5 trustworthy Breeders' Cup singles

Considering the potential for lucrative payouts, it is tempting to spread in some of the more wide-open Breeders' Cup races in hopes of catching a big long shot. That strategy could pay off, but it is not cost efficient unless you have a reliable single or two along the way.

Six experts from around the country highlighted the five horses that they felt are the most trustworthy Breeders' Cup singles below.

I’m going to go with another horse who broke her maiden at Indiana Grand; Monomoy Girl. Swiss Skydiver is tough but she has come up short in both of her races at a mile and an eighth. Monomoy Girl, on the other hand, has won all three of her races at the distance. Granted, they all came in 2018, but I think she will relish stretching out.

She has never been worse than second and is three for three this year. Brad Cox is absolutely on fire this year; he hits at 22% in graded stakes and is 23% off the layoff. I just think she is going to come out and completely crush this field.

My single comes on Day 1. Many will disagree that Princess Noor could be a strong single in the Breeders Cup Juvenile Fillies, especially if you rely heavily on speed figures as a handicapping tool. Yes, Princess Noor's "numbers" do not stack up with the likes of Simply Ravishing and Dayoutoftheoffice, both of whom are special fillies themselves.

Although a small field assembled in this year's edition of the Breeders Cup Juvenile Fillies, the main contenders are wildly talented. Extremely exciting prospects. Princess Noor, however, has won her first three starts without coming close to her fastest effort. I'm going to judge with my eyes on this one and say that, if given the opportunity to run as fast as she can, she can keep up with the East Coast main contenders and win this race.

Alas, more questions arise: 

While we won't know the answer until we see for ourselves on Friday, I'm willing to take a leap of faith with this gamble: she can deal with a pressured stretch duel and prevail as a very special filly heading into the 2021 Kentucky Oaks trail and beyond. 

All in with the unbeaten Dayoutoftheoffice in the Juvenile Fillies. She has gotten better and faster as the season has progressed. She' is a former Gulfstream graduate and even though Dayoutoftheoffice is facing one of the deepest Juvenile Fillies fields in recent memory, I tend to find myself rooting as more of a "homer" when it comes to the Breeders' Cup!

My ‘key’ favorite comes in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile. Complexity, trained by Chad Brown, comes into the mile with a perfect 3 for 3 record at the distance. The son of Maclean’s Music has the tactical ability to win while setting the pace, like he did in the G2 Kelso, and score from ‘off the pace,’ when he broke poorly in a 1-turn optional claimer going 8 furlongs at Belmont. Jockey Jose Ortiz, who handles him perfectly, adds to the appeal. 

The most confident I am in a single comes in the very first BC race on Friday. Golden Pal will be a lot less than 8-5 and I am sure I'm not the only one to think he's close to a lock. His Skidmore was too good, too fast with too much in reserve to ignore and if you check out his works recently on XBTV.com you can see his form is holding up and he is held tight and geared down while still looking like he's gliding over deep sod.

I remember watching the Skidmore and thinking "that horse is going to win the Breeders' Cup". Here's your chance buddy.  

Golden Pal, Juvenile Turf Sprint - Acacia Courtney

While he will be a very short price, I think Golden Pal is the real deal. He has to to work out a trip from the far outside post, but to me that is not such a concern when it seems we’re dealing with the best horse in the race.

The son of the star turf sprinter Lady Shipman, who was second in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint against the boys during her race career, Golden Pal is bred to be a good one, and Wesley Ward won this race last year with Four Wheel Drive. I was floored by Golden Pal’s win last out in the Skidmore, and have been looking forward to seeing him in the Breeders’ Cup ever since.