Favorites in main Breeders’ Cup races draw favorable post positions

The morning line favorites in the two main races, Friday’s $2-million Distaff and Saturday’s $5-million Classic, appeared to draw favorable post positions Monday at Santa Anita, site of the third consecutive Breeders’ Cup.

Trainer Steve Asmussen’s Untapable will start from the 10th hole in the Distaff, and Asmussen said he was comfortable with that. Untapable will be ridden by Rosie Napravik and was given 5/2 morning line odds.

Trainer Jerry Hollendorfer’s Shared Belief drew the sixth pole position in a full field of 14 for the Classic. The unbeaten 3-year-old (7 of 7) was made the 9/5 choice.

The Distaff has taken on a different look with the withdrawal of defending champion Beholder, who is recovering from a fever.

The Classic has a different sort of buzz because, while unbeaten Shared Belief is the numerical favorite, popular California Chrome may get as much or more attention from the gamblers. Chrome won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, before fading in the Belmont and losing again Sept. 14 in the Grade II Pennsylvania Derby at Philadelphia Park.

Chrome, drawing the No. 13 spot and not trailing Shared Belief by a great deal with his 4-1 odds, has had memorable success at Santa Anita, decisively winning two Kentucky Derby prep races there, including the prestigious Santa Anita Derby that propelled him into the favorite role for the first Saturday in May.

“He likes it here,” said trainer Art Sherman. “It feels like home to him.”

California Chrome’s regular training home is Los Alamitos.

Shared Belief was injured and did not run in the Triple Crown races.

Shared Belief is ridden by Mike Smith, whose 20 Breeders’ Cup victories is the most ever. California Chrome is ridden by Victor Espinoza. The two riders did some verbal sparring after Smith rode Shared Belief to a win in the Awesome Again Stakes at Santa Anita on Sept. 14. California Chrome was not in the race. Espinoza rode a horse named Sky Kingdom, and Smith accused him of impeding his ride. Espinoza was later suspended by stewards for seven days.

Smith and Espinoza were seated next to each other at a Monday afternoon press conference, and each said he was fine with the other.

There are five defending champions racing this weekend: Goldencents in the Dirt Mile, Ria Antonio in the Juvenile Fillies, Magician in the Turf, Secret Circle in the Sprint and Dank in the Filly and Mare Turf.

The Breeders’ Cup consists of 13 races, with four on Friday and nine more Saturday. The grand finale is the Classic. The races will award a total of $24.5 million in purses, with the $5-million Classic offering the largest payout of any race in North America.

bill.dwyre@latimes.com

Twitter: @BDwyreLATimes