War Beast: 66-1

Deviant: 66-1

Juvenile Fillies, 5:32 p.m. ET

Donna Veloce: 3-1

British Idiom: 7-2

Bast: 4-1

Wicked Whisper: 4-1

Comical: 14-1

Perfect Alibi: 14-1

Lazy Daisy: 20-1

Two Sixty: 25-1

K P Dreamin: 33-1

Juvenile Fillies Turf, 6:12 p.m. ET

Albigna: 4-1

Daahyeh: 4-1

Sweet Melania: 8-1

Crystalle: 10-1

Selflessly: 10-1

Tango: 12-1

Fair Maiden: 14-1

Shadn: 14-1

Abscond: 16-1

Etoile: 16-1

Living in the Past: 16-1

Sharing: 20-1

Unforgetable: 25-1

Croughavouke: 50-1

TVG Juvenile, 7:03 p.m. ET

Dennis' Moment: 11-8

Eight Rings: 6-4

Scabbard: 6-1

Anneau d'Or: 20-1

Shoplifted: 25-1

Wrecking Crew: 25-1

Storm the Court: 33-1

Full Flat: 50-1

All odds via Oddschecker.com. Predicted winners in bold.

Visit BreedersCup.com to see the race cards in full.

Preview

Trainer Wesley Ward looks a shoo-in to win the Juvenile Turf Sprint considering he has three entrants in a field of 12, and two of those are the leading favourites.

Kimari and Four Wheel Drive have each sat ahead of the competition in the build-up to this meet, but the former gains the edge here due to experience—he has four races under his belt while Four Wheel Drive has only two.

Each of Ward's stars has won their last two races (the only two in Four Wheel Drive's case), but fellow two-year-old Kimari was particularly impressive when he won the Indian Summer Stakes at Keeneland in October, via the Breeders' Cup:

Jockey legend Frankie Dettori will ride another contender to watch out for in A'Ali, though the 5-1 option could be a better pick to place.

The Juvenile Turf Presented by Coolmore America will feature a large 14-horse field—as does the Juvenile Fillies Turf, the penultimate race of the day—and with that comes greater chances of an upset.

Peace Achieved sits at 16-1 and is far from 5-2 odds leader Arizona, but his confidence will be high after winning each of his last three races, the most recent of which was a Grade 3 victory at Keeneland.

Miguel Mena has ridden the colt for each of those results and is set to board him again on Friday. The jockey recently spoke to the Kentucky division of the Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association and paid great praise to Peace Achieved following their hot streak:

Perfect Alibi is another underdog to keep an eye on at 14-1 in the Juvenile Fillies, having won three of his five career races and never failing to finish inside the top two.

Comical is the only other horse in the field boasting the same experience, but Mark Casse-trained Perfect Alibi looks to have the edge after winning twice at Saratoga in August and September (one Grade 1).

Todd Pletcher looks to have a value pick in the Juvenile Fillies Turf with Sweet Melania, an 8-1 option sitting just behind leaders Albigna and Daahyeh who looks to be in fine form ahead of Friday's showdown:

The last race of the day, the TVG Juvenile, is run over 1 1/16 miles and could appeal to Joseph Sutton contender Scabbard, who finished second at that distance at Churchill Downs in September. 

Dennis' Moment and Eight Rings lead the bookmakers' odds in Friday's climax, but Scabbard looks the more appetising pick at 6-1 with Mike Smith jockeying, with the horse seeking his first win since June.