Breeders' Cup Classic Contenders Announced for 2022

One of the year's biggest weekends in horse racing is upon us with the 2022 Breeders' Cup bringing 14 races across two days on November 4th and 5th.

The races kick off on Friday, but it's really Saturday's final race that most fans and bettors are looking forward to. That's when the Breeders' Cup Classic goes down with $6 million on the line at Keeneland.

The contenders were announced on Wednesday, so here's everything you need to know about the field before wagering on the Breeders' Cup Classic on FanDuel Racing.

Breeders' Cup Classic Contenders

1. Cyberknife

Jockey: TBD
Trainer: Brad Cox
Breeder: Gold Square, LLC
Owner: Kenneth L. Ramsey & Sarah K. Ramsey

Cyberknife has four wins on the year, with the most recent coming on July 23 in the TVG.com Haskell. His most recent finish was a 3rd-place showing in the Pennsylvania Derby at Parx Racing in September.

2. Life is Good

Jockey: TBD
Trainer: Todd Pletcher
Breeder: Gary and Mary West Stable, Inc.
Owner: CHC Inc. and WinStar Farm LLC

Life is Good is running hot, coming into the race on the heels of three straight wins. The most recent was on October 1 at the Woodward Stakes.

3. Olympiad

Jockey: TBD
Trainer: William Mott
Breeder: Emory A. Hamilton
Owner: Grandview Equine, Cheyenne Stable, LLC and LNJ Foxwoods

Olympiad qualified for the Breeders' Cup Classic with wins at the 2022 Stephen Foster Stakes and Jockey Club Gold Cup. He already had four wins on the year before that pair.

4. Flightline

Jockey: TBD
Trainer: John Sadler
Breeder: Summer Wind Equine
Owner: Hironis Racing LLC, Siena Farm LLC, Summer Wind Equine LLC, West Point Thoroughbreds, Inc.

Flightline has known nothing but victory since debuting in late 2021, with five 1st-place finishes in five races. Already earning comparisons to all-time greats like Secretariat, Flightline is certainly one to watch at the Breeders' Cup.

5. Epicenter

Jockey: TBD
Trainer: Steven Asmussen
Breeder: Westwind Farms
Owner: Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC

Epicenter burst onto the scene late in 2021, winning two of his three races on the year. That incredible performance has kept up in 2022, resulting in four victories and three runner-ups in his seven races this year. There's a reason he was the favorite to win the 2022 Kentucky Derby.

6. Taiba

Jockey: TBD
Trainer: Bob Baffert
Breeder: Bruce C. Ryan
Owner: Zedan Racing Stables, Inc.

Taiba saw a ton of late money come in ahead of the 2022 Kentucky Derby, going from 12-to-1 in the morning line odds to 5.80 when the race began — making him the second-biggest favorite. A 12th-place finish was a definite disappointment, but he seems to be back in top form with 2nd and 1st-place finishes in two races since.

7. Happy Saver

Jockey: TBD
Trainer: Todd Pletcher
Breeder: Wertheimer et Frere
Owner: Wertheimer et Frere

The 2022 season has been the least successful of Happy Saver's career, as it's yet to produce a 1st-place finish. Three straight 2nds to start the year were encouraging, but most recently Happy Saver finished 4th at the Lukas Classic at Churchill Downs on October 1.

8. Rich Strike

Jockey: TBD
Trainer: Eric Reed
Breeder: Calumet Farm
Owner: RED TR-Racing, LLC.

Rich Strike only has one win this year, but it was a pretty big one, taking 1st after being a massive underdog at 80.80 odds in the 2022 Kentucky Derby. That win is starting to look like a bit of a fluke, however, with finishes of 6th, 4th and 2nd in three races since then.

9. Hot Rod Charlie

Jockey: TBD
Trainer: Doug O'Neill
Breeder: Edward A. Cox
Owner: Roadrunner Racing, Boat Racing, LLC, Gainesway Stable, Strauss Bros Racing

Hot Rod Charlie competed in the Breeders' Cup Classic in 2021 as well, closing with 3.2 odds and finishing 4th by a margin of 4 1/2 legs. He's the only horse to have run in a previous Breeders' Cup Classic race.

Jason Schandl is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Jason Schandl also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username Jaymun. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in his articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.

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