Best Outsider Picks For The 2022 Breeders’ Cup Classic

This year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic field looks to be an embarrassment of riches. 

Much has been said, of course, of Flightline. He is undefeated and has looked equally impressive in sprint races, mile races, and at a mile and a quarter. As formidable as he looks on paper, watching him has inspired comparisons to some of racing’s all-time greats.

In the Classic, Flightline will meet up with Life is Good, a brilliant runner whose wins in 2022 have included the Grade I Pegasus World Cup Invitational (over 2021 Horse of the Year Knicks Go), the Grade I Whitney Stakes, and the Grade I Woodward Stakes. The two of them will also have to contend with the likes of Epicenter, the nation’s top three-year-old, who most recently trounced his fellow sophomores in the Grade I Travers Stakes.

While those three will certainly be the top three choices in the betting, they will be running against up to eleven others, all with resumes that would make any ordinary stakes winner gasp. With so much attention focused on this triad, there is sure to be a lot of value in some of the other entries.

Which horses could be key outsider choices in the Breeders’ Cup 2022 odds? Let’s take a look.

Cyberknife

Cyberknife was among the field that the aforementioned Epicenter trounced in the Travers, but he definitely deserves a second look. Even after a loss to Taiba and Zandon in the Grade I Pennsylvania Derby, Cyberknife could be looked upon as a live shot in the Classic for two reasons.

First, Cyberknife has a pedigree that is well suited for the Classic distance. His sire is the hot young stallion Gun Runner, who himself won the 2017 Breeders’ Cup Classic. Cyberknife’s dam, the graded-stakes-placed mare Awesome Flower, is a daughter of Flower Alley, who won the Travers Stakes at ten furlongs and ran second in the 2005 Breeders’ Cup Classic. Put simply, Cyberknife has stamina at the top and bottom of his pedigree.

Second, Cyberknife has shown a versatility in running style that most of the other horses looking toward the Classic have not. He burst onto the national racing scene with a powerful allowance victory, which came after a stalking trip. In contrast, his most recent victory, the Grade I Haskell Stakes, involved Cyberknife laying sixth in an eight-horse field for the first half-mile. 

To add to that, Cyberknife found himself on the lead in the Travers, after Early Voting failed to fire. Cyberknife did not win the Travers, of course, but managing to hang on to second after a drastic change in tactics is impressive enough to merit some thought, particularly as the Breeders’ Cup Future Wagers Pool 2 closed with Cyberknife at 40-1.

Charge It

Charge It is a horse that has always been regarded as talented, but due to various reasons and misfortunes, has always been a step behind when it comes to experience. 

Also, Charge It is a three-year-old who, to date, only has five lifetime starts. He ran second in his debut race in January before breaking his maiden by 8 ½ lengths in February. A bad start, in which he hit the gate, hampered him in the Grade I Florida Derby, but he still managed to put on a powerful stretch run and claim second place.

He ran his only poor race thus far in the Kentucky Derby, in which the pace grilled nearly every horse that was running closer than tenth in the first half-mile; a wise handicapper would draw a line through that result. Trainer Todd Pletcher elected to give his colt the rest of the spring off.

Charge It returned, however, in electrifying fashion. Save for Flightline’s Pacific Classic domination; Charge It’s run in the Grade III Dwyer Stakes was the most visually impressive victory of 2022. Charge It laid just off of pacesetter Fluid Situation for a half-mile; but when he was taken to the outside a furlong later, he exploded to a 23-length win. 

This led to Charge It being one of the hot favorites for the Travers, but sadly, it was not to be. Charge It was declared from the race after suffering a foot abcess, and while it is still believed that he will point toward the Classic, he will likely do so off a layoff. However, keep in mind that his astounding Dwyer victory came after a similar amount of time off.

Charge It is by Tapit, one of the most notable sources of stamina on the dirt in the past decade. His dam, I’ll Take Charge, is out of the immensely talented mare Take Charge Lady; whose descendants include successful racers and sires Will Take Charge and Take Charge Indy. 

Royal Ship

The Brazilian-bred Royal Ship, a Group I winner in his native land; has spent much of 2022 chasing some of the marquee names of racing. 

He made his seasonal debut a winning one in the John Shear Mile Stakes before finishing third to There Goes Harvard and Defunded in the Grade I Hollywood Gold Cup Stakes. He won the Grade II San Diego Handicap two months later; before finishing (a very distant) third in the Pacific Classic. His most recent race, a sixth in the Grade II Awesome Again Stakes, was disappointing; but given that he had traffic problems and was bumped around during the race, it is possible to excuse.

Look instead at Royal Ship’s victory in the San Diego Handicap. Among the defeated horses were There Goes Harvard and Defunded, who had previously outfinished him in the Hollywood Gold Cup. Defunded, as well, would go on to win the Awesome Again. Also included in the beaten San Diego field were Kentucky Derby winner Mandaloun; Grade II Californian Stakes winner Stilleto Boy, and the heavy favorite, Group I Dubai World Cup winner Country Grammer. 

Royal Ship’s breeding, while not as recognizable to those in North America, has two big connections to the Breeders’ Cup. His sire, Midshipman, was the winner of the 2008 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile; and his damsire, the French Val Royal, won the 2001 edition of the Breeders’ Cup Mile. While those bloodlines suggest shorter distances in the 1 ¼ mile Classic; Royal Ship has won graded stakes at 1 ⅛ miles; and has twice placed in Grade I races at 1 ¼ miles.