The 2024 Breeders’ Cup Classic is set for Saturday at Del Mar and features several of the fastest dirt horses in the world. With a purse of $7 million, the Breeders’ Cup Classic 2024 is the richest race in North America and the fifth-richest in the world. Several 2024 Breeders’ Cup Classic horses will be familiar to fans who bet the Triple Crown races, but there’s also a heavy international influence now that the field is set following Monday’s 2024 Breeders’ Cup Classic post draw. 

The Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Classic post time is 5:41 p.m. ET. European star City of Troy is the 5-2 morning-line favorite in the 2024 Breeders’ Cup Classic odds. Travers Stakes, Florida Derby and Jim Dandy Stakes winner Fierceness, who struggled at the Kentucky Derby with a 15th-place finish, has the second-best odds at 3-1. You’ll want to see what SportsLine’s Gene Menez has to say before entering any 2024 Breeders’ Cup Classic picks or horse racing predictions of your own, considering his stellar track record.

A former reporter and editor at Sports Illustrated, Menez covered an array of sports, including horse racing, for the magazine and its website for almost 14 years. Between 2010 and 2012, he served as SI’s handicapper for the Triple Crown races and correctly predicted Super Saver to win the Kentucky Derby in 2010.

In 2015, while writing for Sports on Earth, Menez accurately gave out the Kentucky Derby superfecta (American Pharoah, Firing Line, Dortmund and Frosted), which paid $1,268.20 for $2. Then in 2017, he tweeted out his Kentucky Derby picks, including Always Dreaming to win, and hit the Pick 4, which paid almost $6,900 on a $1 bet. 

In a span of seven races last year for SportsLine, he cashed the winner of the Lecomte Stakes, the exacta in the Southwest Stakes, the winner of the Holy Bull Stakes, the winner of the Sam F. Davis Stakes and the trifecta in the Jenny Wiley Stakes. In May, Menez gave out 18-1 Mystik Dan as a live longshot in the Kentucky Derby. In June, he nailed Trikari to win the Belmont Derby Invitational Stakes, and last month he hit the exacta in the Franklin-Simpson Stakes. Anybody following his seen huge returns. 

Now, with the Breeders’ Cup Classic 2024 approaching, Menez is sharing his picks and predictions over at SportsLine. Go here to see them.

Top 2024 Breeders’ Cup Classic predictions

One of Menez’s surprising 2024 Breeders’ Cup Classic picks: He is completely fading City of Troy, even though he is the 5-2 favorite. City of Troy is an Irish-trained horse who was dominant during his 2-year-old season in Europe. In total, he’s won six out of seven career races, but he did have a big setback at the English 2000 Guineas in May of 2024, finishing ninth. He drew post No. 3 for the Breeders’ Cup Classic, and Menez sees that as an obstacle for this Aidan O’Brien-trained colt. 

“There is no way to know how he will handle the dirt or the kickback he could take from this inside post, and O’Brien’s history is littered with turf horses who have attempted dirt and failed,” Menez told SportsLine. Menez is not using City of Troy in any of his 2024 Breeders’ Cup Classic bets. See which horses to pick here.

Another surprise: Menez is high on Arthur’s Ride, even though he’s a 15-1 longshot. A four-time career winner, Arthur’s Ride saw his stock soar after his victory at the Whitney Stakes back in early August. However, a fifth-place run at the Jockey Club Gold Cup a month later contributed to his higher 15-1 odds on Saturday. 

Menez still likes the upside and can’t pass up the longer odds, given trainer Bill Mott’s involvement. “I trust Mott pointing a horse to the Breeders’ Cup. The Hall of Fame trainer has won 15 Breeders’ Cup races, including three last year.” See which horses to pick here.

How to make 2024 Breeders’ Cup Classic picks, bets

Menez’s top pick is a horse who “should be able to save ground.” He also is high on a double-digit longshot who is “ready to roll.” He is including these horses in his wagers, and so should you. He’s only sharing them over at SportsLine.

Who wins the Breeders’ Cup Classic 2024, and which longshot is a must-back? Check out the latest 2024 Breeders’ Cup Classic odds below, then visit SportsLine to see Menez’s picks for the 2024 Breeders’ Cup Classic, all from the expert who was high on this year’s longshot Kentucky Derby winner, and find out. 

2024 Breeders’ Cup Classic horses, odds