2019 Breeders’ Cup Classic live stream: How to watch online, odds, post time

By Mia ZanzucchiNov 2, 2019, 12:00 PM EDT

The Breeders’ Cup Classic pits the top horses from around the world against each other in the ultimate showdown to finish out the year in horse racing. Here’s everything you need to know about racing’s grand finale this weekend at Santa Anita:

Click here to watch the Breeders’ Cup Classic live

What is the Breeders’ Cup Classic? The $6 million Classic is a 1 1/4-mile race on the dirt with 14 spots open to any horse aged 3 and up with no gender conditions. The Classic is considered the grand finale of the horse racing season, with some of the richest horses, trainers and jockeys going head-to-head.

How to watch every single Breeders’ Cup race

Who is running in the race? There are currently 11 horses set to run in the 36th Breeders’ Cup Classic. The horses entered either won a Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series “Win and You’re In” race or racked up enough qualifying points from winning graded stakes races throughout the last year. This year’s Classic field includes the 2019 Preakness Stakes winner, a Japan-bred horse and the first female to run in the Classic since Havre de Grace in 2011.

2019 Breeders’ Cup Classic post positions, early odds

Where is the Classic? The Breeders’ Cup changes tracks every year, with California’s Santa Anita hosting in 2019 for a record-10th time.

When is the Breeders’ Cup Classic? The Breeders’ Cup runs from November 1-2. The Classic is on Saturday, Nov. 2 with a post time of 8:44 p.m. ET (5:44 p.m. in California).

How can I watch the the race live? Watch the 2019 Breeders’ Cup Classic on NBC, NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app. Coverage of the Breeders’ Cup Classic will run from 8-9 p.m. ET, with a post time of approximately 8:44 p.m. ET. Additional coverage will broadcast on NBCSN, NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app on Friday, Nov. 1 from 4-8 p.m. ET and on Saturday, Nov. 2 from 3:30-8 p.m. ET.

Who should I watch for? Bob Baffert fields the early favorite McKinzie, who opened with 3-1 odds despite switching from longtime jockey Mike Smith to Joel Rosario, who won last year’s edition of the Classic aboard Accelerate. On the 10th anniversary of Zenyatta’s historic Classic win, the mare Elate looks to become the second female to ever win the race. Preakness winner War of Will and Kentucky Derby runner up Code of Honor are also running.

What to know about the 2019 Breeders’ Cup

Watch NBC Sports’ coverage of the 2019 Breeders’ Cup starting with Future Stars Friday on Nov. 1 from 4-8 p.m. ET (NBCSN) and continuing with Championship Saturday on Nov. 2 from 3:30-9 p.m. ET (NBCSN until 8, NBC from 8-9).

Forte works out, waits for Belmont Stakes clearance

Associated PressMay 27, 2023, 3:14 PM EDT

Matt Stone/USA TODAY NETWORK

NEW YORK — Forte, the early Kentucky Derby favorite who was scratched on the day of the race, worked out in preparation for a possible start in the Belmont Stakes on June 10.

Under regular rider Irad Ortiz Jr., Forte worked five-eighths of a mile for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher. It was the colt’s second workout since being scratched from the Derby on May 6.

“It seems like he’s maintained his fitness level,” Pletcher said. “It seems like everything is in good order.”

Forte was placed on a mandatory 14-day veterinary list after being scratched from the Derby because of a bruised right front foot. In order to be removed from the list, the colt had to work in front of a state veterinarian and give a blood sample afterward, the results of which take five days.

“There’s protocols in place and we had to adhere to those and we’re happy that everything went smoothly,” Pletcher said. “We felt confident the horse was in good order or we wouldn’t have been out there twice in the last six days, but you still want to make sure everything went smoothly and we’re happy everything did go well.”

Pletcher said Kingsbarns, who finished 14th in the Kentucky Derby, will miss the Belmont. The colt is showing signs of colic, although he is fine, the trainer said.

Another Pletcher-trained horse, Prove Worthy, is under consideration for the Belmont. He also has Tapit Trice, who finished seventh in the Derby, being pointed toward the Belmont.

Judge grants Churchill Downs’ request for summary judgment to dismiss Bob Baffert’s lawsuit

Associated PressMay 25, 2023, 9:36 PM EDT

Abbey Cutrer/USA TODAY NETWORK

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A federal judge has granted Churchill Downs’ motion for summary judgment that dismisses Bob Baffert’s claim the track breached due process by suspending the Hall of Fame trainer for two years.

Churchill Downs Inc. suspended Baffert in June 2021 after his now-deceased colt, Medina Spirit, failed a postrace drug test after crossing the finish line first in the 147th Kentucky Derby. The trainer’s request to lift the discipline was denied in February, keeping him out of the Derby for a second consecutive May.

U.S. District Court Judge Rebecca Grady Jennings ruled in a 12-page opinion issued Wednesday that Churchill Downs’ suspension of Baffert did not devalue his Kentucky trainer’s license. It cited his purse winnings exceeding $1 million at Keeneland in Lexington and stated that his argument “amounts to a false analogy that distorts caselaw.”

Jennings denied CDI’s motion to stay discovery as moot.

The decision comes less than a week after Baffert-trained colt National Treasure won the Preakness in his first Triple Crown race in two years. His record eighth win in the second jewel of the Triple Crown came hours after another of his horses, Havnameltdown, was euthanized following an injury at Pimlico.

Churchill Downs said in a statement that it was pleased with the court’s favorable ruling as in Baffert’s other cases.

It added, “While he may choose to file baseless appeals, this completes the seemingly endless, arduous and unnecessary litigation proceedings instigated by Mr. Baffert.”

Baffert’s suspension is scheduled to end on June 2, but the track’s release noted its right to extend it “and will communicate our decision” at its conclusion.