Breeders' Cup 2026 start time, odds, preview: Forever Young favored, plus horse profiles, bet strategies

This page may contain affiliate links. If you click a link and sign up, make a deposit, place a wager, or make a trade, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. No horse race in 2026 will have more riding on it than Saturday's Breeders' Cup Classic at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky. Bet the Breeders' Cup Classic at TwinSpires. Use the special TwinSpires offer code CBSSPORTS to get a special $400 signup bonus, double what's available to the general public:Champion 3-year-old Male honors. Champion Older Dirt Male horse honors. And even Horse of the Year.The high-stakes race features some of the sport's biggest stars over the past two years. The Classic will be the first time since 1991 that two Kentucky Derby winners—2025 champ Sovereignty and 2026 hero Golden Tempo—have run against each other.The race also features Japanese superstar and defending Breeders' Cup Classic champion Forever Young, who has earned more than $32 million in his career, which is either the most all-time or second-most, depending on your accounting. He will be racing against Sovereignty for the first time. It will also be the last time. The reigning Horse of the Year, Sovereignty is set to be retired after Saturday's race regardless of the result. Bet the Breeders' Cup Classic at TwinSpires. Use the special TwinSpires promo code CBSSPORTS to get a special $400 signup bonus, double what's available to the general public:Forever Young, who will be attempting to become just the second horse to win the Classic twice, has been made the slight 2-1 favorite on the morning line. Sovereignty is not far behind at 5-2. Sovereignty's stablemate, Knightsbridge, is 9-2, while Golden Tempo is 5-1.The outcome of Saturday's race will have an enormous impact on the end-of-year awards. A win by Golden Tempo would likely lock up both Champion 3-year-old Male and Horse of the Year honors, but a victory by Preakness Stakes winner Napoleon Solo (15-1) would put him at the top of the class. However, if Forever Young, Sovereignty or Knightsbridge were to win, he would jump to the front, or at least alongside Golden Tempo.FanDuel Racing offers a $25 bonus with a $5 bet for the Breeders' Cup Classic. Claim it here: The Classic, which is set for 6:16 p.m. ET Saturday, will conclude two days of championship racing in the heart of horse country. Beginning Friday, the Breeders' Cup will hold 14 races testing some of the world's best dirt horses and grass horses, males and females, 2-year-olds and older horses, sprinters and routers. Get a special $550 signup bonus at 1/ST BET by using the promo code 500BET here. It's more than what's available on their site:Below, we'll take you through everything to know about this year's Classic, from profiles of all the horses involved to info about the race and the Road to the Breeders' Cup Classic, to where to find official betting strategies, including win picks and exotic plays, from a host of SportsLine experts. What to know about the 43rd Breeders' Cup ClassicWhat 43rd Breeders' Cup ClassicWhere Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky.Who Eight horses, including Kentucky Derby winners Sovereignty and Golden Tempo and Japanese superstar Forever YoungPurse $7 millionDistance 1¼ milesPost time 6:16 p.m. ETNetwork NBCWeather forecast Cloudy to mostly cloudy with temperatures around 63 degreesBreeders' Cup Classic live oddsClick here for updated odds throughout the day.1 T O Password (30-1)2 Sovereignty (5-2)3 Golden Tempo (5-1)4 The Puma (10-1)5 Forever Young (2-1)6 Magnitude (6-1)7 Knightsbridge (9-2)8 Napoleon Solo (15-1)SportsLine expert picksSportsLine has three great horse racing experts who have locked in their Breeders' Cup Classic picks. Here's a preview of each:Gene Menez, a former reporter and editor at Sports Illustrated, excels on horse racing's biggest days. In 2024, he crushed the late Pick 4 on Breeders' Cup Saturday for a $5,303 windfall. Last year he nailed the winner, trifecta and superfecta in the Florida Derby for a $529.60 score and the winner and trifecta in the Blue Grass Stakes for a $761.96 jackpot. He hit the late Pick 4 on Kentucky Oaks day for $915.48. In the Kentucky Derby, he hammered the exacta and trifecta for a $1,045 payout. And earlier this year he struck big on Fountain of Youth day, hitting the late Pick 5 for $4,648. For Saturday, Menez's top pick is not Forever Young even though he is the 2-1 favorite. Get Menez's full Breeders' Cup Classic wagering strategy at SportsLine.Michelle Yu, an on-air host and reporter with a background training horses who has provided racing analysis for TVG, HRTV and the Breeders' Cup, has tremendous handicapping chops. In a wide-open Kentucky Derby in 2021, she gave out Medina Spirit, who crossed the finish line first, as the winner at 12-1. In Pool 5 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager four years ago, she suggested a play on All Other 3-Year-Olds, which cashed at a whopping 18-1 when Rich Strike won. And last year, she hit the Sovereignty-Journalism exacta in the Kentucky Derby. For Saturday, Yu doesn't have Sovereignty in her top two, even though he is the reigning Horse of the Year and the 5-2 second choice. Check out Yu's full Breeders' Cup Classic wagering strategy at SportsLine.Jeff Hochman has shown a profit in 22 of the past 41 Triple Crown races and is fading the favorite, Forever Young. Find Hochman's Breeders' Cup Classic wagering strategy at SportsLine.Bet on the 2026 Breeders' Cup Classic at TwinSpires, where new users who click through our links get a supersized $400 sign-up bonus with the TwinSpires promo code CBSSPORTS: Road to the Breeders' Cup ClassicThe road to Lexington began in February. Here are the most significant races:Feb. 14, Saudi Cup: In his first race after winning the 2025 Classic, Forever Young got a great rail trip to win the $20 million race by a length.March 28, Dubai World Cup: Magnitude wired the field and handed Forever Young another defeat in Dubai.April 18, Oaklawn Handicap: Reigning Horse of the Year Sovereignty couldn't hold on in his first start in almost eight months.May 2, Kentucky Derby: Golden Tempo rallied from dead last to win a thrilling Run for the Roses.May 16, Preakness Stakes: After pressing the pace, Napoleon Solo took the lead in the far turn and won a watered-down second leg of the Triple Crown. June 6, Belmont Stakes: After skipping the Preakness Stakes, Golden Tempo proved the Kentucky Derby was no fluke, rallying to win the third leg of the Triple Crown.June 27, Stephen Foster Stakes: Magnitide went wire-to-wire on a sloppy track to win by 1¼ lengths, handing Sovereignty (third) his second straight defeat.July 18, Monmouth Cup: Knightsbridge blitzed a five-horse field, leading gate-to-wire and earning an enormous 122 Beyer Speed Figure, the best for any horse in any race this year.July 18, Haskell Stakes: Napoleon Solo got a poor ride from jockey Paco Lopez when finishing second to Baby Vino; The Puma finished fourth after missing the Kentucky Derby.Aug. 8, Whitney Stakes: Sovereignty returned to top form, romping in the signature dirt race of the summer for older horses; Magnitude (sixth) fell to 0-for-2 at Saratoga.Aug. 22, Pacific Classic: Knightsbridge stretched out to 10 furlongs successfully, winning by 6¼ lengths in his final prep for the Breeders' Cup Classic.Aug. 29, Travers Stakes: Napoleon Solo (second) couldn't hold off Leading Change; Golden Tempo, who missed his prep race for the Travers, finished third, just ahead of The Puma (fourth).Sept. 18, Jockey Club Gold Cup: In his first race since Dubai, Forever Young prevailed in a four-horse field, but drifted in the stretch in an unsightly finish.Sept. 19, Pennsylvania Derby: With the addition of blinkers, The Puma put in an eye-catching move around the far turn and returned to the winner's circle for the first time since March. Claim our jumbo-sized 1/ST BET offer here to get a $550 sign-up bonus: Breeders' Cup Classic horses (morning-line odds)1 T O Password (30-1)Trainer Daisuke TakayanagiJockey Kazushi KimuraLast race Third in the Elm Stakes by 2¼ lengthsCareer record 12 starts: 5 wins, 1 second, 1 thirdCareer earnings $858,627Best career Beyer Speed Figure 90 (2024 Kentucky Derby)Sire Copano RickeyThis Japanese invader hasn't been on this side of the Pacific since his fifth-place finish in the 2024 Kentucky Derby. That race knocked him out for nine months. This year he has raced three times, with a win, a second and a third. But he has not faced more than Group 3 competition and hasn't been past 8½ furlongs. On Saturday, this deep closer will need a pace meltdown just to be competitive. He's the longest shot in the field for a reason.2 Sovereignty (5-2)Trainer Bill MottJockey Junior AlvaradoLast race First in the Whitney Stakes by 4¾ lengthsCareer record 12 starts: 7 wins, 3 seconds, 1 thirdCareer earnings $6,876,550Best career Beyer Speed Figure 115 (2025 Travers Stakes)Sire Into MischiefAfter two straight defeats to start 2026, the reigning Horse of the Year finally looked like his old self with a romp in the Whitney Stakes in August. But a foot issue forced him to miss his final prep race in the Jockey Club Gold Cup, and his status for the Classic was touch-and-go for much of the last two months. Trainer Bill Mott finally seems happy with how the horse has been training so Sovereignty is a go on Saturday in what will be the final race of his career. If the hot early pace plays out as projected, he should have every chance to go out a winner. 3 Golden Tempo (5-1)Trainer Cherie DeVauxJockey Jose OrtizLast race Third in the Travers Stakes by 2¼ lengthsCareer record 7 starts: 4 wins, 3 thirdsCareer earnings $4,783,000Best career Beyer Speed Figure 100 (2026 Travers Stakes)Sire CurlinThe last-to-first Kentucky Derby winner proved his win in the Run for the Roses wasn't a fluke when he came back to win the Belmont Stakes. A minor issue derailed his preparation for his next start, the Travers Stakes, and he ran third. Despite that finish, he still earned the best Beyer Speed Figure (100) of his career in that race. That showed that Golden Tempo continues to improve with age, something sons and daughters of Curlin are known for. On Saturday, he will be racing at his home track and is projected to get a great pace setup for his patented late run.4 The Puma (10-1)Trainer Gustavo DelgadoJockey Javier CastellanoLast race First in the Pennsylvania Derby by ½ lengthCareer record 7 starts: 2 wins, 2 seconds, 1 thirdCareer earnings $1,122,280Best career Beyer Speed Figure 103 (2026 Pennsylvania Derby)Sire Essential QualityHe was one of the leading contenders for the Kentucky Derby before being forced out of the race due to a minor issue. He returned in July and turned in back-to-back fourth place finishes in the Haskell and Travers Stakes. But then he got back to his old form in his last start, the Pennsylvania Derby, putting in a six-wide blitz around the far turn to win. That effort was his first with blinkers and earned a 103 Beyer Speed Figure. Like Sovereignty and Golden Tempo, The Puma also should benefit from the projected early pace, and with another forward move, could be in the mix down the lane. 5 Forever Young (5-1)Trainer Yoshito YahagiJockey Ryusei SakaiLast race First in the Jockey Club Gold Cup by 3¼ lengthsCareer record 16 starts: 12 wins, 1 second, 3 thirdsCareer earnings $32,313,590 Best career Beyer Speed Figure 111 (2025 Breeders' Cup Classic)Sire Real SteelThe champ is here. Last year's Classic winner went 1-for-2 in the Middle East before winning the Jockey Club Gold Cup after a six-month layoff. Though he was never in danger of losing that race, Forever Young drifted in the stretch and looked far from his top form. But trainer Yoshito Yahagi admitted the horse was not 100% cranked for that race and has had six weeks to get him fit. On Wednesday, Forever Young had a blowout at Keeneland and looked fantastic. On Saturday, he is projected to sit fourth early, right behind the speed horses, and get a jump on Sovereignty and his other late-running rivals. If Forever Young is able to win on Saturday, he would become just the second horse to win two Breeders' Cup Classics.6 Magnitude (6-1)Trainer Steve AsmussenJockey Flavien PratLast race Sixth in the Whitney Stakes by 15¼ lengthsCareer record 15 starts: 8 wins, 2 seconds, 1 thirdCareer earnings $9,626,365Best career Beyer Speed Figure 114 (2026 Stephen Foster Stakes)Sire Not This TimeScratched.7 Knightsbridge (9-2)Trainer Bill MottJockey Luis SaezLast race First in the Pacific Classic by 6¼ lengthsCareer record 12 starts: 8 wins, 2 seconds, 1 thirdCareer earnings $1,523,155Best career Beyer Speed Figure 122 (2026 Monmouth Cup)Sire NyquistTrained by Bill Mott and owned by Godolphin like Sovereignty, Knightsbridge quickly established himself as the country's top dirt miler early this year. But he really turned heads in July when he won the nine-furlong Monmouth Cup by more than 10 lengths, earning a Beyer Speed Figure of 122, the best turned in by any horse this year. He followed that up with another romp in the 10-furlong Pacific Classic, which gave the connections a good problem to have: Run him in the Dirt Mile where he would be the overwhelming favorite or run him in the Classic against his stablemate and others? They chose the latter, and Knightsbridge has a big shot to cross the finish line first, even with the other speed in the field.8 Napoleon Solo (15-1)Trainer Chad SummersJockey John VelazquezLast race Second in the Travers Stakes by ½ lengthCareer record 7 starts: 3 wins, 2 secondsCareer earnings $2,010,520Best career Beyer Speed Figure 103 (2026 Travers Stakes)Sire Liam's MapArguably the fastest 2-year-old last year, Napoleon Solo famously battled issues early this year and could not get fit—or fast—enough to make the Kentucky Derby. But he got back in time for the Preakness Stakes—and won—and has gotten faster since, even if he hasn't found the winner's circle (back-to-back seconds in the Haskell and Travers). He has reportedly trained up a storm leading up to the Classic and has drawn well as the widest speed horse. He won the Preakness pressing the pace and figures to get a similar trip on Saturday. He will need to move forward from his starts this year, but there's no reason to think he won't.