Breeders' Cup 2020: Top Contenders, Early Odds and More for Classic Race

Tiz the Law was the darling of the horse racing community during the Triple Crown hunt.

The first New York-bred horse to win the Belmont Stakes since 1882 generated plenty of buzz ahead of the Kentucky Derby. 

Even though he won just a single Triple Crown race, Tiz the Law still boasts an impressive resume entering Saturday's Breeders' Cup Classic race at Keeneland, Kentucky. 

Tiz the Law has four wins and a second-place finish in 2020 and sits in a good position to become the first three-year-old horse to win the Classic race since 2016. 

Improbable and Maximum Security are the two older horses that could pose the largest threat to Tiz the Law's title claim. 

At the moment, Improbable is viewed as the better horse on the odds line. In fact, the Bob Baffert-trained horse is favored by a slight margin over Tiz the Law. 

Breeders' Cup Classic Odds

Odds via BreedersCup.com.

1. Tacitus (20-1)

2. Tiz the Law (3-1)

3. By My Standards (10-1)

4. Tom's d'Etat (6-1)

5. Title Ready (30-1)

6. Higher Power (20-1)

7. Global Campaign (20-1)

8. Improbable (5-2)

9. Authentic (6-1)

10. Maximum Security (7-2) 

Top Contenders

Tiz the Law

Tiz the Law is the second favorite because of how well he has run throughout the year. 

He began 2020 with first-place finishes at the Holy Bull Stakes and Florida Derby, which set the stage for his favorite status and then domination of the Belmont Stakes. 

During the long gap in between the Belmont and Kentucky Derby, Tiz the Law captured the Travers Stakes. 

Although he did not reach the winner's circle at Churchill Downs, the Barclay Tagg-trained horse ran well enough to take second place. 

The two-month layoff between the Derby and the Breeders' Cup Classic should benefit the 3-1 horse, who took close to three months off between the Florida Derby and Belmont Stakes. 

Jockey Manuel Franco could be well positioned to move Tiz the Law up the field on Saturday since he starts from Post 2 in between two long shots. 

Even if Tiz the Law runs a perfect race, he may face a fight at the end from more experienced thoroughbreds. 

Since 2010, only three three-year-old horses have captured the Breeders' Cup Classic. Five four-year-olds claimed the title during that span. 

Improbable

Improbable comes into the Breeders' Cup Classic in much better form than he had going into the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile in 2019.

A year ago, Improbable took fifth at the Kentucky Derby and sixth at the Preakness Stakes before taking fifth in the Dirt Mile. 

In 2020, the horse trained by Bob Baffert reeled off three consecutive victories at the Hollywood Gold Cup Stakes, Whitney Stakes and Awesome Again Stakes. 

The experience gained as a four-year-old could help Improbable contend for the final top title of the calendar year. 

If he withstands the early challenges from Authentic and Maximum Security on the outside, Improbable could work inside and find himself in a head-to-head challenge with Tiz the Law. 

Ideally, that would be a fantastic finish to the marquee Breeders' Cup race, but like Tiz the Law, Improbable needs a dominant and near-perfect race to be in front of plenty of quality horses.

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.

Statistics obtained from BreedersCup.com.