HORSE RACING

2022 Longines Breeders’ Cup Turf Betting Odds and Contenders Preview

The Longines Turf is the longest World Championships race. Every year, it draws the best grass runners from Europe and North America to compete in a race that is a true test of speed and strength. The Breeders’ Cup Turf Division runners are limited to 14 with up to eleven automatic berths.

Although speed is usually a powerful weapon in horse racing, the Breeders’ Cup Turf is a beast of a different color. While speed horses do, from time to time, win the Turf ( Highland Reel, the 2016 gate-to-wire winner), late runners are more likely to win.

This Breeders’ Cup Turf is also often kind to European runners: in the last ten years, the only Americans to win the Turf have been Little Mike (2012), Main Sequence (2014), and Bricks and Mortar (2019). You’ll be well-advised to take the time and get to know the international shippers!

While America always sends its very best to compete against the Europeans, they still find it difficult to beat them. Aidan O’Brien has been particularly successful, winning this race six times. This is more than any other trainer. Charlie Appleby is another trainer to keep an eye on. He’s had excellent luck with his shippers and won the 2021 Turf with Chestnut Gelding, Yibir.

Keep reading for a full field analysis, check out the recent trends and contenders, and learn where to watch and how to bet on the race online!

Breeders’ Cup Turf 2022 Information

Race Date: Saturday, November 5, 2022
Track: Keeneland Racetrack
Post Time: 4:40 p.m. Eastern time
Distance: 1 1/2 miles on turf
Age/Sex: 3-year-old+
Where to Watch: FanDuel TV
Where to Bet: TVG.com and FanDuel Racing

Breeders’ Cup Turf Odds

The field for the Breeders’ Cup Turf drew Monday, October, 31, with morning lines assigned the next day. The morning line is a good indicator of the favorite horses and the long shots. However, it does not determine the final price. Below are the post position, horse, trainer, jockey, and morning-line odds:

PostHorseTrainerJockeyOdds
1Bye Bye MelvinH. Graham MotionFeargal Lynch15-1
2War Like GoddessBill MottJoel Rosario9-2
3Stone AgeAidan P. O'BrienRyan L. Moore15-1
4BroomeAidan P. O'BrienIrad Ortiz, Jr.15-1
5Rebel's RomanceCharlie ApplebyJames Doyle3-1
6Channel MakerWilliam I. MottJose L. Ortiz30-1
7Nations PrideCharlie ApplebyWilliam Buick4-1
8Master PieceMichael McCarthyTyler Gaffalione20-1
9Gold PhoenixPhilip D'AmatoFlavien Prat20-1
10Red KnightMichael J. MakerLuis Saez20-1
11MishriffJohn H.M. GosdenLanfranco Dettori6-1
12NautilusPaulo H. LoboJavier Castellan30-1
13Highland ChiefGraham H. MotionJohn Velazquez15-1

Most of us will not be at Keeneland to make our bets in person, so betting online with TVG is the closest you can get to the action.

TVG is proudly the official betting partner of the 2022 Breeders’ Cup World Championships. Betting online with us is the way to go. So, along with all the pre-race information you need about the $4 million Turf, you can place your bets from the comfort of your own home.

Breeders’ Cup Turf Prep Results

Godolphin duo, Rebel’s Romance and Nations Pride, topped the morning line for the Longines Breeders’ Cup Turf that drew a field of 13. Both runners are trained by Charlie Appleby, with Rebel’s Romance entering the race with four consecutive victories. Rebel’s Romance will be mounted by James Doyle and will break from post five.

Nations Pride will attempt to keep up his winning streak, having won The Jockey Club Derby Invitational (G3) and the Saratoga Derby Invitational (G1). William Buick has the mount for Nations Pride. Buick also rode Yibir to victory l for Godolphin and Appleby in this race last year.

The third choice on the morning line is the 5-year-old mare War Like Goddess, mounted by Joel Rosario. Two-for-two at Keeneland for trainer Bill Mott, the Calumet Farm-bred horse comes into the Turf off a victory over males in the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational (G1).

Breeders’ Cup Turf Contenders

Broome: The son of sire Australia enters the race with an impressive record of 7 wins out of 20 races. He has proven himself to be one of the top contenders in the upcoming Breeders' Cup Turf, having won the prestigious Group 1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud race earlier this year. Known for his speed and endurance, Broome is sure to give his competitors a run for their money as he vies for victory on Saturday.

Bye Bye Melvin: The Uncle Mo colt enters the Turf with a trio of top-five finishes, which he kicked off with a first-place finish at Saratoga in early September. He went on to place second at the most recent Joe Hirsch Turf Classic. With his strong track record and natural talent, Bye Bye Melvin will be looking to make a big splash at the upcoming Breeders' Cup Turf. This talented colt does best when given plenty of room to run, so look for him to stay out in front early on as he sets the pace for the rest of the field.

Channel Maker: Channel Marker touts a pair of wins in 2022, including a victory at Keeneland during the Elkhorn S. in April. His most recent finish was a fourth-place showing at the Sycamore S. earlier this month.

Gold Phoenix: Gold Phoenix is red hot coming into the Breeders' Cup. The horse hasn't finished lower than third place across eight races, including a pair of wins. His most recent win came at Del Mar in September.

Highland Chief: Highland Chief began to find his best form as a 3-year-old, with several stakes placings in England. As a 4-year-old, he raced once in the Group 1 Coral Coronation Cup at Epsom before being shipped to the United States. His American debut was unimpressive, but he pulled off an upset win in the Grade 1 Man o'War Stakes at Belmont Park.

Master Piece: Chilean-bred Master Piece won 4 of his first 10 starts, including a Group 2 race in his native country, before making his U.S. debut in October 2020. The Mastercraftsman ridgling ran fourth in the Grade 1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Stakes at Belmont Park before winning an allowance race by three-quarters of a length at Keeneland the following April. In 2022, Master Piece earned a breakthrough stakes win in the U.S., drawing in off the also-eligible list to win the Grade 2 Eddie Read Stakes by 3 1/4 lengths at 16-1 odds on July 31 at Del Mar.

Mishriff: Mishriff is a world-renowned racehorse with over $15 million in career earnings. In 2021, Mishriff won the Saudi Cup, the Longines Dubai Sheema Classic, and the Juddmonte International. The horse by the sire Make Believe is trained by John and Thady Gosden in Newmarket, England, and has raced all around Europe and the Middle East.

Nations Pride: Teofilo colt, Nations Pride, was bred in Ireland by owner Godolphin. After winning two of three starts in 2021 at the age of two, he emerged as a top international turf three-year-old in 2022. Nations Pride is out of stakes-winning Oasis Dream mare, Important Time, while his granddam is Group 1 winner Satwa Queen.

Nautilus: The Drosselmeyer colt won the 1 1/2-mile Grande Premio Brasil at Hipodromo Gavea. The victory earned him an expenses-paid berth for the $4 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Turf via the Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In” Challenge Series. Nautilus is trained by Nilson Lima for breeder Stud Valentin in partnership with co-owner Jarussi. His dam is Namaste, by 2001 Horse of the Year Point Given.

Rebel's Romance: Rebel’s Romance is a Godolphin homebred Dubawi gelding who began his career with open-length victories on the synthetic main track at Kempton Park in England in 2020. Shipped to the Middle East for his 3-year-old season, Rebel's Romance opened 2021 with a head victory in the UAE 2000 Guineas Trial Sponsored by Hamdan Bin Mohammed Cruise Terminal.

Red Knight: The 6-year-old gelding who broke through with his first graded stakes win in the Grade 3 Sycamore Stakes in October 2020. In July 2022, he returned from a layoff of 11 months, and under new trainer, Mike Makerand posted a 1 ½-length triumph in the Colonial Turf Cup Stakes. The gelding followed that up with $1 million Kentucky Turf Cup Stakes win at Kentucky Downs, where he battled bravely to the finish line to nose out multiple Grade 1 winner, Gufo.

Stone Age: Stone Age showed potential, finishing third in three races and second in one. As a juvenile, the bay Galileo colt finished second in the Group 1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud in October 2021. In September, he finished second by a head in the Group 2 KPMG Champions Golden Fleece Stakes in Ireland. The colt won back-to-back races as a three-year-old, the second in the Group 3 Derby Trial Stakes at Leopardstown on May 8, 2022.

Virginia Joy: German racehorse, Virginia Joy, was transferred to trainer Chad Brown for her 4-year-old season in 2021. She started her year with a win in a second-level, allowance-optional claiming race at Belmont Park on April 23. She ended her season with a narrow-nose defeat in the River Memories Stakes at Belmont Park on July 11. After an eight-month layoff, she won the Grade 2 Sheepshead Bay Stakes by 14 1/4 lengths at Belmont Park on May 7 and followed these up with a fourth place at Belmont Park on June 10 and a third place at Glens Falls at Saratoga.

War Like Goddess: War Like Goddess picked up her first graded stakes win in just her fourth career start. She came from behind with a dramatic rally to win the Grade 3 Orchid Stakes at Gulfstream Park on March 27, 2021, overtaking Always Shopping in the last few strides. She followed this up with a dominant victory in the Grade 3 Bewitch Stakes on April 23 at Keeneland to record her fourth victory in her first five races.

Breeders’ Cup Turf Past Winners Past Performances

The parade of Godolphin homebreds to the Breeders’ Cup winner’s circle continued when Yibir rallied for a half-length victory over Broome, winning the 2021 Longines Breeders’ Cup Turf for 3-year-olds and up at Del Mar.

Charlie Appleby-trained Yibir established a course record covering the 1½ miles on a firm Jimmy Durante Turf Course in 2:25.90. It was the first Turf win for both trainer and jockey and the sixth overall for Appleby and fifth for Buick.

Longshots in the 14-horse field, Tribhuvan and Acclimate, set the pace and stayed ahead until the far turn when the rest of the field closed ranks. Broome swept past Teona at mid-stretch and established a daylight advantage. That is until Yibir ran down Broome in the final 50 yards. Teona came in third, and Japan was fourth, completing the European superfecta.

Breeders’ Cup Turf Undercard

Both male and female horses aged three and up compete in the Longines Breeders' Cup Turf - the 6th race on the 14-race card. You can tune in all day long on FanDuel TV and place your bets at TVG or FanDuel!

Keeneland Race Course

The Keeneland Race Course is one of the world’s premiere racing facilities, with annual meets taking place each spring and fall in the heart of the Bluegrass region of central Kentucky. It has a mile and one-sixteenth main track and a 7 ½-furlong turf course.

The race course hosted its first meet in 1936. It has since become renowned for its beautiful setting among the rolling hills of Lexington and its high-quality racehorse training and breeding operations.

Over the years, Keeneland has played host to some of the most prestigious horse races in the world, including the Breeder’s Cup, as well as several major stakes races for both Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses. The track is also known for its iconic grandstands and distinctive paddock area, which create an exciting atmosphere for spectators and participants alike.

Breeders’ Cup Turf FAQs

Q: When is the Breeders’ Cup Turf?
A: Saturday, November 5, 2022, at 7:40 p.m. Eastern time.

Q: Where is the Breeders’ Cup Turf?
A: The Longines Breeders’ Cup Turf is held at Keeneland Race Course.

Q: Which trainer has the most wins in the Breeders’ Cup Turf?
A: Irish trainer Aidan O’Brien has won the Longines Breeders’ Cup Turf a record six times.

Q: Who is the favorite for the Breeders’ Cup Turf?
A: If historical trends hold true at the Turf, Rebel’s Romance will be the betting favorite.

Q: Who is the best Breeders’ Cup Turf jockey?
A: Italian jockey Frankie Dettori, holds the record for the most wins (1999, 2001, 2006, 2010, 2018).

Q: Who won the Breeders’ Cup Turf in 2021?
A: 17-2 fourth choice Yibir set a new course record time of 2:25.90 when he rallied to win by 1/2 a length over 9-1 Broome.