NBC Sports will provide extensive coverage of the 41st Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Del Mar on Nov. 1-2. The season-culminating event features 14 races worth more than $34 million in purses and awards.
The action begins on Future Stars Friday, when the most promising 2-year-olds from around the globe compete in five Breeders’ Cup races, the first four of which will be aired on USA Network from 4-8 p.m. ET. The $2 million FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance, which typically stamps the early favorite for next year’s Kentucky Derby, provides the centerpiece for that day’s card. The last of the five World Championships races, the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (Race #10), will be streamed live on Peacock.
Coverage resumes on USA Network from 2-3:30 p.m. ET on Championship Saturday before switching to NBC from 3:30-6 p.m. ET. Post time for the $7 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic, a 1 ¼-mile contest that often goes a long way toward determining Horse of the Year, is set for 5:41 p.m. ET. Then it is back to USA Network from 6-8 p.m. ET for the conclusion of the card. In addition, all races will be livestreamed on Peacock.
As always, NBC’s broadcast will rely heavily on Randy Moss’s expert analysis. He examined many aspects of the Breeders’ Cup during a far-ranging question-and-answer session conducted on behalf of America’s Best Racing.
PEDULLA: Del Mar hosts the Breeders’ Cup for the third time. What does it offer as a site?
MOSS: Arguably the most scenic, if you like the beach, of the Breeders’ Cup sites. Santa Anita, with the San Gabriels in the background, is fantastic as well. But it’s hard to beat “where the surf meets the turf.”
PEDULLA: How significant is the record international turnout for this edition of the Breeders’ Cup?
MOSS: It’s hugely significant. Not only do you have Coolmore set to participate at a greater level than ever before and Godolphin with potentially four Breeders’ Cup favorites after winning nine Breeders’ Cup races the last three years, but you have 19 pre-entered from Japan. The City of Troy [in the $7 million Classic] and the Japanese influx into the Breeders’ Cup, they are the two biggest stories of the two days.
PEDULLA: The Classic was shifted to the middle of Saturday’s card. Is that a smart move?
MOSS: It’s by necessity because of TV scheduling, especially with the Breeders’ Cup taking place three days before the presidential election. NBC greatly desires to hit the evening news with all of the political aspects of it in a timely manner. That being said, you can’t run the Breeders’ Cup Classic on NBC in its usual position in the race schedules. I don’t think it matters that much. You look overseas and it’s not uncommon for the major race of the day to be run right smack in the middle of the card. In a perfect world, the Classic would be the grand finale. But I don’t think it’s that big of a deal.
PEDULLA: Fierceness had not won consecutive races until he added the DraftKings Travers Stakes to the Jim Dandy Stakes. Has he finally put it together? Can he make it three straight by winning the Classic?
MOSS: This whole concept of Fierceness being a good-race, bad-race, good-race, bad-race kind of horse was overblown to begin with. If Fierceness gets the same trip in the Classic as he got in the Jim Dandy and the Travers, I 100% expect a similar performance from Fierceness. The only question with Fierceness is he hasn’t successfully overcome what I consider to be adversity. If he’s stuck down inside of horses, if he’s boxed in and getting a lot of dirt in his face and having to steady and wait for a spot to run, we still don’t know how he would react to that. And that’s probably the biggest concern with him.
PEDULLA: What are City of Troy’s prospects in the Classic?
MOSS: If City of Troy handles the dirt as well as he handles the grass, if he handles the kickback assuming he gets any kickback, if he’s able to be in a position close up where he likes to race, then I think he is definitely good enough to win the Classic. Historically, those are big “ifs.” We’ve seen time and time again that turf form in Europe does not usually hold up on dirt at the top level in the United States. For that reason, as a favorite or as a short-priced horse, City of Troy would be overrated … for betting purposes, I would stay away from him if he’s a short price.
PEDULLA: Trainer Chad Brown looks to have a strong contingent. Of his runners, which one do you like most?
MOSS: Domestic Product. I think he is set up to run a really good race in the Dirt Mile. That race is absolutely loaded with early speed, as it usually is, and Domestic Product’s come-from-behind running style is a perfect fit for that race.
PEDULLA: Who do you see as Japan’s top hopes?
MOSS: Ecoro Sieg (Juvenile Turf Sprint), Forever Young (Classic), and Shahryar (Turf). The Japanese could be in a really good spot this year. They need to be taken very seriously at Del Mar.
PEDULLA: Who do you like in the Juvenile?
MOSS: The two best horses on paper, in my opinion, are East Avenue, who won the Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland, and Chancer McPatrick, who is 3-for-3 and is coming off a win in the Champagne. The difference at Del Mar could be that Chancer McPatrick has run his three races at Saratoga and Aqueduct, where the stretch is significantly longer than he will have to run on at Del Mar. Chancer McPatrick has been either last or next to last in the opening stages of all three of his races, so his closing kick in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile could very well be a disadvantage in the short stretch. East Avenue, on the other hand, is a speed horse who will be helped by the short stretch at Del Mar. That’s why I think East Avenue is the horse to beat.
PEDULLA: Would you have a couple of live longshots over the two days of racing?
MOSS: Seagulls Eleven in the Juvenile Turf. Nakatomi in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint because of all the speed in there. Wesley Ward has shown he is very good at bringing Nakatomi up to a peak performance when he’s got a target. He ran a very good race last year in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint.
PEDULLA: Can Far Bridge end international domination in the Turf?
MOSS: I doubt it. He’s obviously a very consistent horse. He’s a very nice horse. His versatility is admirable. But even though this is not the best collection of Europeans we’ve had come to the Breeders’ Cup, it’s apples and oranges usually when you are comparing mile-and-a-half Europeans to mile-and-a-half Americans. If an American runs one, two, three, I’ll be somewhat surprised.
PEDULLA: Who do you see as the top four in the Classic?
MOSS: Fierceness, Forever Young, Sierra Leone, and City of Troy. A clear-cut top four. And Ushba Tesoro would probably slide in right behind those in my opinion. Those are in no particular order, although I am leaning toward Fierceness as the selection in the Classic.
PEDULLA: Of the 14 Breeders’ Cup races, who is your best bet?
MOSS: Domestic Product. I don’t think he’s going to be the biggest favorite. Ways and Means (Filly & Mare Sprint) might be a heavier favorite on the board, but I think Ways and Means is going to have more competition in the Filly & Mare Sprint than Domestic Product is going to wind up having in the Dirt Mile.
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