Future wagering for the Breeders' Cup Classic has arrived. Here are the details.

LEXINGTON, Ky. — There are still more than 60 days until the Breeders’ Cup World Championships return for a fourth time to Keeneland Race Course in Lexington. But the opportunity to get in on some betting action for the event is already here.

The first future wagering pool for the Grade 1, $7 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic began Friday afternoon. That race is the showcase event of the Breeders’ Cup. The Classic will be run Oct. 31 at Keeneland.

Future wagering for this year’s Classic will be conducted in two pools. The first pool allows for future wagering from noon Friday until 6 p.m. Sunday. The second pool will run from noon Friday, Sept. 25, until 6 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 27. Each pool will include up to 24 betting interests. There will be up to 23 individual horses offered in the pool, as well as an “all other starters” wager that covers other Thoroughbreds who aren’t listed individually.

Future wagers for the Classic will be offered via FanDuel and at racetracks, advanced deposit wagering sites, casinos, simulcast centers and off-track betting sites. An advantage of future wagering is that the odds offered on horses in the pools normally provide more value compared to what will be offered closer to the race date.

The future wager for the Classic — which is a 1 1/4-mile race over the dirt surface that will feature as many as 14 horses ages 3 and up — requires a $2 minimum bet and is a win wager only. Eight horses have already earned an automatic, fees-paid berth into the Classic via the Breeders’ Cup’s win-and-in challenge series: Baby Vino, Costa Nova (JPN), Forever Young (JPN), Item (GB), Knightsbridge, Magnitude, Skippylongstocking and Sovereignty.

Sovereignty is the 4-1 favorite in Friday’s future wagering pool. A Bill Mott trainee who dominated in 2025 with consecutive victories in the Kentucky Derby, Belmont Stakes, Jim Dandy Stakes and Travers Stakes, Sovereignty earned a spot in this year’s Classic by winning the Grade 1 Whitney Stakes earlier this month at Saratoga Race Course in New York.

Sovereignty has won seven of 12 career starts and has finished in the money in each of his past 11 races. The horse qualified for last year’s Classic but didn’t make the starting gate because he was scratched due to a fever.

Following Sovereignty on the future wagering odds board are defending Classic winner Forever Young at 5-1, Knightsbridge at 6-1 and the “all other starters” option at 8-1.

Forever Young won last year’s Classic at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Southern California. In 2024, Forever Young became the first Japanese runner to finish in the money in the Kentucky Derby. He also ran third in the 2024 Classic, which was also held at Del Mar. Forever Young is in this year’s Classic field after winning the Grade 1 Saudi Cup in February in Saudi Arabia.

Knightsbridge is a 5-year-old son of 2016 Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist who is also trained by Mott. He’s won eight of 12 career starts. Knightsbridge dominated the Grade 1 Pacific Classic Stakes at Del Mar last weekend and won that race by more than six lengths to earn a spot in the Classic.

Other individual horses who are priced on the future wagering leaderboard include Magnitude at 10-1 and Golden Tempo and Renegade, each at 12-1.

Magnitude is trained by Steve Asmussen, the all-time wins leader among Thoroughbred trainers in North America who has twice conditioned the Classic winner with legendary horses Curlin (2007) and Gun Runner (2017). Magnitude earned a spot in the Classic after winning the Grade 1 Dubai World Cup in March in the United Arab Emirates. In that victory, Magnitude out dueled Forever Young, who finished second. Magnitude also won the Grade 1 Stephen Foster Stakes in June at Churchill Downs in Louisville. The Stephen Foster also served as a win-and-in Classic qualifier.

Golden Tempo and Renegade haven’t secured automatic berths into the Classic field. Golden Tempo, who won this year’s Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes in historic fashion for trainer Cherie DeVaux, is set to run Saturday in the Grade 1 Travers Stakes at Saratoga. Golden Tempo is the 5-2 morning-line favorite for the Travers.

Renegade is also in the Travers field with 3-1 morning-line odds. The Todd Pletcher trainee finished second in the Kentucky Derby and third in the Belmont Stakes. Renegade was last seen winning the Grade 2 Jim Dandy Stakes earlier this month at Saratoga.

Which horses have already qualified for the Breeders’ Cup Classic?

In addition to those top contenders, Baby Vino, Costa Nova, Item and Skippylongstocking have earned automatic, fees-paid berths into the Classic via the Breeders’ Cup’s win-and-in challenge series.

Baby Vino is a son of Vino Rosso, who won the 2019 Classic at California’s Santa Anita Park. Baby Vino has won three of seven career starts and scored a major 28-1 upset to win the Grade 1 Haskell Stakes in July at Monmouth Park in New Jersey. In winning the Haskell Stakes, Baby Vino defeated this year’s Preakness Stakes winner Napoleon Solo in a stretch battle. Baby Vino’s win in the Haskell was the first Grade 1 stakes win for his trainer Lindsay Schultz.

Baby Vino — who is set to run in the Travers on Saturday — has 50-1 odds in future wagering for the Classic.

The 6-year-old Costa Nova is one of two Japanese runners who have earned spots in the Classic. Costa Nova won this year’s Grade 1 February Stakes at Tokyo Racecourse in Japan to secure his automatic starting spot. He has won the February Stakes in each of the past two years. Costa Nova has been a winner in eight of 15 career starts.

Item is a 3-year-old homebred for Juddmonte Farms who won the Grade 1 Juddmonte International Stakes in August at York Racecourse in England. Item’s win in that race came at 10-1 odds over a field that included much-fancied favorite Ombudsman, who went off at 5-6 odds.

Skippylongstocking’s well traveled racing career has featured 14 wins from 39 career starts. He’s twice raced in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile before, running third in 2023 and sixth in 2024. The Saffie Joseph Jr. trainee has won at least one race in each of the past six years, including the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes in January at Gulfstream Park in Florida. That win earned Skippylongstocking a spot in this year’s Classic. Skippylongstocking has 70-1 odds in future wagering.

Of the eight horses who have already earned a Classic spot, only Knightsbridge and Skippylongstocking have previously raced at Keeneland. Knightsbridge ran third in the Grade 3 Perryville Stakes at the track in October 2024 in his third career start. Skippylongstocking finished fifth in the Grade 3 Ben Ali Stakes in April 2023.

Should all eight of these horses and their connections opt to run in the Classic, it would leave six spots still available in the starting gate for the race, which can feature up to 14 horses. There are two more Breeders’ Cup win-and-in challenge series races that serve as Classic qualifiers: The Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup on Sept. 18 at Belmont Park in New York and the Grade 1 Goodwood Stakes on Sept. 26 at Santa Anita Park in California.

In addition to the Breeders’ Cup win-and-in challenge series, horses can also earn a spot in the Classic based on a points system that rewards strong finishes in graded stakes races during the year. Horses can also gain entry into the Classic by being selected to run by a panel of experts.

What is the history of the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Keeneland?

American Pharoah (2015), Authentic (2020) and Flightline (2022) have won the previous editions of the Classic contested at Keeneland.

American Pharoah’s 2015 triumph in the Classic made him the first horse to win Thoroughbred racing’s Grand Slam after he also won that year’s Triple Crown. Authentic won the 2020 Classic as part of a Breeders’ Cup that was staged at Keeneland with limited attendance due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Earlier that year, Authentic also won the Kentucky Derby.

Bob Baffert trained both American Pharoah and Authentic to their Classic wins at Keeneland.

Flightline won the most recent Classic contested at Keeneland, romping to an 8 1/4-length victory in 2022. Flightline completed his undefeated racing career by winning the Classic and was named American Horse of the Year for 2022. He was trained by John Sadler.