2026 Breeders' Cup Classic predictions, odds, horses, time, post positions: Surprising picks by top expert

The 2026 Breeders' Cup Classic gets underway on Saturday, Oct. 31, at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky. It'll be the first time in 35 years that two former Kentucky Derby winners have faced off in this race as Golden Tempo (2026) and Sovereignty (2025) are both in the 2026 Breeders' Cup Classic field. It is 5-year-old Forever Young, however, who is the Breeders' Cup Classic favorite as he has 12 career wins.

Post time is 6:16 p.m. ET. Forever Young is at 2-1 on the morning-line 2026 Breeders' Cup Classic odds, followed by Sovereignty (5-2), Knightsbridge (9-2), Golden Tempo (5-1) and Magnitude (6-1). Before making any 2026 Breeders' Cup Classic picks, you'll want to see the 2026 Breeders' Cup Classic predictions from SportsLine's Michelle Yu, who is on site in Lexington to cover this race.

Yu started off 2025 by correctly going all-in on Citizen Bull to win the Robert B. Lewis Stakes, and she also predicted Forever Young's win in the Saudi Cup, Journalism's win in the San Felipe Stakes, Sandman's win in the Arkansas Derby and Mindframe's win in the Churchill Downs Stakes. She also hit the exacta in the Kentucky Derby.

Last year she hit the Fierceness-Journalism exacta in the Pacific Classic, and in March she nailed the Renegade-Silent Tactic-Taptastic trifecta in the Arkansas Derby. On the Kentucky Derby undercard, she smashed two races: Crude Velocity's win in the Pat Day Mile and Stark Contrast's win in the American Turf.

Now, with the 2026 Breeders' Cup Classic post positions set and odds on the board, Yu is sharing her picks and predictions over at SportsLine.

One surprise: Yu is not high on Golden Tempo as a win contender at 5-1. Golden Tempo navigated Triple Crown season flawlessly, winning the Kentucky Derby before trainer Cherie DeVaux opted to sit him for the Preakness Stakes. He was fresh for the Belmont Stakes, and pulled off the win there.

He wasn't quite as strong in the prep season, however, finishing third at the Louisiana Derby and the Risen Star Stakes. He also came up short at the Travers Stakes in August. Yu is putting him in exotics, but not among her top-four choices to win.

"The Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes winner ran well in the Travers Stakes, but couldn't get it done," Yu told SportsLine. "Since Keeneland generally plays pretty forward-friendly, I'm concerned about his come-from-the-clouds style. He has looked very strong in his gallops this week, but he's facing some serious elders."

Yu's top pick is a horse who "has looked in excellent spirits" this week at Keeneland. She also is high on a longshot who "has high cruising speed." She's sharing which 2026 Breeders' Cup Classic horses to back over at SportsLine.