2010 BREEDERS CUP CLASSIC FULL ODDS AND BETTING PREVIEW

With American horse racing fans seeing the retirement of Rachel Alexandra (Medaglia D’Oro) yesterday, it goes without saying that the left coast are now feeling a bit more smug as they will now always be able to claim that Rachel ducked their superstar female Zenyatta (Street Cry). The race for the ages never materialized, despite a $5,000,000 purse being offered if they faced off at Oaklawn.
Should Zenyatta go on to defend her Breeders Cup Classic title at Churchill Downs then there will be absolutely no doubt about it- she will go down as one of the greatest of all time. The fact that this victory could come over a dirt surface in the de facto capital of the racing region that deems Zenyatta an over-hyped specialist for plastic tracks makes it all the more important. The stakes are high for her connections, but they brought her out of retirement because the sport needs stars and true legends of horse racing need to be running, and winning, at the highest level for as long as possible.
Zenyatta is going into the 2010 Breeders Cup Classic as the clear second favourite to the pick of this year’s three year-old crop Lookin At Lucky (Smart Strike). Zenyatta is priced at 5/1 with UK bookmaker Ladbrokes in their futures market while Lookin At Lucky is the lukewarm 4/1 favourite.
Respected older colt Quality Road (Elusive Quality) is trading at a 6/1 price while Blame (Arch) is considered to be a very hot bet for the Classic after conquering a pair of Grade 1 victories- the Stephen Foster and the Whitney Handicap. You can lock in a 7/1 price on Blame.
Ladbrokes prices the talented Japanese runner Espoir City (Gold Allure) at a 16/1 listing while Rail Trip (Jump Start) can be backed at identical odds. Highly-rated UK runners Twice Over (Observatory) and Rip Van Winkle (Galileo) are also both trading at 16/1. Twice Over acquitted himself very well to finish second to Zenyatta last time out while Rip Van Winkle was a total bust when sent off as the betting favourite.
Up-and-coming Todd Pletcher colt Fly Down (Mineshaft) is also trading at 16/1 while Bob Baffert’s Misremembered (Candy Ride)  is trading at a 20/1 price. Ladbrokes lists prices exclusively on these horses.
If you’re looking for odds on outside contenders you’ll have to check out the other bookies. Fame and Glory (Montjeu) isn’t confirmed to run, but he’s priced at 16/1 if he lines up. Battle Plan (Empire Maker) can be backed at 20/1 with Byword (Peintre Celebre) as low as 12/1 with Blue Square.
Kentucky Derby winner Super Saver (Maria’s Mon) is available at a 25/1 antepost price while Gitano Hernando trades at 25/1, as well. He’s been laid off since running sixth in the Dubai World Cup. Trappe Shot (Tapit) wasn’t quite the late-blooming world-beater many of us thought he was, but he’s still in with a shout here, trading around 25/1.
Other notables include Ice Box (Pulpit) at 33/1 and last year’s Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird (Birdstone) at an identical price. Awesome Gem (Awesome Again) is a talented outsider who has the chops to beat this field and he’s priced as high as 40/1.