The 34th running of the Breeders' Cup Classic is scheduled to take place on Saturday from Del Mar Racetrack in Del Mar, California. While many folks relate the Kentucky Derby as being the top event in the Horse racing schedule each season, the Breeders’ Cup is not far behind for true horse racing enthusiasts.

Dubbed the “Kentucky Derby of the West,” the Breeders’ Cup shows off the best of the best in the horse racing world, and it boasts some of the biggest paydays to boot. The Breeders’ Cup is the richest race in the U.S in terms of the purse payouts.

The payout for the 2017 Breeders' Cup Classic is a gaudy $6 million.

Richest day in horse racing

While the big race at Del Mar Park this afternoon is the Breeders' Cup Classic, which is race 12 on the daily schedule, the purses for the other races are certainly nothing to sneeze at. The first three races on the day are Grade 2 status, with the purse set at $200,000. However, races four through 12 have purses ranging from $1,000,000 to $6,000,000 which easily makes it the biggest purse day of the year - and it also helps the possibility of gamblers getting lucky and making some big cash as well.

Breeders’ Cup field, odds & more

Like the other big stake races in the season, the Breeders’ Cup is a who’s who of horse racing.

The field is made up of some of the top horses in the game today. When a horse like “War Story”, who finished third in the Louisiana Derby and has career earnings near $1.5 million, is listed on the early morning line at 80/1 you know the competition is fierce.

The favorite to win the big six million dollar race is Arrogate at 2/1.

Trained by the legendary Bob Baffert, Arrogate has the talent to win this race going away Saturday afternoon. The second favorite listed on the odds board is Gun Runner. Just like almost every horse in the Breeders' Cup, Gun Runner has several great wins under his belt, including winning the 2016 Louisiana Derby and finishing third in the 2016 Kentucky Derby.

Big race experience is something Gun Runner is used to.

How to watch live

The 2017 Breeders' Cup will air live nationally on NBC starting at 8 p.m. ET, and 5 p.m. on the west coast. NBC Sports Network will carry races 4-11 live starting at 1:30 p.m. ET. You can also watch every second of every race by downloading the NBC Sports app. Be sure to check back here for the live results and payouts as they happen as the winners and prices will be posted in the comments section below.

Here are the current odds to the 2017 Breeders' Cup:

  • Gun Runner: 7/5
  • Arrogate: 2/1
  • Collected: 5/1
  • West Coast: 7/1
  • Churchill: 15/1
  • Mubtaahij: 18/1
  • War Decree: 30/1
  • Pavel: 40/1
  • Gunnevara: 50/1
  • Win the Space: 80/1
  • War Story: 80/1
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