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2020 Breeders’ Cup Classic Profile: By My Standards

In the days leading up to the 37th Breeders’ Cup at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky, usracing.com will profile the horses in the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic (Saturday, Nov. 7).

By Ed McNamara

By My Standards – Courtesy of Churchill Downs/Coady Photography.

He’s 0-for-2 in Grade 1’s and was second twice this year against Classic rivals Improbable and Tom’s D’Etat, beaten a combined 6 1/4 lengths, so By My Standards doesn’t appear to class up. He’s done his best work (three wins) at 1 1/8 miles at the Grade 2 level. He did manage to beat even-money Tom’s D’Etat for second by a half-length in the Whitney, but a serious stumble at the start gave Tom’s D’Etat no chance to win.

The 4-year-old colt’s bullet workout (58 3/5 for 5 furlongs Oct. 24 at Churchill Downs) impressed trainer Brad Cox.

“I thought it was a super work,” Cox said. “He’s been good for so long, and his race record reflects that. We’re still chasing that Grade 1, but I like my position for the Classic.”

By My Standards may be peaking at the right time, but can he make a quantum leap against stars Authentic, Maximum Security, Improbable and Tiz the Law?

“It’ll be the best of the best,” Cox said, “and it will be a very tough race. I think he’s pretty seasoned against the top horses, and it will be a very tough race.”

By My Standards is a talented, hard-trying horse, with only one off-the-board finish in 12 starts, but he’s never proved he could excel in top company. The $6 million grand finale is too much of a reach.

By My Standards

Odds: 10-1

Post position: 3

Jockey: Gabriel Saez

Trainer: Brad Cox

Owner: Allied Racing Stable

Career record: 12-6-4-1

Career earnings: $1,764,430

Top Equibase speed figure: 118

Pedigree: Goldencents-A Jealous Woman, by Muqtarib

Color: Bay

Running style: Stalker

Notes: Cox, a 40-year-old native of Louisville, is a rising star who has trained three Breeders’ Cup winners — Monomoy Girl (2018 Distaff), Covfefe (2019 Filly & Mare Sprint) and British Idiom (2019 Juvenile Fillies). This year he won his second Kentucky Oaks in the past three years when Shedaresthedevil upset subsequent Preakness heroine Swiss Skydiver. Monomoy Girl won the Oaks in 2018.

Breeders’ Cup Odds

2020 Breeders’ Cup Odds and Post Positions
PP Horse Jockey Odds
1 Tacitus
Jose Ortiz
20-1
2 Tiz the Law Manuel Franco 3-1
3 By My Standards Gabriel Saez 10-1
4 Tom’s d’Etat Joel Rosario 6-1
5 Title Ready Corey Lanerie 30-1
6 Higher Power Flavien Prat 20-1
7 Global Campaign Javier Castellano 20-1
8 Improbable Irad Ortiz Jr 5-2
9 Authentic John Velazquez 6-1
10 Maximum Security Luis Saez 7-2
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