Future Stars Friday
Five Breeders' Cup races for 2-year-olds, the champions of tomorrow. Europe sends its best young turf horses, and two unbeaten Americans headline the dirt. Here's each race in plain English, with the horses Claude likes.
Three storylines for the day
Europe's invasion
Over half of the turf runners are based in Europe, led by Sun Goddess, Europe's best 2-year-old filly, and Libertango, the only horse to beat her. Aidan O'Brien alone sends three.
R6 · R8 · R10Two unbeatens
Emphatic (3-for-3) and Hughes (4-for-4) both arrive undefeated, and both now rate as the fastest in their races once every set of speed figures is counted.
R7 · R9Tomorrow's stars
These are all 2-year-olds. Friday's winners go straight to the top of next spring's Kentucky Derby and Oaks lists, and past winners have gone on to be champions.
R6–R10Read a race in 30 seconds
The odds
"5-2" means win $5 for every $2 bet. Lower odds = more people expect that horse to win. The morning line is a guess; real odds move until post time.
The pace
If several fast starters all want the lead, they wear each other out and a closer wins. If only one wants it, that horse can steal the race.
The surface
Dirt races (orange) and turf races (purple) suit different horses. Europeans mostly race on grass, which is why they target the turf races.
The chances
The bars on each race show Claude's estimate of each horse's chance to win. 40% means it wins about 4 times out of 10, so even "locks" lose.
The day at a glance
Your race-day schedule
Post time (ET) and distance. Longer bar = longer race.
How sure is Claude?
Claude's chance for the top horse in each race. Short bar = wide open.
Where the horses are based
Runners in each race by the country where they train.
Pace forecast
How many horses in each race like to be on or near the lead. More speed = better for closers.
The theme of every race
Each card has the story in one line, the horses to know, Claude's chances for the top five and who should be up front early.