There is few more popular horse racing events on the global calendar than the Breeders’ Cup. It is the only time during the season when the biggest names in America and Europe collide, with millions of dollars hanging in the balance in the championship races.
This year’s edition of the Breeders’ Cup looks set to be one of the most intriguing, with fascinating stories taking shape ahead of the event at Del Mar.
Therefore, it’s likely that the Breeders’ Cup 2024 contenders will be interesting for bettors, and you can find out more about how to increase your chances of gaining returns from your selections here.
Assess The Challenge Series
The Breeders’ Cup two-day meet is the fitting end to the flat season across the world, as the anticipation for the big clashes at Del Mar would have been taking shape since the start of the calendar year.
Horses that have their sights set on a place in a race at the competition will need to secure their berth by winning a race on the Challenge Series. These races are staged at some of the iconic courses throughout the season, and they are typically Grade/Group One races.
Winning these races will enable trainers to plot their route to the Breeders’ Cup from an early stage, and they are important angles to consider before making selections on the championship races. Challenge Series races typically see rivals that are set to collide at the two-day meet compete at an earlier stage of the season, meaning that key form lines can be taken.
Preference For Dirt or Turf?
One of the biggest considerations that bettors must make before making wagers on the Breeders’ Cup is whether their preference for betting is on the dirt or turf races.
European bettors will rarely place wagers on dirt races throughout the season, meaning that they can often be ill-afford when it comes to the key trends that must be considered before making a wager.
Therefore, the most successful strategy when making bets on the Breeders’ Cup is to stick with what you know, and to not get dragged into betting huge sums on races that you don’t have as much knowledge on.
Therefore, if you are unaware of what to study when it comes to finding a championship dirt sprinter, then this race should be overlooked in favour of making a bet on a race such as the Filly & Mare Turf. With 14 championship races being staged at Del Mar, it is unlikely that bettors will have the bankroll and knowledge to bet on every single race at the meeting.
Key Form To Assess
To ensure that you stand the best chance of gaining returns on your Breeders’ Cup wagers, bettors should ensure that they have examined all the key pieces of form. That includes assessing the distances in which horses have excelled over throughout the season, and assessing the highest graded victory that each runner has achieved.
This will help cut down the field of runners, as it will be unlikely that a runner that has only achieved victory in a Grade Three will have the class to compete at the highest level at the Breeders’ Cup. Furthermore, trainer and jockey strike-rates will make for important reading at the Breeders’ Cup this year, as bettors will not want to be siding with yards or riders that enter the championships in poor recent form.
The ratings will be the biggest indicator for bettors at the event this year, as these could help gamblers to cut down the most likely contenders in the lucrative races. Top-rated horses will likely be more prominent in the betting, but that will be for good reason, as they have the proven class in the form book to play a prominent role.
European Dominance On Turf
A key trend worth considering before making bets on the Breeders’ Cup this year is to examine the domination that European trainers have enjoyed on the turf at the championships in recent years. That trend was maintained in 2023, with European raiders winning the Filly & Mare Turf, Turf, and Mile.
It is worth considering that Charlie Appleby has trained the winner of the Mile in each of the last three years, and the Brit will likely hold a strong hand once again in 2024.
Aidan O’Brien was the dominant trainer in the Turf in 2023, with Auguste Rodin adding to the Epsom Derby success that was secured earlier in the season. Given that European’s have excelled at the highest level throughout the season, their runners will always be rated higher than their North American rivals.
That trend also goes the opposite way, with American-trained runners winning all the dirt races at the Breeders’ Cup in 2023. However, City of Troy could be the biggest danger to that trend being maintained in 2024, as the O’Brien runner looks set to compete in the Classic.