California Chrome Set To Headline Breeders' Cup Classic At Santa Anita

ARCADIA (CBSLA.com) — California Chrome will take on nine rivals in the marquee event Saturday at the Breeders' Cup at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia.

The 2014 Kentucky Derby winner and local fan favorite is expected to go off as the favorite in the $6 million Breeders' Cup Classic after a season in which he has gone undefeated in six races in 2016 and has been ranked the No. 1 horse in the U.S. and the world.

California Chrome has amassed more than $13 million in earnings so far in a career that is expected to wrap up next January in the $12 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational at Gulfstream Park in Florida.

The 5-year-old California-bred thoroughbred finished third in the Breeders' Cup Classic when it was run at Santa Anita in 2014.

Rivals in the 1 1/4-mile race will include Santa Anita Handicap winner Melatonin, who has four wins in four starts at Santa Anita, and Arrogate, a lightly raced 3-year-old colt who has two wins in two starts at Santa Anita and broke a track record while winning the Travers in August.

Arrogate will go up against his stablemate Hoppertunity, who won the San Antonio Stakes at Santa Anita in February. Both are conditioned by Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert.

Other entrants include Woodward winner Shaman Ghost and longshots Win the Space and War Story.

A sentimental favorite for the day is likely to be Lady Eli, who is running in the $2 million Filly & Mare Turf. She won the 2014 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Santa Anita and then was sidelined for just over a year after stepping on a nail in July 2015.

Found is back in the $4 million Turf after a win in the Arc de Triomphe last month.

Tepin is set to defend her title in the Breeders' Cup Mile. She had an eight-race winning streak broken in the First Lady at Keeneland in her last start in October.

Wavell Avenue and Mongolian Saturday, who each have one win in four starts this year, are set to try for a second win in the $1 million Filly & Mare Sprint and the $1 million Turf Sprint.

Southern California-based Masochistic is the 2-1 morning line favorite in the $1.5 million Sprint after easy wins in two starts this summer at Santa Anita and Del Mar.

Not This Time, a 2-year-old colt who won his last start by nearly nine lengths, is set as the 7-2 morning line favorite for the $2 million Juvenile, which will also include the undefeated Gormley.

Noted and Quoted, meanwhile, is the lukewarm 9-2 morning line favorite in the $2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies.

The Breeders' Cup began Friday with four races, culminating with the 6-year-old battle-tested mare Beholder handing the brilliant 3-year-old filly Songbird her first defeat in a thrilling stretch duel in the $2 million Breeders' Cup Distaff.

Songbird had won 11 in a row before her loss by a nose to Beholder.

Beholder, who had one the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies in 2012 and the Breeders' Cup Distaff in 2013, retired on a winning note after three consecutive losses; one of which was a runner-up finish to California Chrome in the Pacific Classic at Del Mar in August.

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