2022 Breeders’ Cup Classic picks, preview from Keeneland, best bets

The 39th annual Breeders Cup World Championships will be held at Keeneland Race Track in Lexington, Kentucky on Friday, November 4 and Saturday, November 5.

The juveniles (2-year-olds) will race Friday with the 3-year-olds running on an all-day schedule Saturday. USA Network will broadcast the all five races of “Future Stars Friday” starting at 2 p.m. ET.

USA will also have early coverage of Saturday’s races at 1 p.m. ET with NBC taking over at 3:30 p.m. ET. Subscription-based service Peacock will have live streaming of the races. NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app will also have live streaming, but you might need a cable or streaming login to have access.

The Breeders Cup Classic will post at 5:40 p.m. ET and its the big race with a purse of $6 million.

Flightline is the favorite at 3-5 and is the popular pick among handicappers. Rich Strike, the 2022 Kentucky Derby winner, is a longshot here at 20-1, but the thoroughbred was an 80-1 longshot in May, so anything can happen.

Epicenter (5-1), Life is Good (6-1) and Talba (8-1) are other betting favorites.

Expect a special performance from Flightline and if you can pair it with Talba and Hot Rod Charlie (15-1) it could make for a nice payday. Think about fading Life Is Good, who might struggle with the No. 2 post posiition.

DK Nation has the full card and odds here.