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Horse racing fans will be treated to nine Grade-1 races on Saturday, as the 2017 Breeders’ Cup World Championships take place at Del Mar Racetrack in California.
The headliner, of course, is the Breeders’ Cup Classic, which is the richest race in American thoroughbred racing with a purse of $6 million, but there will be a total of $21.5 million up for grabs among all of Saturday’s massive races, giving you plenty of reason to watch all day.
Coverage of the first eight races will be on NBC Sports Network, from 1:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. ET, while coverage of The Classic will be on NBC, starting at 8 p.m. ET. People with cable can watch a live stream via NBCSports.com, but if you don’t have cable, you can watch both NBC and NBC Sports Network online by signing up for a free trial of one of the following over-the-top, cable-free, live-TV streaming services. They cost a monthly fee but all come with a free trial, so you can watch for free:
DirecTV Now: NBC Sports Network (everywhere) and NBC (live in 15 markets) are both included in all four channel packages, ranging from $35 to $70 per month. It comes with a free 7-day trial, and you can watch on your computer via your browser, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the DirecTV Now app
FuboTV: NBC Sports Network (everywhere) and NBC (live in 11 markets) are both included in the “Fubo Premier” channel package, which is $19.99 per month for the first two months and $39.99 per month after that. It comes with a free 7-day trial, and you can watch on your computer via your browser, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the FuboTV app
Sling TV: NBC Sports Network (everywhere) and NBC (live in 11 markets) are both included in the “Sling Blue” channel package for $25 per month. It comes with a free 7-day trial, and you can watch on your computer via your browser, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the Sling TV app
Schedule of Races
| Race | Purse | Start Time (ET) | Broadcast |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 1 14 Hands Winery Juvenile Fillies | $2 million | 3 p.m. | NBC Sports Network |
| Grade 1 Turf Sprint | $1 million | 3:37 p.m. | NBC Sports Network |
| Grade 1 Filly & Mare Sprint | $1 million | 4:14 p.m. | NBC Sports Network |
| Grade 1 Filly & Mare Turf | $2 million | 5 p.m. | NBC Sports Network |
| Grade 1 Twinspires Sprint | $1.5 million | 5:37 p.m. | NBC Sports Network |
| Grade 1 Mile | $2 million | 6:19 p.m. | NBC Sports Network |
| Grade 1 Sentient Jet Juvenile | $2 million | 6:58 p.m. | NBC Sports Network |
| Grade 1 Longines Turf | $4 million | 7:37 p.m. ET | NBC Sports Network |
| Grade 1 Classic | $6 million | 8:35 p.m. | NBC |
Breeders’ Cup Classic Entries & Odds
| Post | Horse | Odds |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arrogate | 2-1 |
| 2 | War Decree | 30-1 |
| 3 | Win The Space | 30-1 |
| 4 | War Story | 30-1 |
| 5 | Gun Runner | 9-5 |
| 6 | Mubtaahij | 12-1 |
| 7 | Churchill | 15-1 |
| 8 | West Coast | 6-1 |
| 9 | Gunnevera | 30-1 |
| 10 | Pavel | 20-1 |
| 11 | Collected | 6-1 |
Most fans, of course, will recognize the favorite Arrogate, who won last year’s Breeders Cup Classic and then proceeded to secure victories at two more extremely lucrative races, the Pegasus World Cup and Dubai World Cup.
Arrogate finished fourth at the Grade-2 San Diego Handicap in July and second in the Grade-1 Pacific Classic in August but is still understandably the favorite in this one. The biggest challenge, according to the oddsmakers, will come from Collected, who knocked off Arrogate at that Pacific Classic and has won four races in a row.
Another one to watch will be West Coast. Trained by Bob Baffert and jockeyed by Javier Castellano, the three-year-old Colt has won five straight races, including victories at the Grade-1 Travers Stakes in August and the Grade-1 Pennsylvania Derby in September.