2025 Breeders Cup Saturday Preview & Tips – DS
2025 Breeders Cup Saturday Preview
Dave Stevos has already posted his selections for Friday’s Del Mar card, you can check those out here. His 2025 Breeders’ Cup Saturday previews and tips are below.
7.00 – Breeders’ Cup Filly And Mare Dirt Sprint (Grade 1)
On paper there looks to be heaps of early speed in this contest. Splendora, Vahva, Sweet Azteca, Haulin Ice and Richi all like to be up with the pace so in the hope it sets up for a closer, I am going to take a chance on Zeitlos.
By Curlin, this 5yo mare is a Listed and Group 2 winner. She has yet to win in 2025 but she has not been beaten far in her four starts at 5.5f to 7f and she is best when held up off a strong pace and produced late.
Zeitlos admittedly ran a rare poor race in this contest last year but I am hoping that maybe she might have been in season or had some other underlying issue. She was behind Praying and Vahva last time in a Keeneland G2 but that was over 6f and she will hopefully be able to turn that form around back up at 7f.
Zeitlos isn’t one for maximum stakes but at 33/1, she is worth chancing each way for small money.
2025 Breeders Cup Saturday Tip: Zeitlos e/w @ 33/1
7.41 – Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (Grade 1)
We were denied a big priced win in the Juvenile Sprint here last year with Arizona Blaze. He was an unlucky loser in second and I believe he will run a massive race here for Adrian Murray and David Egan from a handy draw in stall 3. However, unlike last year he isn’t a 25/1 shot and he is too short for this blog.
Last year, the first four home here were drawn 3, 1, 4 and 5 and in 2021 the first four were drawn 3,4, 6 and 2 so a low draw is a big advantage here. The one that appeals most from a nice draw in stall 5 is last year’s Juvenile Turf Sprint third, Governor Sam.
Drawn wide enough in stall 9, he was only 0.5l behind Valiant Force in second and he has been handed a better draw this year in stall 5. He has done little wrong this year and his 1.75l third in a Kentucky Downs G1 on his penultimate start proves he can mix it at the top table. I’d imagine this race has long been the plan for this 3yo son of Improbable, hopefully he can outperform his odds of 25/1.
2025 Breeders Cup Saturday Tip: Governor Sam e/w @ 25/1 (4 places) NAP
8.21 – Breeders’ Cup Sprint (Grade 1)
There’s a fair few closers in here so this might be an opportunity for a front runner to get a relatively easy lead. Richard Mandella runs two and while his filly Kopion is a much shorter price, I’m going to take a punt on Big City Lights.
Again, this is one for small stakes. The son of Mr. Big has been off the track since last January when he hosed up in a Mickey Mouse race at Santa Anita. Previous to that he bolted up in another minor race here over 7f and he now has a Del Mar record of 131, the third coming in a 7f Group 2 in August of last year.
His career form figures over 6f-5.5f read 1211 and while I’d prefer if he had a more recent run, he has won after longer absences in the past. His trainer has reported that he’s been going well at home, hopefully Big City Lights can make a bold bid from the front at odds of 33/1.
2025 Breeders Cup Saturday Tip: Big City Lights e/w @ 33/1 (4 places)
9.01 – Breeders’ Cup Distaff (Grade 1)
This is a race I do not have a strong opinion on. The market leaders tend to come to the fore and it’s a busy evening so I’ll move on swiftly. No bet.
2025 Breeders Cup Saturday Tip: No Bet
9.41 – Breeders’ Cup Turf (Grade 1)
I would love to see Goliath take this but firm ground and the style of track are probably not ideal for him. The one I am going to take a chance on at an absolutely huge price is Hill Road.
This horse was sent off at silly odds for the Juvenile Dirt race here last season but belied his price to stay on strongly late in the day for a place. Since then, he has left Adrian Murray to join Chad Brown and I think his last two turf runs have suggested he’s been crying out for a step up to this sort of trip.
On his penultimate start in the 1m2f Nashville Derby he finished third behind Wimbledon Hawkeye, outpaced but keeping on well to hold third. Last time out in a Belmont At The Big A G2 over 1m3f he got slung out wide on the home turn, then was ridden into the back of another rival before flying home for a fast finishing third.
He’ll be ridden patiently here with the aim of picking up the pieces late on so he’ll need a degree of luck. At odds of 80/1, it’s worth taking the chance that things fall his way.
2025 Breeders Cup Saturday Tip: Hill Road e/w @ 80/1 (4 places)
10.25 – Breeders’ Cup Classic (Grade 1)
The defection of Sovereignty has opened this race right up. Last year’s winner Sierra Leone is back to defend his crown but it is Fierceness, runner up last year, who is currently edging favouritism at around 5/2. Their chances are obvious, as is the chance of last year’s third Forever Young.
Journalism is a fascinating contender and if he was still 10/1, I’d have put him up e/w. However, he’s into around 7s now and that looks just about right to my eye. This is another one I’m going to swerve as the shorter priced horses look likely to dominate. No bet.
2025 Breeders Cup Saturday Tip: No bet
11.05 – Breeders’ Cup Mile (Grade 1)
Notable Speech is a warm order here but he’s going to need plenty of luck in running from stall 2 given his hold up style. He had similar issues last year when he had to make his challenge out wide and could only manage third. His odds of 2/1 look a shade too skinny.
Frankie Dettori announced he was retiring for the thirteenth time during the week and he has an interesting ride here on the Japanese mare Algine. She just held on in a Sapporo G3 last time out put it is her previous run in the G1 Victoria Mile at Tokyo that makes her of interest here.
In that contest she was held up in midfield and produced late to reel in the front runner but she got swamped by three rivals close to home. The winner, Ascoli Piceno, was sent off at just 13/5 for the Jacques Le Marois at Deauville on his next start but the ground was probably a shade too soft for him.
The third, Shirankedo, won a G3 on her next start, as did Argine so the form looks to have some substance. There’s no doubt that this daughter of Lord Kanaloa will get her favoured firm ground here and it will be fascinating to see how she fares against her European and US rivals.
The two Japanese runners in last year’s renewal finished fourth and fifth, hopefully Argine can go one or three places better at odds of 20/1.
2025 Breeders Cup Saturday Tip: Argine e/w @ 20/1 (4 places)
11.45 – Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (Grade 1)
I found it hard to find any viable angles for the outsiders in this race. No bet.
2025 Breeders Cup Saturday Tip: No bet
12.25 – Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf (Grade 1)
European raiders have won six of the last ten renewals of this 1m3f contest. Moira won it for the home team last year and I’m going to back a horse that was formerly trained by Ger Lyons but who is now stabled in America with Miguel Clement, Bellezza.
This daughter of Siyouni needs rattling quick ground and given our obsession with overwatering in Ireland, she was rarely going to get her favoured conditions if she stayed here. She has had four runs since moving and it is no coincidence that she has won both starts on firm ground.
Her two defeats came on yielding ground at Saratoga but she bounced right back to form there last time, winning a 1m3f G2 by over 2l. She was far from disgraced on her sole US start in G1 company given it was over an inadequate trip and on unsuitable ground and her wide draw isn’t really a hindrance as she’ll be ridden patiently and produced late. At odds of 33/1, Bellezza is the e/w selection.
