Breeders’ Cup 2017: Post times, live TV schedule for Saturday’s races

Last year, Arrogate caught California Chrome down the stretch to lay claim to the Breeders’ Cup Classic title. This year at Del Mar, the now 4-year-old Arrogate will try to defend his crown while fellow 4-year-old Gun Runner will try to dash his hopes with a possible Horse of the Year title on the line. You can watch the Breeders’ Cup Classic at 8 p.m. ET on NBC (live stream). The field goes to the gates at 8:35 p.m.

The $6 million Classic is the culmination of the 13-race Breeders’ Cup, which began with four races on Friday before a nine-race docket on Saturday. It’s a 1-1/4-mile race. It is open to horses ages 3 and up.

Jockey Mike Smith will again be riding the Bob Baffert-trained Arrogate, and again he won’t be entering the Classic as favorite. His odds are still strong at 2-1, but Steve Asmussen’s Gun Runner, jockeyed by Florent Geroux, will enter the day as a 9-5 favorite. You can probably pin some of that on Gun Runner appearing stronger later in the year after Arrogate was better to begin.

Arrogate (inside gate) enters the race having won two of his three Grade 1 races this year but finishing second in his most recent try — the Pacific Classic on Aug. 19 at Del Mar. (Collected, another Breeders’ Cup Classic entrant with 6-1 odds, won that.) Arrogate also notably won the $12 million Pegasus World Cup in January, and this is slated to be his final race.

Gun Runner (fifth gate) has won his last three races, the most recent being the Grade 1 Woodward in September at Saratoga. In fact, he’s won five of his last six races, the only defeat coming to Arrogate at the Dubai World Cup in late March.

Collected (outside gate) should also be in the conversation. Ridden by Martin Garcia, who won the Classic in 2014 on Bayern, and with good speed and strong recent results, this may actually be Baffert’s best horse among four entered (including Mubtaahij and West Coast).

Undercard coverage can be watched on NBCSN (live stream) beginning at 1:30 p.m. Another that frequently draws interest, the Sentient Jet Juvenile, is set to go to the gates at 5:25 p.m. The $2 million, 1-1/16-mile race is open to the best 2-year-old males. It’s often a great preview of which colts will be the star attraction of the following Triple Crown season. Last year’s winner, Classic Empire, went on to become the Kentucky Derby morning line favorite and later finished second in the Preakness.

Rushing Fall, trained by Chad Brown and ridden by Javier Castellano, enters the Juvenile as 7-2 morning line favorite. Irish colt Happily has 9-2 odds.

Gun Runner might not have been America’s best 3-year-old last year, though he certainly was on the short list and staked a big claim as the most rugged. But the patience shown by trainer Steve Asmussen and his staff and the belief held by owners Winchell Thoroughbreds and Three Chimneys Farm has paid off big-time in 2017, where Gun Runner is one win away from being Horse of the Year.

In recent years there is a definite trend toward more time between a horse’s races, including the time between a horse’s final Breeders’ Cup prep race and the Breeders’ Cup itself. Last year, the Breeders’ Cup winners hadn’t raced in an average of 5.6 weeks, compared with 5.3 weeks in 2007 and 4.1 in 1997. That’s an increase of 36.6 percent in that 20-year time frame, and an increase of 55.6 percent since the inaugural Breeders’ Cup in 1984, when the average Breeders’ Cup winner had raced 3.6 weeks prior.

O’Brien will take two swings at bringing his Classic drought to an end Saturday when he saddles dual Guineas winner Churchill and group 2 winner War Decree in the $6 million test against a field that includes defending race victor and champion Arrogate and multiple grade 1 winner Gun Runner.

1. How good is Bolt d’Oro?

Named for the decorated sprinter Usain Bolt, Bolt d’Oro is fast, but he also has stamina.

Undefeated from three starts, he was last seen winning the Grade 1 FrontRunner Stakes at Santa Anita by nearly eight lengths, and the time was nearly three seconds faster than that of the Chandelier Stakes, the sister race for the fillies held on the same card.

The Breeders’ Cup Juvenile ranks right up there with the Classic for me. As a new group of talented 2-year-olds are emerging, it has me Kentucky Derby dreaming. I’m always looking for that standout that I hope can make it to the starting gate on the first Saturday in May.

It’s tough to pick a winner in this race, even with undefeated Bolt d’Oro looming over the field. This very well could be one of the strongest 2-year-old crops we’ve seen in a while.

It’s hard to argue with the logic that the hottest horse right now is Gun Runner. Arrogate and Collected both have valid claims to favorite status as well, and all three will enter the Classic well rested. While the spotlight is on Arrogate and Gun Runner, I like Collected to come through with the win.