Breeders Cup Predictions and Picks
Jarrod Horak - October 23rd, 2008 .The Saturday of the 2008 Breeders Cup may be the second richest day in sports however if you’re looking to make your own fortune this weekend only our Breeders Cup predictions and picks will do.
One way to make money on the 2008 Breeders’ Cup Classic is to upend defending champ CURLIN, who is unproven on synthetic ground. He has not looked nearly as good from a visual standpoint in his last two wins, and he is only participating in this year’s Cup because his hand was forced by the connections of Big Brown. He clearly loves ten furlongs and typically wins big races, but the Asmussen runner will not offer any value on Saturday.
Note: If you’re looking for an online racebook to bet the on the BCC or any of this weekends races we recommend going with Betus racebook.
GO BETWEEN owns the second best last race speed rating (behind Curlin). He sports the top two overall synthetic speed ratings, a rallying place finish in the Big Cap, and a victory in the Pacific Classic in August. He has been part of the exacta in all six synthetic starts, and he has run in all of the big SoCal ten furlong grade one races this year. I love the looks of his seven panel Churchill drill on Oct. 13th, and he has great race spacing and appears to be coming up to this in peak form.
CASINO DRIVE was a romping winner of his Japanese debut, than smartly nabbed the Peter Pan in his US bow. He was readying for the Belmont Stakes but had to defect following a foot bruise. He was immediately pointed to the BC Classic and exits an effortless allowance prep over the Pro-Ride surface on Oct. 13th. The versatile $950k Keeneland sales grad would need to be a freak to win a race of this magnitude in his 4th career outing…and he might be any kind!
COLONEL JOHN was my Derby pick in May, and he ended up a troubled 6th that day. He is 3-3 at Santa Anita and clearly handles synthetic, and the two-time grade one winner was a determined winner of the Travers when last seen in August. Versatile son of Tiznow should continue to progress. Garrett Gomez chose to ride Go Between in this spot, but Edgar Prado is an ample sub.
CHAMPS ELYSEES rallied for the show, 2-3/4 lengths behind Go Between in the Big Cap earlier this year. He won a Canadian turf marathon grade one in September, and the well-bred Frankel trainee adds blinkers and could surprise these. Note that his October 20th work was vastly improved from his previous morning activity.
TIAGO is training well for this and exits a nice rallying place finish in the Goodwood. Nine furlong specialist is 0-4 at this distance, and note that his lone win this year was over conventional dirt. He is more than capable of rallying for a share.
Second favorite DUKE OF MARMALADE is a five-time grade one winner with an affinity for ten furlongs, but he has been in steady training since April and could be over the top following a 7th place finish in the Arc.
HENRYTHENAVIGATOR is an overseas flat mile turf specialist. He has lost two straight and has been in steady training since May. John Velasquez rides as Murtagh opts for aforementioned stablemate Duke of Marmalade. RAVEN’S PASS, similar to Henrythenavigator, is a flat mile turf specialist, and the three-year-old has been racing steadily since April. All three of the Euros appear over the top.
STUDENT COUNCIL is reportedly training forwardly and looking sharp. Steve Asmussen’s forgotten runner has won a pair of grade 1 races, including the 2007 Pacific Classic over synthetic ground. He is definitely capable of landing in the trifecta at a price.
FAIRBANKS was also pre-entered in the Marathon, but Todd Pletcher chose this spot after a handful of pace prospects defected. The likely pacesetter will take them as far as he can, but note that he is 0-3 in grade 1 races and has never tested synthetic ground.
SMOOTH AIR is a two-time grade two winner, and the three-year-old seems a cut below the best. Versatile sort exits a decent turf tally and could be a useful performer in Florida next year.
Here are my recommended Breeders Cup Classic wagers and best bets: Go Between to Win. Exacta Box with Go Between/Casino Drive. Exacta box with Go Between/Colonel John. Trifecta Key with Go Between over Casino Drive, Tiago, Student Council, Colonel John, Champs Elysees.
Bet on Jarrod’s selections at our recommended BCC racebook is Betus.
Written by expert racing handicapper Jarrod Horak. Payouts and results will be posted on the official Breeders Cup website and on this page shortly after the race. Don’t forget to checkout our homepage for more free racing picks and predictions.
Related Articles
One comment | Add One
-
1 Breeders’ Cup Classic preview: Saturday, October 25, 2008 - 10/25/2008 at 4:08 pm
[...] To view my 2008 Breeders’ Cup Classic selections and wagering strategies, click here. [...]