It was at Keeneland two years ago that Hot Rod Charlie first caught people’s attention with a runner-up finish to Essential Quality in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at odds of 94-1. Two years, 14 races, and $5 million in earnings later, Hot Rod Charlie will make his third straight appearance at the Breeders’ Cup when he runs in the $6 million Classic on Nov. 5 at Keeneland. While his odds won’t be 94-1, Hot Rod Charlie might be a longer shot to win this year having to go up against the monster that is Flightline. “If Flightline shows up like the Flightline we’ve seen so far, everyone’s running for second,” said Doug O’Neill, the trainer of Hot Rod Charlie. :: BREEDERS’ CUP 2022: See DRF’s special section with top contenders, odds, comments, news, and more for each division Hot Rod Charlie is one of nine horses expected to be pre-entered Monday in the $6 million Classic, the last and richest of 14 Breeders’ Cup races to be run Nov. 4-5 at Keeneland. One of those horses, Cyberknife, also is going to be pre-entered in the Dirt Mile, and he’s more likely to run there provided there are no defections from the Classic. Hot Rod Charlie, who ran fourth in last year’s Classic, has had a well-traveled campaign in 2022. He began the year in Dubai, where he won the Group 2 Al Maktoum Challenge before finishing second behind Country Grammer in the $12 million Dubai World Cup. It was after Dubai that Hot Rod Charlie shipped to Keeneland, and he’s been based there for most of the year. The only time he left Keeneland was to run in the Salvator Mile at Monmouth Park, where he dropped a head decision to Mind Control, and the Grade 1 Whitney at Saratoga, where he finished third, two lengths behind Life Is Good. Most recently, he took a day trip to Churchill Downs, where he held off Rich Strike by a head to win the Grade 2 Lukas Classic. Hot Rod Charlie has done some of his best work when he gets into the fray early. One characteristic that has made him a good horse is willingness to engage in a fight. Whether he wants to mix it up with Flightline and Life Is Good early remains to be seen. “He’s a funny horse, he wants to fight,” O’Neill said. “If everything gets kind of easy the wire sometimes comes up before the fight begins. With Flightline and Life Is Good, I’m not sure you want to go right at them. Still, it doesn’t mean you can’t get involved in some sort of fight at some point.” Hot Rod Charlie will be ridden by Tyler Gaffalione in the Classic. It was Gaffalione who piloted Hot Rod Charlie to a second-place finish in the 2020 Juvenile and to a head victory over Rich Strike in the Grade 2 Lukas Classic. Speaking of Rich Strike, a decision on whether he’ll run in the Classic will be made over the weekend. Pre-entries, and the $75,000 fee that goes with it to run in the Classic, are due Monday. Trainer Eric Reed said the Kentucky Derby winner would only be pre-entered in the race if he intends to run. “It’s too expensive,” he said about perhaps pre-entering to buy more time. Reed said he and owner Richard Dawson are leaning toward the Classic, but will discuss further over the weekend. The other option is the Grade 1 Clark on Nov. 25 at Churchill. Meanwhile, Flightline, the expected odds-on favorite in the Classic, is scheduled to work Saturday at Santa Anita and then fly to Keeneland on Sunday. Trainer John Sadler said this week that things are “delightfully dull” with the horse, which he was quick to add “is not to imply that it’s anything other than just great. Great is his norm.” Sadler understands that he will likely not have any dull days once the colt arrives in Kentucky on Sunday. “It’ll be a little ramped up in Kentucky,” Sadler said. “I had people tell me back at the sale ‘Can’t wait til you get here so we can go out and see him train.’ ” :: Bet the races with a $200 First Deposit Match and FREE Formulator PPs! Join DRF Bets. Trainer Bob Baffert confirmed neither Defunded nor Country Grammer – the one-two finishers in the Grade 1 Awesome Again – would run in the Classic. Baffert also is no longer considering the Grade 2 Fayette Stakes on Oct. 29 at Keeneland for Defunded. “He hasn’t bounced back from the Awesome Again,” Baffert said. Baffert said Country Grammer, who finished second in the $20 million Saudi Cup and won the $12 million Dubai World Cup earlier this year, will be freshened for a try in those same races in 2023. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.