Breeders’ Cup 2018: Searching for Singles

You really must play the Pick 4s, 5s, and 6s during the Breeders’ Cup if you want to cash in big, because the pools are massive. Even a sequence where multiple favorites win can pay much more than it would on a normal day of racing. The key to any multi-race bet is finding the right single and then spreading around in the other races to give you as much coverage as your bankroll can afford. Here are a few horses to consider singling, as well as who you should look to play against at a short price.

Logical Singles

Newspaperofrecord – She will be a much-needed single in the Juvenile Fillies Turf on the all-juvenile Friday program. Trainer Chad Brown has had tremendous success in this race recently, with winners such as Rushing Fall and Lady Eli. As of now, though, this filly may actually be more developed than those two were at this point in their careers, which is a scary thought. She romped in both of her starts thus far while never being challenged at any point in either race. Europe will surely send some tougher foes for her to face in this spot, which will be her only worry, but the other juvenile races could get crazy, which means that a single here could lead to a nice score.

Catalina Cruiser – This monster continues to impress in the mornings at Santa Anita leading up to the Dirt Mile. He has been impressive racing, too, which has led many to believe that he should be entered in the Classic, but trainer John Sadler is taking the conservative route. If he shows up with his normal race, then he could cruise in what may be one of the shortest Breeders’ Cup fields because several horses will dodge this beast. Sadler’s poor record away from California is the only concern.

Creative Singles

McKinzie – There is no doubt that he would be a dangerous single in a deep and talented Breeders’ Cup Classic, but his latest workouts at Santa Anita have been breathtaking, and trainer Bob Baffert believes that he will move forward off of what was already an impressive comeback in the Grade 1 Pennsylvania Derby. Baffert has told anyone that will listen how much he loves McKinzie, which is important, because Baffert usually tips his hand when talking about his best horses. This is a race where the public will likely either spread, or else single Accelerate, which means getting through with just McKinzie could mean cashing in big while others take a big knock-out blow in the final leg of Saturday’s last event.

Broome – For whatever reason, European shippers have been much more successful in this race than the Juvenile Fillies Turf, which is why Broome has us intrigued. Trainer Aidan O’Brien won this race last year with Mendelssohn, and Broome looks to be O’Brien’s top 2018 hopeful after a close second last time out in a Group 1 race at Longchamp. The competition in this race will likely be lessor than what he faced in his last start.

Favorites to Beat

Enable – As far as multi-race bets go, if you can beat Enable, then you will score in a major way. This might be the best horse in the world and is a very likely single for most of the public in what will be a tough late sequence on Saturday. She is going to be very difficult to beat, but it is important to note that no Arc winner has ever won at the Breeders’ Cup. That fact alone makes her an interesting play against, while she has also only raced twice this year. There is no doubt she could burn you, she’s crazy talented, yet playing against in the multi’s makes a lot of sense.