2009 BREEDERS CUP TURF SPRINT PICKS AND TIPS

This is an absolute monster of a handicap and I expect a lot of cash to be in the pools for the Breeders Cup Turf Sprint. This is six and a half furlongs, and that's going to be a tough six and a half furlongs. The morning line puts California Flag and Diamondrella in a near dead heat at 7/2 and 4/1, respectively. Betfair is listing them both at 6.0 and 6.6. California Flag is a quality greyish/roanish gelding out of Ultrafleet a mare by Afleet. He's taken the Morvich Handicap two years running at Santa Anita on the turf and that's a solid Grade 3 contest. He came off the allowance circuit at Del Mar and hit another score in the Grade 3 Hollywood Turf Express Handicap. This is a form horse and comes in with three straight stakes victories and two this season. Diamondrella is a 5 year-old bay mare with a intriguing lineage- by Rock of Gibraltar out of Tap Your Feet (Dixieland Band) and with a near perfect record. She is 4 from 5 lifetime and that loss was a disappointing 7th to Informed Decision at Presque Isle Downs in September. That race was on the tapeta and all the other victories have been on turf. This horse will be a competitor and a threat down the stretch if she gets the trip she wants. My selection for this one is to take a step outside and back the unbelievably well-priced Canadian Ballet, who is 20/1 in the morning line and a whopping 34.0 on Betfair. This multiple stakes winner gets an extra vote from me because the 4 year old chocolate filly's last victory was in a tough handicap at Philadelphia Park in late September. She comes in to the race with a 2009 form of 21211 after an inconsistent 2008 campaign. This is my each-way selection and the only real strike against her is that she hasn't run against boys. But maybe that's just going to be a theme today...