2015 Breeders’ Cup Pick 4

2015 Breeders Cup Pick 4 (Saturday)

The Grand Farewell | By: Matt Burke

The pick four is one of the more challenging wagers regularly placed at the race track. It is a wager that requires the horse player to pick the winner of four races in succession. Tickets can be constructed for as little as fifty cents, yet the cost of a ticket can grow exponentially if a handicapper opts to use an assortment of horses throughout a given sequence. Pick four plays with multiple winning favorites could return less than the cost of a ticket itself, but in cases where multiple longshots have won, the monetary return could potentially balloon to tens of thousands of dollars.

Since it is not possible to know when or where one of these monstrous returns will occur, the pick four player’s sole focus must remain on selecting winning horses. One pick four sequence that creates a great commotion among horse players is the one that concludes with the running of the Breeders’ Cup Classic. It is the Grand Farewell wager for the year in racing as we know it, and this year, our Grand Farewell will set us back $37.50. Best of luck!

The Breeders’ Cup Mile (Race 8)

Selections: 3, 5, 7, 9, 12 (Time Test)

Foreign influence looms ominous for the American turf horses in the Breeders’ Cup Mile. Tepin will be the lone horse based stateside that will be utilized on our ticket. Mark Casse trains this four-year-old filly who seems to be getting better with each and every start. That being said, the European strength in this race is far too much to ignore. Our top selection will be a Roger Charlton trained colt named Time Test. This razor sharp son of Dubawi will be ridden by veteran jockey Ryan Moore, and the 6/1 morning line seems as generous and enticing as any you’ll find among the list of entrants.

Sentient Jet Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (Race 9)

Selections: 3, 6, 7, 9, 13 (Greenpointcrusader)

Handicapping juveniles is one of the most daunting tasks a horse player will ever face. These lightly raced horses are quite capable of significant improvement, but they are also prone to unimaginable regression. This unpredictability has been carefully considered while constructing our pick four play. Greenpointcrusader is a horse that appears to be coming into his own. Trained by Dominick Schettino and ridden by Joe Bravo, this son of Bernardini looks to have as much upside as any of the other notable runners.

Longines Breeders’ Cup Turf (Race 10)

Selections: 1 (Golden Horn)

Golden Horn will likely be the shortest priced favorite come Breeders’ Cup Saturday, and for very good reason. The 2015 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner has defeated the most talented turf runners the world has to offer. The competition he will face in the Longines Turf at Keeneland will be far less imposing. Golden Horn has been victorious in seven of his eight lifetime starts. Frankie Dettori hops aboard for trainer John Gosden, and if there is such thing as a sure thing in horse racing, Golden Horn is it.

The Breeders’ Cup Classic (Race 11)

Selections: 2, 4, 9 (Honor Code)

Horse players are constantly torn between desires of the heart and the logic of the mind. The 2015 Breeders’ Cup Classic is as deep a field as has been assembled in many years. It is a race that features not only the reigning Triple Crown Champion, but perhaps the most highly regarded mare to hit the track since the great Zenyatta.

The post-position draw was critical prior to formulating any opinions about this colossal encounter. American Pharoah drew post number four, a gate that appears fit for a king, while Beholder landed all the way outside in post number ten. In this handicapper’s opinion, Beholder will be forced to push the pace much more than her connections could have hoped, and if the battle of these two titans unfolds as we have envisioned, the two horses that will be there to pick up the pieces are Keen Ice and Honor Code.

Keen Ice will begin down near the rail in post number two, while Honor Code will enjoy a comfortable start from gate number nine. Honor Code did not fire as he customarily does in the Kelso earlier this month. It was a race he was expected to win, but could manage only a third place finish. His prior two races were resounding wins in both the Grade 1 Whitney, and the Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap. Trained by Shug McGaughey, this son of A.P. Indy will have Javier Castellano in the irons, arguably the planet’s most talented jockey.

Countless variables will come into play as the gates break open in the Classic, but as the horses come into the stretch, the dreams of many will come crumbling down as Honor Code leaves a defeated field in his wake.

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