Liam Firkin's Each Way Tips for the 2026 Breeders Cup

Keeneland 18:55, Friday

MOONRISE – 0.5 Pts EW @ 10/1

Getting a good start from the stalls will be crucial on the turf course and grabbing the rail early in the contest could key to how successful your horse performs. Stalls 1-3 are ideal with those who run the shortest course along the rail to have shown to have a greater chance of outrunning their odds at seven of the last eight meetings at Keeneland. 

That is music to the ears of favourite backers with Libertango drawn in gate three, but it is the lowest of all the stall numbers that I am going to side with. MOONRISE (drawn in one) has shown the necessary running style that will suit this sprint with her having gone forward and put her rivals to the sword from the outset on several occasions this season. She made all on both wins at Kempton as well as being prominent and tussling for the lead when scoring at Ascot in the Group 3 Japan Stakes. Should she get a fast start here, with the benefit of the rail, then she could just be too hard to peg back for the Balding/Murphy combination. 

She does have just under two lengths to make up on the favourite from when they clashed at Newmarket most recently, but she is in great hands with Andrew Balding still pursuing Aidan O’Brien in the British Trainers Championship and is running at a 28% strike rate as we head into the Breeders Cup weekend. Moonrise could kick things off for the team at this meeting and provided she can grab the rail from a fast start then she could well leave the rest of the field in her wake.

Keeneland, Saturday 20:20

RHETORICAL – 0.5 Pts EW @ 16/1

Your first thought may be that this selection is somewhat of a contradiction given that RHETORICAL is drawn in stall nine and there is a benefit to those in the lower stalls as mentioned above but I think that the running style and form at this venue could alleviate the wider draw along with the fact that there the second most winning jockey (this season, at Keeneland) in the plate. Jose Ortiz has won seven times on the turf course this season which superseded by Irad Ortiz Jr who has one more victory than Jose. 

Rhetorical has form figures here of 131 with that latest victory having come in Grade 1, Turf Mile Stakes when beating another runner in this contest, Lake Forest. In the same race last year, he managed to get a prominent position from a similar draw that he faces this weekend and that allowed him to work his way into the race. 

There is likely to be a fair amount of pace on with rivals wanting to secure a prominent position but that could play into the hands of Rhetorical who to my eye would appear to stay further than this trip and has won at both Churchill Downs and Saratoga, over longer distances.

If he can get himself into a forward position early in the race, then he could be too strong to run down when they turn for home and he kicks for the winning line.