Saturday is championship day with nine Breeders’ Cup races, including the Classic. Three Maryland-breds are among the hopefuls, with one, Seismic Beauty, the 9-5 favorite in the Distaff.

Following a big Friday of baby races, Saturday brings the main event, and we asked our experts for their picks.

Here’s what they came up with:

BREEDERS’ CUP FILLY AND MARE SPRINT

Sweet Azteca, 7-for-9 in her career, is the 2-1 morning line favorite, but our ‘cappers believe the correct answer is #8 Hope Road (4-1), impressive winner of the G1 Ballerina last out. Four of them have her on top, and a fifth has her second… The field includes Maryland-bred #2 Splendora (8-1), a winner of two straight, and 2023 Charles Town Oaks winner #3 Vahva (12-1)…

	Ted Black	Derby Bill Watson	Joseph Aiello	Gary Quill	Eric Rubin	Nick Hahn
1st	8. Hope Road	10. Praying	6. Sweet Azteca	8. Hope Road	8. Hope Road	8. Hope Road
2nd	3. Vahva	1. Zeitlos	8. Hope Road	9. Richi	1. Zeitlos	6. Sweet Azteca
3rd	2. Splendora	3. Vahva	4. Tamara	2. Splendora	10. Praying	2. Splendora

BREEDERS’ CUP TURF SPRINT

#1 Motorious gets the nod as the 7-2 morning line favorite, but our ‘cappers aren’t having any of it. The six of them land on four different horses on top, and none of ’em picks Motorious, who was fifth in this race a year ago… Two horses — #3 Arizona Blaze (5-1), a Group 1 winner in Ireland, and #6 Governor Sam (15-1), third in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint — earn two top choices here, while #7 She’s Quality (20-1), multiple group placed in Europe, and #10 Shisospicy (6-1), 4-for-5 on the turf, get one each…

	Ted Black	Derby Bill Watson	Joseph Aiello	Gary Quill	Eric Rubin	Nick Hahn
1st	3. Arizona Blaze	6. Governor Sam	10. Shisospicy	7. She’s Quality	6. Governor Sam	3. Arizona Blaze
2nd	1. Motorious	8. Ag Bullet	8. Ag Bullet	1. Motorious	1. Motorious	8. Ag Bullet
3rd	11. Bucanero Fuerte	10. Shisospicy	1. Motorious	3. Arizona Blaze	2. Reef Runner	10. Shisospicy

BREEDERS’ CUP SPRINT

#10 Bentornato (5-2), second in this race a year ago, is the morning line favorite but has made just one start since that effort, and our ‘cappers are inclined to look elsewhere. In fact, they land on six different horses on top, including one who lands on defending champ #12 Straight No Chaser (8-1), making his second start since early April… The race includes some familiar faces for Mid-Atlantic racing folks: this year’s Charles Town Classic winner #2 Banishing (15-1); #4 Patriot Spirit (30-1), winner of the Reigh Count at Colonial Downs this summer; and the last two winners of the Grade 2 Gallant Bob at Parx in Bentornato (2024) and 2025 champ #13 Mad House (30-1)…

	Ted Black	Derby Bill Watson	Joseph Aiello	Gary Quill	Eric Rubin	Nick Hahn
1st	12. Straight No Chaser	4. Patriot Spirit	2. Banishing	11. Mullikin	1. Kopion	7. Imagination
2nd	10. Bentornato	14. Whatchatalkinabout	10. Bentornato	3. Lovesick Blues	11. Mullikin	1. Kopion
3rd	1. Kopion	13. Mad House	1. Kopion	1. Kopion	9. American Stage	4. Patriot Spirit

BREEDERS’ CUP DISTAFF

Maryland-bred #8 Seismic Beauty (8-5) is the morning line fave and has won three straight and four of seven overall, but most of our ‘cappers are looking elsewhere… Four of ’em land on #12 Dorth Vader (5-1), winner of the G1 Ogden Phipps earlier this year, and another picks 2024 G2 Black-Eyed Susan winner #10 Gun Song (30-1)… Also here: #3 Clicquot (10-1), winner of the G1 Cotillion; #9 Majestic Oops (30-1), winner of the Lady’s Secret at Monmouth in June; Cathryn Sophia winner #11 Dry Powder (20-1), who finished second in the Cotillion; and #13 Regaled (30-1), dominant winner of the G3 Delaware Handicap last out…

	Ted Black	Derby Bill Watson	Joseph Aiello	Gary Quill	Eric Rubin	Nick Hahn
1st	8. Seismic Beauty	10. Gun Song	12. Dorth Vader	12. Dorth Vader	12. Dorth Vader	12. Dorth Vader
2nd	12. Dorth Vader	8. Seismic Beauty	8. Seismic Beauty	1. Nitrogen	4. Scylla	8. Seismic Beauty
3rd	7. Gin Gin	13. Regaled	2. Sarawak Rim	5. Scottish Lassie	8. Seismic Beauty	3. Clicquot

BREEDERS’ CUP TURF

The turf races generally run through the European horses, and this one appears no different… Look for defending champ #1 Rebel’s Romance (5-2) and #8 Minnie Hauk (8-5), the 3-year-old filly who was second by a head in the Group 1 L’Arc de Triomphe against older males, to consume most of the betting public’s attention…

	Ted Black	Derby Bill Watson	Joseph Aiello	Gary Quill	Eric Rubin	Nick Hahn
1st	1. Rebel’s Romance	14. Ethical Diamond	1. Rebel’s Romance	8. Minnie Hauk	6. Wimbledon Hawkeye	9. Gold Phoenix
2nd	8. Minnie Hauk	1. Rebel’s Romance	8. Minnie Hauk	3. Amiloc	10. El Cordobes	1. Rebel’s Romance
3rd	2. Goliath	5. Rebel Red	10. El Cordobes	1. Rebel’s Romance	8. Minnie Hauk	10. El Cordobes

BREEDERS’ CUP CLASSIC

The scratch of morning line favorite Sovereignty opens this race up quite a bit, and our ‘cappers respond accordingly: by picking five different horses on top… #5 Forever Young (6-1), the Japanese-bred who was third in this race a year ago a few months after a near-miss third in the Kentucky Derby, is the lone runner to have two ‘cappers pick him on top… Maryland-bred #8 Mindframe (10-1) carries Midlantic hopes… The race also includes defending champ #7 Sierra Leone (8-1) and a pair we’ve seen in the Mid-Atlantic in this year’s Pennsylvania Derby winner #2 Baeza (15-1) and Preakness and Haskell champ #9 Journalism (10-1)…

	Ted Black	Derby Bill Watson	Joseph Aiello	Gary Quill	Eric Rubin	Nick Hahn
1st	7. Sierra Leone	5. Forever Young	1. Fierceness	8. Mindframe	2. Baeza	5. Forever Young
2nd	8. Mindframe	1. Fierceness	5. Forever Young	5. Forever Young	5. Forever Young	10. Antiquarian
3rd	1. Fierceness	8. Mindframe	7. Sierra Leone	1. Fierceness	7. Sierra Leone	1. Fierceness

BREEDERS’ CUP MILE

Back to the turf for the Mile and a race in which last year’s runner-up #7 Johannes (8-1) and show horse #2 Notable Speech (5-2) return, with the latter the morning line favorite… Trainer Graham Motion’s South African connection provides him #1 One Stripe (30-1), whose North American bow was a bland fifth-place finish in the G1 Woodbine Mile… #5 Program Trading (10-1), beaten favorite in the ’23 Grade 3 Virginia Derby, will carry Flavien Prat for trainer Chad Brown…

	Ted Black	Derby Bill Watson	Joseph Aiello	Gary Quill	Eric Rubin	Nick Hahn
1st	2. Notable Speech	2. Notable Speech	2. Notable Speech	1. One Stripe	4. The Lion In Winter	3. Sahlan
2nd	7. Johannes	13. Qirat	7. Johannes	13. Qirat	10. Jonquil	8. Formidable Man
3rd	4. The Lion In Winter	7. Johannes	10. Jonquil	2. Notable Speech	2. Notable Speech	5. Program Trading

BREEDERS’ CUP DIRT MILE

Defending champ #6 Full Serrano (7-2) looks for a repeat, but he’ll have to tackle the talented #3 Nysos (8-5), the Bob Baffert trainee whose lone defeat, by a neck, came to Mindframe in the Grade 1 Churchill Downs off a 15-month layoff… #9 Touch of Destiny (20-1) is an intriguing longshot, having run up six facile wins in Uruguay to start his career…

	Ted Black	Derby Bill Watson	Joseph Aiello	Gary Quill	Eric Rubin	Nick Hahn
1st	6. Full Serrano	7. Citizen Bull	9. Touch of Destiny	3. Nysos	2. Goal Oriented	6. Full Serrano
2nd	9. Touch of Destiny	1. Will Take It	6. Full Serrano	10. White Abarrio	8. Chancer McPatrick	4. Mystik Dan
3rd	10. White Abarrio	4. Mystik Dan	3. Nysos	6. Full Serrano	10. White Abarrio	3. Nysos

BREEDERS’ CUP FILLY AND MARE TURF

A contentious group of distaffers close the card in a race that’s a bit of a puzzle: most of these intersperse good and bad outings… #5 Gezora (7-2) gets the nod as morning line favorite, but our ‘cappers look elsewhere, with three of them landing on #9 Cinderella’s Dream (9-2), a fast-closing second in this race a year ago, and two others on #6 Diamond Rain (6-1), a group winner at Newcastle two back…

	Ted Black	Derby Bill Watson	Joseph Aiello	Gary Quill	Eric Rubin	Nick Hahn
1st	9. Cinderella’s Dream	1. Mission of Joy	6. Diamond Rain	9. Cinderella’s Dream	9. Cinderella’s Dream	6. Diamond Rain
2nd	5. Gezora	7. Be Your Best	13. She Feels Pretty	14. See The Fire	6. Diamond Rain	13. She Feels Pretty
3rd	13. She Feels Pretty	14. See The Fire	9. Cinderella’s Dream	12. Bellezza	14. See The Fire	5. Gezora