One year removed from Flightline’s tour de force in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, North America’s richest thoroughbred race appears to lack star power in 2023.

Not since the 2011 edition, won by Drosselmeyer in a pedestrian 2:04.27, has the field for the $6 million Classic been so wide open. But the connections of one horse will take home a fat paycheck and the field for next month’s prestigious race is rounding into form after a set of preps last weekend. Wins by Zandon and Slow Down Andy in graded stakes vaulted the pair into the Breeders’ Cup Classic Top 10 rankings this week.

Unlike several other races for the Breeders’ Cup World Championships on Nov. 3-4 at Santa Anita Park, the preps for the Classic are complete. Arcangelo, the winner of the Belmont Stakes, has held the top spot since his resounding victory in the Grade 1 Travers Stakes. A win by Arcangelo in the Classic would make trainer Jena Antonucci the first female trainer ever to win the Belmont, Travers, and the Classic in the same year.

Arcangelo went five furlongs in 1:02.2 on Thursday in his first workout at Santa Anita, marking the horse’s third workout since winning The Travers on Aug. 26. As of Friday, Arcangelo remained the Classic favorite at bet365 with odds of 7/2.

“We’re just getting him used to the track. There’s plenty of time to go fast,” Antonucci told reporters at the track.

Value on Zandon?

Despite consistently hitting the board throughout his career, Zandon has long been a bridesmaid to the sport’s elite. As a 3-year-old in 2022, Zandon finished directly behind Eclipse Award winner Epicenter in three consecutive races. The losing streak continued into 2023 when Zandon finished second to Cody’s Wish in the Met Mile and was the runner-up to White Abarrio in the Whitney.

But Zandon, the 4-year-old son of Upstart, ended an eight-race losing skid by winning the Grade 2 Woodward last Sunday. Sent off as the even money favorite, Zandon tracked an honest pace and took control in the deep stretch for a 4 ½-length win.

The ultra-consistent Zandon has hit the board 11 times in 12 lifetime starts. He recorded a Beyer speed figure of 104 in the Woodward, the sixth triple-digit Beyer of his career.

With the victory, Zandon jumped from 11^th to sixth in the Breeders’ Cup Classic rankings. Zandon also finished ahead of White Abarrio in June’s Met Mile, one of the nation’s top races for older horses. Bookmakers, however, are still bearish on Zandon. At bet365, he is a 25/1 longshot to win the Classic.

Slow Down Andy also captured the Awesome Again Stakes at Santa Anita last weekend, winning the Grade I in wire-to-wire fashion. The horse led the field through sharp fractions of 1:10.5 for six furlongs before holding off the Bob Baffert-trained Defunded at the wire. Slow Down Andy, a 4-year-old son of Nyquist, moved to seventh in this week’s Breeders’ Cup Classic rankings.

In next month’s Classic, a speed duel is expected between Slow Down Andy and another Baffert trainee, Arabian Knight. In last month’s Pacific Classic, a forwardly placed Arabian Knight edged Geaux Rocket Ride and Slow Down Andy in a tight finish. Arabian Knight is the second choice at bet365 with horse betting odds of 6/1 for the Classic, just ahead of Geaux Rocket Ride (7/1), the Haskell champion.

Of the potential entries in the field, White Abarrio may own the most impressive effort. He defeated second-place finisher Zandon by six lengths in the Whitney, a Grade I that also featured defending Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile champion Cody’s Wish. Although White Abarrio missed a scheduled workout last week, he breezed five furlongs in 1:01.6 on Monday at Santa Anita.

White Abarrio was transferred to the barn of trainer Rick Dutrow after Churchill Downs suspended Saffie Joseph, the horse’s former trainer, in May. Dutrow indicated that White Abarrio is in strong form following the workout.

“He is on his game as much as he can possibly be,” Dutrow told Horse Racing Nation. “He came to me on the upswing and we just made very tiny little corrections.”

Busy weekend of BC preps

After a disappointing second in the Grade 3 Best Pal Stakes in August, Muth returns on Saturday in the Grade I American Pharoah Stakes. Muth broke his maiden at five furlongs in an 8 1/4-length win in June before finishing second to the unbeaten Prince of Monaco in the Best Pal. Muth heads a field of eight in the American Pharoah, a Win And You’re In race for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile.

On the East Coast, Fierceness will likely enter as the heavy favorite in the Grade I Champagne Stakes at Aqueduct. Fierceness, a 2-year-old son of City of Light, is coming off a resounding 11 1/4-length win in August at Saratoga. The Champagne is one of six graded stakes on Saturday’s card at the Big A.

Following an impressive debut win, FIERCENESS could pop off with a similarly strong effort in the 2023 Champagne Stakes at Belmont at the Big A.

Aaron previews & gives his picks from this "Win & You're In" for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile:https://t.co/1uEr6Y5z3c

— Racing Dudes (@racing_dudes) October 5, 2023

Nest, the reigning U.S. 3-year-old filly of the year, returns on Sunday in the $600,000 Juddmonte Spinster at Keeneland. Nest will look to turn the tables on Idiomatic, who defeated her in the Grade I Personal Ensign over the summer.

There are eight graded stakes this weekend at Keeneland for the track’s opening weekend of its fall meet.

Photo: Getty Images