Early 2015 Breeders’ Cup Classic Odds from Wynn Las Vegas
If you thought it was too early to talk about the 2015 Kentucky Derby, now less than four months out, how about next year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic? Sure, it’s too soon to seriously handicap even the biggest race of the two-day extravaganza, set to be Keeneland’s first Breeders’ Cup, but that has not stopped Wynn Las Vegas from setting some early odds. And personally, I love it; buyer beware, and all that, but this is just a fun topic to discuss.
You might suspect that California Chrome, the horse I expect to win the 2014 Horse of the Year Award in a few weeks, and reportedly itching to go for the brand new 2015 season, would be the early favorite, but no. The most popular horse in America only rates the 8-1 third choice. I can just see waves of Chromies flooding the Wynn Race and Sports Book to get their hard-earned dollars down on their favorite.
As for the actual Wynn Las Vegas favorite for next year’s Classic, that honor falls to the formerly undefeated 2013 juvenile champion Shared Belief, at 5-1. Ironically, he is now the early favorite for the only race he has ever lost. Albeit after getting the old shake, rattle, and roll in the early stages of the last year’s edition at Santa Anita. Could these odds mean that Las Vegas believes that Shared Belief was actually the best 3-year-old of 2014? I can smell the controversy brewing.
Hey, what about a little age before beauty? The second choice on the list is the returning five-year-old, Palace Malice. OK, this son of Curlin actually has age and beauty. Many would think his 6-1 odds are a bit low, (and no, the good people at Wynn did not contact me, so that I could talk up my early prognostication for the 2015 Horse of the Year), but he is now healthy after a late summer injury. Keep in mind, the Dogwood runner was good enough to complete the special double of the 12-furlong Belmont Stakes and the 8-furlong Met Mile.
And what of the defending champion of America’s richest race? Poor old Bayern just cannot seem to get the respect that his connections feel he deserves. He’s beaten California Chrome twice straight, and they say that speed is always dangerous, but at 10-1, the Bob Baffert trainee is only the fourth choice. I wonder had he had won the Classic, without taking out several key horses in the first few strides, if his odds would not be a little bit lower. Alas, we shall never know.
Other horses of special note on Wynn’s list include the sensational 3-year-old filly of 2014, Untapable. Now four, and training in the Big Easy, the nation’s top filly can be had at 35-1 if you are brave enough to believe that she will test the boys again before it is all said and done. Can you even remember the last time Wise Dan lost a race? Perhaps a better question is whether or not he will ever be seen on dirt again. His Classic chances come in at a respectable 20-1; fair enough odds if you know something that most of us don’t. New York’s own Tonalist is shown solid respect at 12-1, while Dortmund, at 22-1, is by the far the lowest odds of any of the new 3-year-olds.
A good bet? Probably not, but definitely some interesting water cooler conversation.