You know how punters get lost in too much data or bet blindly? I break down the stats and trends so you can feel confident youâre betting with more than just gut instinct.
2025 Breeders' Cup Classic Preview
The Breeders' Cup Classic is the highlight of the Breeders' Cup weekend with a purse of $6m, making it the richest race at the Breeders' Cup. The race is open to runners who are three years old or older, with the race being run over ten furlongs (2,000m) on the dirt track.
Along with the Triple Crown (Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes & Belmont Stakes), this is the final leg of the Grand Slam of Thoroughbred racing.
Breeders' Cup Classic Information:
- Breeders' Cup Classic Past Winners
- Breeders' Cup Classic Trainer Statistics
- Breeders' Cup Classic Jockey Statistics
Why not use the trends shortlist below to help you narrow down the field and then head over to the dedicated Del Mar tips page to see which runners are being supported by the OLBG expert racing tipsters to find yourself a bet? You may also be interested in other preview blogs that we have packed full of information. Head down to the Breeders Cup Schedule section for links to these.
Best Horse Racing Betting Sites 2025
How competitive is the Breeders' Cup Classic market? When looking at the over-rounds for the last 20 renewals, the most competitive market was in 2009 when the race had an over-round of 111%. The race in 2006 was a race that was most in the bookie's favour with an over-round of 125%, whilst on average over the last 20 renewals of the Breeders' Cup Classic, the over-round has been 118%, which means the bookie expects to pay out £100 for every £118 which is bet.
Below you will find the 2025 Breeders' Cup Classic Trends. See which patterns have occurred over the recent renewals that you may be able to use for the next renewal. We also have a section that looks at the Breeders' Cup Classic Trend Analysis.
These are the top three quickest-run Breeders' Cup Classic races over the last 20 renewals:
- Authentic (1:59.19) in 2020
- Ravens Pass (1:59.27) in 2008
- Knicks Go (1:59.57) in 2021
Looking at the future form, is the winner worth following next time out? Over the past 20 renewals, if you had followed the winner of the Breeders' Cup Classic next time out, then you would have backed a total of 6 winners. Backing all 12 runners who have been out since their win at SP next time out would have returned an LSP of -2.90. Remember to bookmark the racing tips page to access the OLBG racing picks easily daily.
Over the last 20 renewals, it was Authentic, trained by Bob Baffert and ridden by John R Velazquez, who set the fastest winning time in the Breeders' Cup Classic. That runner won the race in a time of 1:59.19 in 2020. At the other end of the scale, it was the combination of trainer William Mott and jockey Mike E Smith with Drosselmeyer who set the slowest winning time; the race-winning time was 2:04.27 in the 2011 renewal.
Breeders' Cup Classic Challenge Series
Here are the races that are included in the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series for the Breeders' Cup Classic:
- February Stakes (Tokyo)
- Stephen Foster Handicap (Churchill Downs)
- Haskell Invitational (Monmouth)
- Whitney Handicap (Saratoga)
- Juddmonte International (York)
- Pacific Classic (Del Mar)
- Jockey Club Gold Cup (Saratoga)
- Awesome Again Stakes (Santa Anita)
Breeders' Cup Classic Past Winners
Here are the Breeders' Cup Classic past winners for the last 10 renewals. Each row details the year of the race, the horse which won, along with the age & weight of the horse. Also detailed is the stall from which the horse came and the total number of runners in the race. The horse's trainer and the jockey at the time of winning the Breeders' Cup Classic are also displayed, along with the starting price at which the horse was sent off.
| Year | Horse (Drawn) | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 2:00.78 | Sierra Leone (USA) 3yo 8-10 (11 of 14) 69/10 | Flavien Prat Chad C Brown (USA) |
| 2023 2:02.87 | White Abarrio (USA) 4yo 9-0 (2 of 12) 13/5F | Irad Ortiz Jr Richard Dutrow Jr (USA) |
| 2022 2:00.05 | Flightline (USA) 4yo 9-0 (4 of 8) 4/9F | Flavien Prat John W Sadler (USA) |
| 2021 1:59.57 | Knicks Go (USA) 5yo 9-0 (4 of 8) 16/5 | Joel Rosario Brad H Cox (USA) |
| 2020 1:59.19 | Authentic (USA) 3yo 8-10 (9 of 10) 9/2 | John R Velazquez Bob Baffert (USA) |
| 2019 2:02.80 | Vino Rosso (USA) 4yo 9-0 (10 of 11) 4/1 | Irad Ortiz Jr Todd Pletcher (USA) |
| 2018 2:02.93 | Accelerate (USA) 5yo 9-0 (14 of 14) 9/2 | Joel Rosario John W Sadler (USA) |
| 2017 2:01.29 | Gun Runner (USA) 4yo 9-0 (5 of 11) 11/4 | Florent Geroux Steven Asmussen (USA) |
| 2016 2:00.11 | Arrogate (USA) 3yo 8-10 (9 of 9) 7/4 | Mike E Smith Bob Baffert (USA) |
| 2015 2:00.07 | American Pharoah (USA) 3yo 8-10 (4 of 8) 4/6F | Victor Espinoza Bob Baffert (USA) |
Where have the winning runners come from?
Here are the countries where the winning trainers of the Breeders' Cup Classic have been based:
- USA: 19 winners with an additional 32 placings from 189 runners
- GB: 1 winner with an additional 3 placings from 11 runners
- IRE: 0 winners with an additional 2 placings from 13 runners
- JPN: 0 winners with an additional 2 placings from 7 runners
- CAN: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 3 runners
- AUS: 0 winners with an additional 1 placing from 2 runners
2024 Breeders' Cup Classic Replay
Breeders' Cup Classic Trainer Statistics
The leading trainer in the Breeders' Cup Classic over the last 20 renewals is Bob Baffert, who has won the race four times, with those four winners coming from Bayern (2014), American Pharoah (2015), Arrogate (2016) and Authentic (2020). Other trainers who have recorded multiple wins in the Breeders' Cup Classic are John W Sadler (2 wins), Steven Asmussen (2 wins) and Richard Dutrow Jr (2 wins). There is one trainer who has not had the best of times in the Breeders' Cup Classic; A P O'Brien has sent a total of 13 runners to the race without recording any wins.
Here are some of the top Breeders' Cup Classic trainer statistics over the last 20 renewals (R = Runners, W = Winners, P = Places including winners, Win LSP is based on 1pt Win and EW LSP is based on 0.5pt Win & 0.5pt Place):
| Trainer | R-W-P | Win | EW |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bob Baffert | 24-4-11 | -6.08 | -3.59 |
| John W Sadler | 8-2-3 | -1.06 | -1.54 |
| Steven Asmussen | 7-2-2 | +2.25 | -0.65 |
| Richard Dutrow Jr | 3-2-2 | +3.85 | +1.91 |
| Todd Pletcher | 18-1-4 | -13.00 | -6.82 |
| William Mott | 15-1-3 | +6.00 | +2.49 |
| Kiaran McLaughlin | 6-1-1 | +0.50 | -1.70 |
| John Shirreffs | 5-1-3 | -0.67 | +1.64 |
| Brad H Cox | 5-1-2 | -0.80 | -1.39 |
| Chad C Brown | 4-1-1 | +3.90 | +1.14 |
Breeders' Cup Classic Jockey Statistics
The leading jockey in the Breeders' Cup Classic over the last 20 renewals is Mike E Smith, who has won the race three times, with those three winners coming from Zenyatta (2009), Drosselmeyer (2011) and Arrogate (2016). Other jockeys who have recorded multiple wins in the Breeders' Cup Classic are Joel Rosario (2 wins), Irad Ortiz Jr (2 wins) and Flavien Prat (2 wins). There is one jockey who has not had the best of times in the Breeders' Cup Classic; Javier Castellano has ridden 11 runners in the race without recording any wins.
Here are some of the top Breeders' Cup Classic jockey statistics over the last 20 renewals (R = Runners, W = Winners, P = Places including winners, Win LSP is based on 1pt Win and EW LSP is based on 0.5pt Win & 0.5pt Place):
| Jockey | R-W-P | Win | EW |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mike E Smith | 16-3-8 | +12.08 | +18.62 |
| Joel Rosario | 13-2-5 | -3.30 | -2.04 |
| Irad Ortiz Jr | 9-2-4 | -0.40 | +1.06 |
| Flavien Prat | 7-2-3 | +2.34 | +0.90 |
| John R Velazquez | 17-1-5 | -11.50 | -8.24 |
| G K Gomez | 8-1-2 | -1.50 | -1.80 |
| Frankie Dettori | 5-1-1 | +4.00 | +0.80 |
| Victor Espinoza | 5-1-3 | -3.33 | -2.02 |
| Brian Joseph Hernandez Jr | 4-1-1 | +6.00 | +2.40 |
| Martin Garcia | 4-1-2 | +4.00 | +2.35 |
2025 Breeders' Cup Classic Trends
Favourites finishing positions (oldest to latest): 1, 2, 4, 4, 10, 2, (4, 5, 6), 7, 9, 4, 1, 2, 5, 12, 2, 6, 3, 1, 1, 2
The percentage shown is the percentage of the total number of runners who fell under that factor. High percentages are less appealing than lower ones, as you would expect them to do well. The trend information is based on the available information on the Racing Post in terms of previous runs, etc.
- 20 / 20 (62%) - No bigger than 20/1
- 20 / 20 (68%) - Achieved an RPR of 119+ (Season)
- 20 / 20 (71%) - Had 1 - 7 wins (Class)
- 20 / 20 (72%) - Highest Won is not G2-3/LST/Cl2
- 20 / 20 (76%) - Placed within last 1 starts
- 20 / 20 (77%) - Achieved an RPR of 112+ (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (77%) - Ran over 5½f - 1m½f (Debut)
- 20 / 20 (78%) - Not on GS/GD/FM/SLW/STD (Debut)
- 20 / 20 (80%) - Had 2 - 5 placings (180 Days)
- 20 / 20 (80%) - Within the first 9 of the market
- 20 / 20 (83%) - Carried 119 - 126lbs (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (83%) - Not in a G1/LST/Cl3-4 (Debut)
- 20 / 20 (85%) - Beaten no more -5¾l (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (85%) - Break of 27 - 91 days (Last Place)
- 20 / 20 (86%) - Achieved an RPR of 112+ (Last Win)
Remember to use the trends listed above, along with the Del Mar racing predictions, to see if you can find the winner of the Breeders' Cup Classic. Did you know that we have an OLBG Betting School section on OLBG? It is a place to help you improve your betting experience with articles covering numerous topics.
Are you already a member? If not, then why not? With over £6,000 given away each month in the tipster competition, why not get involved? Remember, it is completely FREE! So, head over to the registration page to sign up today! If you are already a member, then share your thoughts on the Breeders' Cup Classic by adding a tip on the race here.
101 Ways to find Winners in Horse Racing
Breeders' Cup Classic Trend Analysis
❌ The worst performing factor that has failed to produce a single winner is when runners had 0 career wins in the class, when backing these, the trend shows a record of 0-63.
Here are the most recent winning draws, along with the further placings in brackets:
- 2024: Winner in 11 (9,1) [14 Runners]
- 2023: Winner in 2 (4,12) [12 Runners]
- 2022: Winner in 4 (7,1) [8 Runners]
- 2021: Winner in 4 (7,3) [8 Runners]
- 2020: Winner in 9 (8,7) [10 Runners]
The courses that have produced the most winners of the Breeders' Cup Classic are Saratoga and Belmont Park; there have been a total of 6 winners from each of those courses.
The race is open to both sexes, with the Male runners having produced a total of 19 winners from a total of 221 runners, whilst the Female runners have produced 1 winner from a total of 4 runners.
These are the stallions whose offspring have not produced a winner of the Breeders' Cup Classic despite multiple attempts:
- Awesome Again (0 Wins from 6 runners)
- Bernardini (0 Wins from 6 runners)
- Mineshaft (0 Wins from 6 runners)
- A.P. Indy (0 Wins from 5 runners)
- Danehill (0 Wins from 5 runners)
Looking at the winning odds over the last 20 renewals, the biggest-priced winner was Drosselmeyer in 2011, winning for William Mott at odds of 20/1 under the guidance of Mike E Smith. Looking at the runners at the head of the market over the last 20 renewals, there have been 4 winning favourites in the race. Whilst we wait for the 2025 Breeders' Cup Classic, remember you can get daily racing predictions from the top racing tipsters on the best racing tipsters page. All figures and trends above, such as the horse's previous runs, are based on the information that is available on the Racing Post.
Route to the Breeders' Cup Classic
Many trainers will target races to use as prep races before coming to the Breeders' Cup Classic. These are the races which the recent winners ran in before coming here:
| Info | Last Race |
|---|---|
| 2024 - Sierra Leone Saratoga - 3rd of 8 (7/4) | DraftKings Travers Stakes |
| 2023 - White Abarrio Saratoga - 1st of 6 (56/5) | Whitney Stakes |
| 2022 - Flightline Del Mar - 1st of 6 (3/10) | TVG Pacific |
| 2021 - Knicks Go Churchill Downs - 1st of 6 (1/10) | Lukas |
| 2020 - Authentic Pimlico - 2nd of 11 (6/4) | Preakness Stakes |
| 2019 - Vino Rosso Belmont Park - 2nd of 5 (23/5) | Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes |
| 2018 - Accelerate Santa Anita - 1st of 6 (3/10) | Awesome Again Stakes |
| 2017 - Gun Runner Saratoga - 1st of 5 (27/20) | Woodward Stakes presented by NYRA Bets |
| 2016 - Arrogate Saratoga - 1st of 13 (127/10) | Travers Stakes |
| 2015 - American Pharoah Saratoga - 2nd of 10 (27/20) | Travers Stakes |
Article Contributor Information
We are fortunate to have an excellent team of specialists and experts at OLBG. Contributing to the creation and maintenance of this Breeders' Cup Classic Preview are Andy and James. They both work on the Horse racing tips team, looking after the tipsters and managing the tips settlement, whilst also creating and managing all of the horse racing event previews for International racing.
James Banting
Expert Guide
Andy Powell
Expert Guide
Breeders' Cup Schedule
Breeders' Cup Juvenile races on Friday
| Race | Last Winner | Info |
|---|---|---|
| Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint | Magnum Force (IRE) 2yo - 125/10 | G M Lyons Colin Keane |
| Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies | Immersive (USA) 2yo - 2/1 | Brad H Cox Manuel Franco |
| Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf | Lake Victoria (IRE) 2yo - 7/10 | A P O'Brien Ryan Moore |
| Breeders' Cup Juvenile | Citizen Bull (USA) 2yo - 159/10 | Bob Baffert Martin Garcia |
| Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf | Henri Matisse (IRE) 2yo - 39/10 | A P O'Brien Ryan Moore |
Breeders' Cup Championship races on Saturday
| Race | Last Winner | Info |
|---|---|---|
| Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint | Soul Of An Angel (USA) 5yo - 198/10 | Saffie A Joseph Jr Drayden Van Dyke |
| Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint | Starlust (GB) 3yo - 34/1 | Ralph Beckett Rossa Ryan |
| Breeders' Cup Distaff | Thorpedo Anna (USA) 3yo - 2/5 | Kenneth McPeek Brian Joseph Hernandez Jr |
| Breeders' Cup Turf | Rebels Romance (IRE) 6yo - 19/10 | Charlie Appleby William Buick |
| Breeders' Cup Classic | Sierra Leone (USA) 3yo - 69/10 | Chad C Brown Flavien Prat |
| Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf | Moira (CAN) 5yo - 58/10 | Kevin Attard Flavien Prat |
| Breeders' Cup Sprint | Straight No Chaser (USA) 5yo - 61/10 | Dan Blacker John R Velazquez |
| Breeders' Cup Mile | More Than Looks (USA) 4yo - 69/10 | Cherie DeVaux Jose L Ortiz |
| Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile | Full Serrano (ARG) 5yo - 134/10 | John W Sadler Joel Rosario |
