Ron Wood
Show Bio
One of the highlights of the horse racing calendar is here, and the Breeders’ Cup reaches its climax on Saturday, November 4, this year from beautiful Santa Anita racetrack in California.
Saturday night sees the best horses in the world in action and renowned international horse racing expert Ron Wood, who has more than two decades of experience picking winners, is on hand to deliver his best bets for all the big races. Let’s dive in!
Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile best bet: Cody’s Wish 9/5 (2:30 pm ET)
All odds shown available at FanDuel Sportsbook at 2:00 pm ET, Friday November 3.
This is the first of 9 championship races on Day 2 of the Breeders’ Cup, and it will be fast and firm in the sunshine at Santa Anita. Despite a depleted field for this Dirt Mile, there should be pace in the race and if last year’s winner CODY’S WISH gives his true running he will most likely have too much for these rivals who are about Grade 2 standard at best. He comes in after a defeat and an unconvincing prep win in his last couple of starts, so there are doubts, but a slow pace didn’t give him a chance to show his best last time.
Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf best bet: In Italian 4/1 (3:10 pm ET)
Warm Heart and Inspiral bring in strong European form, but the first-named is dropping in trip and this is more a test of speed than stamina, while Inspiral, a top-class miler, can start slowly and even just half missing the break could leave her in a tricky spot. IN ITALIAN was pressured into going a bit too quickly when 2nd in this race at Keeneland 12 months ago and has half a furlong further to travel now, but she should make the lead again. She’s drawn to go the shortest route and this is a particularly sharp test at the distance.
Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint best bet: Meikei Yell 15/1 (3:50 pm ET)
Last year’s winner Goodnight Olive is not ideally drawn on the inside, as with speed runners directly to her outside she may find herself in a pocket and it wouldn’t be her first time meeting traffic this season. Instead, a chance is taken on longshot MEIKEI YELL, who isn’t far short of Grade 1 caliber on turf in Japan. This will be her first dirt start, but she’s bred for it when looking back two or three generations. Matareya is my second choice.
Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Mile best bet: Win Carnelian 30/1 (4:30 pm ET)
This is a typically competitive Mile, but Japanese contender WIN CARNELIAN can dominate and he might not come back to them. There are other forward-going types but no crazy front-runners whereas he’s a ‘full send’, lead-at-all costs type and it’ll be a surprise if anything goes with him early. He comes from the deep, competitive Japanese circuit — he has been running in the same races as Songline — and in contrast to those races, skipping around this tight circuit will be a holiday for him. Casa Creed is my second pick, he is maybe lacking the raw talent of some but likely to sit a good trip and give his running. Last year’s runner-up Shirl’s Speight is third choice.
Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Distaff best bet: Clairiere 4/1 (5:10 pm ET)
Idiomatic, Randomized and CLAIRIERE look to be the runners to concentrate on. Idiomatic has had a good year but she faces a far more competitive pace scenario than for her two Grade 1 wins and, while she’s not a one-dimensional needs-to-lead filly, this comes only 27 days after her latest success. Randomized probably needs to progress some more, and preference is for Clairiere. She needs to bounce back from a poor run when last seen but she comes in fresh, as she did when beaten two noses into 3rd in this race at Keeneland last year. She was also a close 4th in the 2021 running at Del Mar. There should be enough pace in the race to give her a chance.
Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Turf best bet: Mostahdaf 5/2 (5:50 pm ET)
This is a tremendously strong race, with all bar one of the remaining runners having won at the top level, and Auguste Rodin and MOSTAHDAF may be the two to concentrate on. Both should be suited by this test, but the UK-trained Mostahdaf looks the faster horse. His jockey, Jim Crowley, hasn’t had many rides in the U.S., but Mostahdaf can start quickly and has the gears to sit anywhere in a race and he comes into this suitably fresh.
Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Classic best bet: Arabian Knight 3/1 (6:40 pm ET)
There are two main speed runners in Saudi Crown and ARABIAN KNIGHT and if they take each other on they’ll likely be setting it up for something else. But they are high-quality, improving 3-year-olds from high strike-rate barns — between them Bob Baffert and Brad Cox have won 5 of the last 9 Breeders’ Cup Classics — and they are being ridden by leading jockeys who have each won this race on forward-going types. They could control the race by going a good but sustainable tempo — Cox has said his horse doesn’t have to have the lead — and the slower horses might not be good enough to get into it. Saudi Crown has never gone this far, whereas the Baffert colt is a last-time-out Grade 1 winner at this distance. Arabian Knight had little to spare in the Pacific Classic so there is still a slight question mark about his suitability for 10 furlongs, but he has put in a series of impressive stamina-building works. The draw won’t be an issue as they have the length of the home straight to run before the first turn and the field will be strung out.
Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint best bet: Motorious 5/1 (7:25 pm ET)
Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Sprint best bet: Speed Boat Beach 3/1 (7:59 pm ET)
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