Ireland’s City of Troy is 5-1 morning-line favorite for $7 million Breeders’ Cup Classic at Del Mar

DEL MAR, Calif. (AP) — City of Troy was made the 5-2 morning-line favorite in a full field of 14 for the $7 million Breeders’ Cup Classic on Saturday at Del Mar.

The Ireland-bred will break from the No. 3 post under Ryan Moore in his first start on dirt after making his reputation on grass. He will try to give Irish trainer Aidan O’Brien his first victory in the Classic after two runner-up showings.

Fierceness was made the 3-1 second choice at Monday’s post position draw. Trained by Todd Pletcher, the colt will break from the No. 9 post under John Velazquez. Fierceness notched wins in the Jim Dandy and Travers at Saratoga last summer.

Forever Young from Japan, third in the Kentucky Derby, drew the No. 1 post. He overcame that post in winning the Japan Dirt Classic near Tokyo recently. He’ll be ridden by Ryusei Saki and was listed at 6-1.

The Classic field in post position order with odds: 1, Forever Young, 6-1; 2, Highland Falls, 20-1; 3, City of Troy, 5-2; 4, Mixto, 30-1; 5, Senor Buscador, 30-1; 6, Derma Sotogake, 20-1; 7, Ushba Tesoro, 12-1; 8, Pyrenees, 12-1; 9, Fierceness, 3-1; 10, Tapit Trice, 30-1; 11, Sierra Leone, 12-1; 12, Arthur’s Ride, 15-1; 13, Newgate, 20-1; 14, Next, 8-1.

The Classic will air live on NBC.

A record five continents — Africa, Asia, Europe, North and South America — will be represented by 80 horses, besting the old mark of 60 foreign horses in 2023.

The over $34 million, 14-race world championships will be Friday and Saturday at the seaside track north of San Diego. Del Mar is hosting for a third time in the event’s 41-year history.

___

AP horse racing: https://apnews.com/hub/horse-racing

News from © The Associated Press, . All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Join the Conversation!

Want to share your thoughts, add context, or connect with others in your community?

The Associated Press

The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. Founded in 1846, AP today remains the most trusted source of fast, accurate, unbiased news in all formats and the essential provider of the technology and services vital to the news business. More than half the world’s population sees AP journalism every day.