Arabian Knight Named Early Favorite for Breeders' Cup Classic, Opportunities for Baffert's Fifth Win

While Arabian Knight is the early favorite for the Breeders' Cup Classic, the lightly-raced Baffert-trained horse will need to overcome inexperience to secure a historic fifth classic win for his trainer.

Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, winner of the Breeders' Cup Classic four times, is looking for a record fifth win with Arabian Knight, also the early favorite.
Arabian Knight, despite being a top favorite, has an unusually light racing career with just four starts, two of which were Grade 1 and one was Grade 3, contributing to his inexperience.
Should Arabian Knight win the Classic, Bob Baffert would have won one-fifth of every Breeders' Cup Classic ever run.
The 3-year-old Arabian Knight was brought along slowly by Baffert, who aimed for post-Triple-Crown races rather than intensive early exposure.
Arabian Knight's light racing career leaves unanswered questions about his ability to manage speed and the challenging distance of the Breeders' Cup Classic, which requires experience and is a race Arabian Knight has only run at once before.
Despite his lack of experience, Arabian Knight is favored over a Belmont Stakes winner, an unusual prediction that will be proven or refuted on race day.