Arcangelo Favored To Win Breeders’ Cup Classic After Travers Stakes Win
Javier Castellano piloted Arcangelo to a one-length win over Disarm to capture the $1,250,000 Travers Stakes (Gr. 1) on Saturday evening. The win sent bettors scrambling to lock in futures bets on Arcangelo immediately after he hit the wire. Arcangelo’s Breeders’ Cup Classic odds are now the best at Bovada (+500), as Forte’s odds continue to fall.
Arcangelo has been in the form of his career, and at the perfect time. After opening his career at Gulfstream Park with two losses, Arcangelo has been running away with wins. On December 17, 2022, the colt made his highly-anticipated debut in Florida at Gulfstream Park.
Despite losing, there was plenty of promise for a horse that wasn’t considered to be a threat going into the race. Arcangelo finished 2 ¾ lengths behind Aaraj to place second. With some promise in his step, Jena Antonucci had higher expectations for Arcangelo moving forward.
However, he did not reach his full potential on January 14. In his second career start, Arcangelo flattened late as a longshot and settled for fourth in an $84,000 race.
Belmont Stakes and Travers Stakes Title On Arcangelo’s Resume
A little under five months, after losing that particular race in January, Arcangelo was in the winner’s circle at Belmont Park for the Belmont Stakes (Gr. 1).
On March 18, Arcangelo started one of the most unlikely winning streaks of the year. After failing to win maiden special weight events, Arcangelo cleared the favorite, Magical Power, for a 3 ½ length victory.
Arcangelo’s speed figure was 80 in the January 14 loss at Gulfstream Park. Two months later, following a lot of hard work and dedication from Arcangelo’s trainer, Jena Antonucci, Arcangelo ran like a new horse. His speed figure jumped from 80 to 97 in March.
The performance provided Antonucci with enough confidence to point Arcangelo to a graded race. On May 13, Arcangelo made his graded debut in the Peter Pan Stakes (Gr. 3) at Belmont Park. The 3-year-old colt recorded another speed figure of 97 and came out on top by a head over Bishops Bay to win the $200,000 Grade 3 event.
The win assured a spot for Arcangelo in the third leg of the Triple Crown. This is where Antonucci made history, as the first female trainer to win a Triple Crown event at the $1,500,000 Belmont Stakes (Gr. 1). Antonucci’s Arcangelo edged away to beat Forte by 1 ½ lengths for a statement win in June.
Arcangelo wins the G1 Travers for @jenaantonucci and @jjcjockey! 🤩🏆 pic.twitter.com/b5x50BT2Gc
— TwinSpires Racing 🏇 (@TwinSpires) August 26, 2023
Following his first Grade 1 win, Arcangelo was not done yet, as he put together a bold bid to clear Disarm by a length for the Travers Stakes crown at Saratoga. Arcangelo’s speed figure of 103 at the Travers is the best of his career so far.
$35,000 Purchase At Auction In September 2021
Arcangelo is not a multi-million-dollar racehorse purchased by billionaires in the Middle East. Oftentimes, future Grade 1 Triple Crown champion racehorses are expensive due to their pedigree.
That was not the case with Arcangelo, who is now favored to win the richest horse race in North America after capturing the Belmont and Travers Stakes. In fact, Arcangelo was sold at a Keeneland auction in September 2021, for the measly price tag of $35,000.
The owner of Blue Rose Farm, Jon Ebbert, took a chance on Arcangelo. He purchased the young colt and handed the reins over to Antonucci. Despite a slow start to Arcangelo’s career, she hasn’t disappointed her boss.
Owner Jon Ebbert with his Belmont Stakes champion ARCANGELO. pic.twitter.com/DN2LGmaQ7H
— Mary Eddy🏇🏼 (@singmysongbird) June 11, 2023
Arcangelo’s performance at the Belmont Stakes was the first-ever Grade 1 win for Ebbert’s stable at Blue Rose Farm. Ebbert doesn’t appear willing to part with Arcangelo in the foreseeable future. After the win at Belmont Stakes, Ebbert claimed that he had offers for Archangelo.
“I wanted to go with the horse,” stated Ebbert. People offered me a lot of money for the horse, and we just have faith in this horse. The horse is special. We just had a lot of calls, trying to buy the horse, or shares on the horse, trying to move the horse. (Trainer Jena Antonucci’s) phone rang non-stop actually. I kind of used her as a buffer. They called her and she said, ‘Stop right there, the horse isn’t for sale’.”
After winning his first, and then second, Grade 1 race, Ebbert and company are favored to win much more at Santa Anita Park in November.
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Forte’s Odds Falter After Disappointing Travers Stakes Performance
Cody’s Wish opened as a +800 betting favorite to win the 2023 Breeders’ Cup Classic earlier this summer. After he failed to go the distance at the Whitney Stakes (Gr. 1) on August 5, Cody Wish’s Breeders’ Cup Classic odds were removed from the board.
Todd Pletcher’s Forte opened right behind Cody’s Wish, with the second-best Breeders’ Cup Classic odds at +900. Following Cody’s Wish’s 3rd place finish, as a heavy favorite in the Whitney Stakes, the Breeders’ Cup Classic power rankings were reworked. Forte was No. 1 and White Abarrio No. 2 in early August.
However, Forte’s 4th place attempt in the Travers Stakes dropped him to +1200 odds. According to Bovada’s Breeders’ Cup odds, this puts him on equal footing with Disarm, Taiba, and Ushba Tesoro with the fourth-best odds to win the $6 million event.
Moreover, White Abarrio is no longer regarded as one of the betting favorites. As Arcangelo witnessed a jump to +500, Geaux Rocket Ride has seen his odds rise from +1500 to +1000. Currently, Geaux Rocket Ride and White Abarrio own the same odds to win at +1000.
In total, the 2023 Breeders’ Cup World Championships’ card is set to have 14 Grade 1 races, offering $31 million in prize money. The event is scheduled to take place on November 3 and November 4 at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California.
