The 2024 Breeders’ Cup World Championships was another memorable showcase at Del Mar – the seaside oval that held the event for the third time. The two-day championship event with 14 Breeders’ Cup races started with Future Stars Friday and a 16/1 longshot winner Citizen Bull in the BC Juvenile, and finished with a BC Classic finish by Sierra Leone in winning the richest race ahead of runner-up Fierceness.

The Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint kicked off Saturday’s nine Breeders’ Cup races with a smashing stretch duel and 5-horse blanket finish with longshot Soul of an Angel winning at 19/1 odds.

I was on site at picturesque Del Mar for the 2024 Breeders’ Cup as one of more than 67,000 fans in attendance at the seaside oval over two days. Del Mar is 20 miles North of San Diego where the Turf Meets the Surf and it’s Cool as Ever.

The beautiful horses are the main attraction at the Breeders’ Cup, from the Future Stars Friday as juveniles, to the fantastic fillies, magnificent mares and classic colts that produce a lifetime of enjoyment for their connections and fans.

Racing fans were able to be a part of another special edition of the Breeders’ Cup World Championship with live racing coverage and updates from Del Mar. FanDuel, the official wagering partner of the Breeders’ Cup with coverage on FanDuel TV, provided fans with more watch and wager opportunities that turned into near record wagering.

Breeders’ Cup Handle

Del Mar hosted the 41st Breeders’ Cup for the third time, and the 2024 Breeders’ Cup World Championships produced another huge handle. Total all-sources, global common-pool handle for the two-day Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club was $179,218,631, Breeders’ Cup Limited announced. It was the third highest total handle in the history of the event since 1984 and a 1.7% increase over the 2023 total handle when 109,000 fans attended the two-day Breeders’ Cup at Santa Anita.

The last four years Breeders’ Cup all-sources betting handle have produced more than $176 million each year including a record $189 million in 2022 at Keeneland in Kentucky.

Total common-pool handle on Saturday’s 12-race Breeders’ Cup card was $115,538,687. All-sources common-pool handle on Breeders’ Cup’s 10-race Future Stars Friday card at Del Mar was $63,679,944.

On-track handle for the two days was $18,450,724. Saturday’s attendance at Del Mar was 36,436 and two-day total of 67,414.

Sierra Leone Wins $7 million BC Classic

Sierra Leone won the $7 million Breeders’ Cup Classic Saturday, just as his sire did at Del Mar in 2017. The great Gun Runner was a 10-time graded stakes winner including six Grade 1’s and five in a row to close his Hall of Fame career.

Sierra Leone came from the back of the pack and moved up going 5-wide on the far turn before passing Fierceness in the strtch and holding firm for a 1 1/2-length win.

“I’m so happy for the horse because he’s come up short a few times,” trainer Chad Brown said. “He’s been so consistent and he’s such an honest horse, one of the best that I’ve ever had.”

Breeders’ Cup Results 2024

Five favorites delivered victories from the 14 Championship races following eight last year at Santa Anita for the 14 Grade 1 events. The winning favorites are noted below with an (*).

The highest-priced winner on Friday was Citizen Bull (16/1) in the FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, returning $33.80 on a $2 win bet. Recall Fierceness (16/1) was the biggest longshot to win during the 2023 Breeders’ Cup when he won the FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Juvenile.

Saturday started with a pair of longshot winners with Soul of an Angel (19/1) and Starlust (33/1) taking the Filly & Mare Sprint and Turf Sprint. Then Thorpedo Anna (2/5) won as the shortest favorite of the 2024 Breeders’ Cup – one of three race favorites to win Saturday.

Trainer Aiden O’Brien saddle two Breeders’ Cup winners – the most of any trainer at the 2024 Breeders’ Cup.

Jockey Flavien Prat won his first Bill Shoemaker Award as the outstanding jockey of the event. His two victories Saturday came aboard Sierra Leone in the Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic and Moira in the Maker’s Mark Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf. Jockey Ryan Moore also had two Breeders’ Cup wins, both Friday, but Prat won the tiebreaker with a runner-up finish riding Raging Sea in the Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff.

Last year, jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. won his fifth Shoemaker Award riding three winners in the 2023 Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Santa Anita. Current jockey’s Mike Smith and John Velazquez have won the Shoemaker Award three times and Ryan Moore twice.

Friday, Nov. 1

Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint

• Win: Magnum Force (12/1) – $27.00/$12.60/$8.40
• Place: Arizona Blaze (27/1) – $22.40/$11.80
• Show: Governor Sam (9/1) – $6.40

$2 Exacta (4-5) – $401.80, $1 Trifecta (4-5-10) – $1,910.60

Trained by Ger Lyons with jockey Colin Keane riding Magnum Force (IRE) past six horses in the stretch to win by a 1/2 length over Arizona Blaze (GB).

NetJet Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies

• Win: Immersive * (2/1) – $6.00/$4.00/$2.60
• Place: Vodka With a Twist (8/1) – $6.80/$4.20
• Show: Quickick (8/1) – $4.00

$2 Exacta (3-1) – $48.40, $1 Trifecta (3-1-5) – $101.80

Sire by 2016 Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist and trained by Brad Cox, Immersive won his fourth straight race to begin his career. Jockey Manny Franco guided the race favorite to the front in the stretch and drew away for a 4 1/2-length win over Vokda with a Twist.

Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf

• Win: Lake Victoria * (3/5) – $3.40/$3.oo/$2.20
• Place: My Day Ready (13/1) – $7.80/$6.00
• Show: Nitrogen (49/1) – $15.20

$1 Exacta (1-12) – $49.40, $1 Trifecta (1-12-2) – $508

Lake Victoria (IRE) made it 5-for-5 to start her career coming from off the pace to surge clear past the eighth pole and score a 1 1/2 length win over My Day Ready. Top team of trainer Aiden O’Brien and jockey Ryan Moore.

FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Juvenile

• Win: Citizen Bull (16/1) – $33.80/$13.20/$9.40
• Place: Gaming (6/1) – $7.40/$6.00
• Show: Hill Road (61/1) – $20.80

$2 Exacta (6-7) – $142.20, $1 Trifecta (6-7-3) – $2,918.50

Citizen Bull became another champion for super sire Into Mischief, scoring a wire-to-wire win over stablemate Gaming for trainer Bob Baffert and winning jockey Martin Garcia.

Prevagen Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf

• Win: Henri Matisse (4/1) – $9.80/$6.20/$5.40
• Place: Iron Man Cal (29/1) – $21.40/$12.20
• Show: Aomori (9/1) – $8.40

$2 Exacta (13-6) – $210.80, $1 Trifecta (13-6-12) – $935

Trained by Aidan O’Brien and ridden by Ryan Moore, Henri Matisse (IRE) rallied from the very back of the pack to pass six horse in the stretch and dig in deep to win by a neck over Iron Man Cal.

Saturday, Nov. 2

$1 million PNC Bank Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint

• Win: Soul of an Angel (19/1) – $41.60/$9.80/$8.40
• Place: Society (7/2) – $5.80/$4.20
• Show: Pleasant (14/1) – $8.20

$2 Exacta (8-6) – $212.80, $1 Trifecta (8-6-3) – $1,443.60

Soul of an Angel trained by Saffie Josesph, Jr. and a 1/2 length winner with jockey Drayden Van Dyke riding.

$1 million Prevagen Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint

• Win: Starlust (33/1) – $69.20/$27.20/$14.60
• Place: Motorious (12/1) – $11.00/$7.20
• Show: Ag Bullet (9/1) – $6.80

$2 Exacta (4-2) – $696.60, $1 Trifecta (4-2-5) – $3,246.60

Starlust (GB) trained by Ralph Beckett with jockey Ryan Rossa riding a blanket finish and 1st-2nd-3rd separated by a neck.

$2 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff

• Win: Thorpedo Anna * (2/5) – $2.80/$2.40/$2.10
• Place: Raging Sea (4/1) – $3.00/$2.40
• Show: Candied (7/1) – $2.80

$2 Exacta (2-6) – $7.80, $1 Trifecta (2-6-1) – $9.30

Thorpedo Anna won her 8th race in 10 starts as the dominant favorite going wire-to-wire on the front end to win and 2 1/2 lengths clear of Raging Sea. Trained by Kenny McPeek and ridden by jockey Brian Hernandez, Jr.

$5 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Turf

• Win: Rebel’s Romance * (2/1) – $5.80/$4.40/$3.20
• Place: Rousham Park (22/1) – $15.60/$11.60
• Show: Shahryar (8/1) – $4.80

$2 Exacta (11-1) – $107.80, $1 Trifecta (11-1-3) – $326.50

Trained by Charles Appleby and ridden by jockey William Buck, Rebel’s Romance (IRE) won by a neck over Rousham Park (JPN).

$7 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic

• Win: Sierra Leone (6/1) – $15.80/$5.60/$3.60
• Place: Fierceness * (5/2) – $4.40/$3.20
• Show: Forever Young (4/1) – $3.60

$2 Exacta (11-9) – $59.60, $1 Trifecta (11-9-1) – $131.20

Trainer Chad Brown won his 19th Breeders’ Cup race and first Classic and jockey Flavien Pratt earned his second Classic win in the past three years (Flightline). Sierra Leone won the richest race for his connections and $3.64 million winner’s share of the $7 million race. Runner-up Fierceness collected $1.19 million for his connections and the BC Classic paid 10 places from the field of 14.

2 million Maker’s Mark Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf

• Win: Moira * (5/1) – $13.60/$5.80/$4.20
• Place: Cinderella’s Dream (5/2) – $4.60/$3.40
• Show: Didia (10/1) – $7.00

$2 Exacta (5-8) – $13, $1 Trifecta (5-8-1) – $150

Ridden by jockey Flavien Pratt for trainer Kevin Attard, Moira (ON) was a 1/2 length winner over Cinderella’s Dream (GB) and Didia (ARG).

$2 million Cygames Breeders’ Cup Sprint

Win: Straight No Chaser (6/1) – $7.20/$5.20/$3.80

Place: Bentnornato (28/1) – $18.80/$13

Show: Mullikin * (3/1) – $7.80

$2 Exacta (8-6) – $331.20, $1 Trifecta (8-6-10) – $866.90

Trained Dan Blacker got his first Breeders’ Cup victory and John Velazquez rode Straight No Chaser to the horses first Grade 1 win and the Hall of Fame jockey’s 21st Breeders’ Cup victory.

$2 million FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Mile Presented by PDJF

• Win: More Than Looks (7/1) – $15.80/$6.40/$
• Place: Johannes (9/2) – $5.20/$3.60
• Show: Notable Speach (5/2) – $2.80

$2 Exacta (8-9) – $96.40, $1 Trifecta (8-9-6) – $247

Trainer Cherie DeVaux got an emotional first Breeders’ Cup win watching jockey Jose Ortiz take More Than Look from dead last in a field of 10 and still 8th in the stretch before flying and reeling in the leaders to win by 3/4 length over Johannes.

$1 million Big Ass Fans Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile

• Win: Full Serrano (13/1) – $28.80/$12.40/$7.40
• Place: Post Time (3/1) – $7.60/$4.40
• Show: Domestic Product (/1) – $3.20

$2 Exacta (3-8) – $200.60, $1 Trifecta (3-8-9) – $522

Full Serrano (ARG) sat just off the leader around the track and then swept to the front at the top of the strech with jockey Joel Rosario guiding him to a 1 1/2 length win for trainer John Sadler

The Breeders’ Cup World Championships will return to Del Mar again in 2025 when the 42nd edition will be held Oct. 31-Nov. 1 at the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club.

I’ll be back at Del Mar, Where the Turf Meets the Surf, and it’s Cool as Ever for the 2025 Breeders’ Cup.

You can bet on it.

MORE FROM FORBES

ForbesBreeders’ Cup Classic Odds And Picks For Saturday’s Biggest Races At Del MarBy Jay GinsbachForbesBreeders’ Cup 2024 Betting Guide And Odds For 14 Championship RacesBy Jay GinsbachForbesBreeders’ Cup 2024 ‘Future Stars Friday’ Odds, Picks And Betting GuideBy Jay Ginsbach