How To Bet Breeders' Cup Classic 2019 Race

It all comes down this — a season-ending race at the Breeders’ Cup World Champions. The event marks the culmination of a wacky year in horse racing for jockeys, trainers, spectators, and bettors alike. Here’s a guide to betting the 2019 race with odds, tips, and free picks!

The Breeders' Cup Classic is as wide-open as it's been in recent memory, evident by the Breeders Cup odds:

Mckinzie (+350)
Code of Honor (+400)
Omaha Beach (+800)

The 2019 event takes place on November 2 at the Santa Anita Park in California. It's the pinnacle event of the 14-race weekend, with a whopping $6 million on the line.

Now that qualifying is over, the racing field is starting to shape up. Let's preview the Breeders' Cup entries 2019, starting with the frontrunners. As always, be sure to take advantage of these bettor-friendly bonus offers when laying down wagers to really maximize winnings.

Welcome to the Wild, Wild West

With no overwhelming favorite in the Classic, the starting gate could max out at 14 horses come race time. While good for TV watchers, an anyone-can-win field isn't particularly helpful to bettors. Still, there are some names to keep your eye in the one and one-fourth mile race.

Currently, Mckinzie is the official Breeders Cup 2019 odds on favorite, per online sportsbooks. The four-year-horse is trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, which is no small thing. Baffert is the winningest trainer in the Classic's history with a three-peat in 2014, 2015, and 2016.

While Baffert carries quite the pedigree, Mckinzie's track record is shakier. Six times he's been the favorite in races this year and four times he's failed to win. Even a year ago, he carried considerable hype at this very event and finished 12th.

So if not Mckinzie, then who? Perhaps Code of Honor, who enters with the second-best Breeders' Cup Classic odds?

He too is trained by a Haller of Famer in Shug McGaughey. Here's the thing, though: McGaughey, for all his success, has never won a Breeders' Cup Classic. That's a big red flag in our book.

To his credit, Code of Honor has put together a fine 2019 season. He took second at the Kentucky Derby, a race he lead briefly near the quarter-pole.

In six other competitions this season, the three-year-old has claimed four victories. A win at Santa Anita could catapult him into strong Eclipse Award consideration. There's a lot to like about Code of Honor, but we're not sure we're in love with him, either.

Instead, our affection is reserved for Omaha Beach. Remember him? The Kentucky Derby morning-line favorite that was forced out due to breathing problems? In case you've forgotten, allow us to remind you, this horse is lightning quick.

After a five-month layoff, Omaha Beach returned at the recent Santa Anita Sprint Championship Stakes — the same track he'll be running come November 2 — and won with an eye-popping time of 1:08.79.

The victory, his fourth straight this year, earned him an automatic bid into the Breeders' Cup despite being idle 25 weeks.

Plain and simple, there's not a horse with a higher ceiling than Omaha Beach. After winning the six-furlong Santa Anita Sprint, Omaha Beach became the first horse in 30 years to win a race at that length AND a one and one-eighth mile race in the same season — all with a giant layoff in between, no less.

However, which Breeders' Cup event Omaha Beach will run remains a mystery. He's eligible for the Sprint, Dirt Mile, and Classic. Trainer Richard Mandella is undecided as of writing time, but Omaha Beach is our pick regardless of where he competes in. Believe us, this horse is special.

Betting pick to make: Omaha Beach (+800)

Best of the Rest

In the event that Omaha Beach doesn't run in the Classic, who else in the field is a worthy bet? Here are some other notable contenders:

Vino Rosso (+800)
Elate (+900)
Midnight Bisou (+1000)
Mongolian Groom (+1200)
High Power (+1400)
Preservationist (+1400)

We have a gut feeling we'll be seeing a little Gold Cup deja vu come Classic time. Just last month, the Belmont Park race ended in controversy with Vino Rosso and Code of Honor at the center of it. The former barely nosed out the latter for the victory, only then to be demoted to second due to disqualification.

No, the deja vu isn't that another controversial finish is on the way at Santa Anita — after the mess that was the Kentucky Derby, we've had it with DQ endings. Rather, this race could come down to those two horses again.

We've already lauded Code of Honor's year-round consistency, but Vino Rosso shows a lot of those same traits. In five races this season, he's placed top-4 in each one, with two outright victories (third if you count the Gold Cup pre-disqualification).

Either one, if not both, would be solid bets if Omaha Beach doesn't run in the Classic.

Betting pick to make: Code of Honor (+400) or Vino Rosso (+800)

As always with horse racing, monitor the lines closely. They'll fluctuate greatly between now and race time. Heck, some of the aforementioned names might be scratched from the race altogether or compete in a different Breeders' Cup event.

Be sure to check out one of our partners below to lock in your bets. Getting started with a deposit is easy and you'll be off the races in no time — pun fully intended!