2010 BREEDERS CUP FULL PREVIEW AND COMPLETE BETTING FAVOURITES

We are drawing closer by the day to the 2010 Breeders’ Cup at Churchill Downs and the European betting markets are starting to heat up as antepost and long-term wagering is now in full effect. It’s going to be interesting to see how these races shape up as the fact that the Breeders will be run on dirt and turf, as opposed to turf and synthetic, definitely alters things a bit. The following odds can be locked in at Victor Chandler. 
We’ll be taking a look at the current antepost favourites for various Breeders’ Cup races. The betting markets will be halted for the pre-entry stage on October 25th and then again at the entry stage on November 2nd.
In the 2010 Breeders’ Cup Ladies Classic, the massive betting favourite for this one appears to be Blind Luck (Pollard’s Vision) and the Jerry Hollondorfer-trained filly will be looking for another graded score to round off what has been a very impressive 2010. She’s captured the Alabama Stakes at Saratoga and the Delaware Oaks about a month before that. She boasts a victory over the Churchill surface in the Kentucky Oaks. Hard to beat, this one, and it will take quite a performance to beat Blind Luck. You can back her at a 2/1 price.
Midday (Oasis Dream) appears to be significant favourite for the Breeders’ Cup Fillies and Mares Turf race. The four year-old Juddmonte-bred bay will be defending her title again here and it’s going to be especially interesting to see if she can take the same race at Churchill and Santa Anita. She’s been ripping it up this season in high-profile grassy meets with scores at Goodwood, York and Longchamp. She’s one of the biggest favourites of the two-day extravaganza and she’s trading at even money with most major bookmakers.
Boys at Tosconova (Officer) is an up-and-coming bay or brown colt and he’s already got a Grade 1 victory under his belt, having captured the Three Chimney’s at Saratoga earlier this month. He boasts plenty of tactical speed and a good performance here will likely make him one of the favourites for the 2011 Kentucky Derby. Definitely one to watch and he’s well-priced at a 7/2 margin.
Cultured grass-runner Fame and Glory (Montjeu) is a 4/1 favourite for the Breeders Cup Turf and this will be his first attempt at the stateside Championship. He’s been running at odds-on prices all year long under Johnny Murtagh and the AP O’Brien colt will be up against some of the stiffest competition anywhere- expected to face the talented Gio Ponti (Tale of the Cat) and Princess Haya’s Darley-bred bay Debussy (Diesis). This is a wide-open race.
First-rate three year-old Discreetly Mine (Mineshaft) will be representing Todd Pletcher’s stable in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint and the progressive-looking colt will be looking for his second Grade 1 on the bounce here after working his way up through the rankings this year with wins at Monmouth and Saratoga. Every time he’s been sent off as a favourite this year he’s gone on to take the victory. Quite dangerous, but it will be interesting to see how he matches up against expected shipper Starspangledbanner (Choisir). The massive amount of quality on the sprint circuit is likely the reason for Discreetly Mine’s 5/1 price.
The 2010 Breeders’ Cup Mile looks like another state-side appearance for the world-famous miler Goldikova (Anabaa). You can back the classy mare at a 7/4 price tag to win this race for the third-time running. She and Olivier Peslier have an unbreakable bond and you just wonder whether her recent loss to Makfi (Dubawi) at Deauville might be the reason why she’s not at even money or less.
The 2010 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile looks to be all about three year-old late bloomer Trappe Shot (Tapit) and he’s trading at 5/1 for the outright victory here. He was bumped hard in the opening of the Travers Stakes at Saratoga and wound up a disappointing 9 from 11. This is a very competitive race and that’s likely the reason why the favourite is priced so high.
The big one, the 2010 Breeders’ Cup Classic, is beginning to shape up as a dead-heat in the betting markets between this year’s top three year-old Lookin At Lucky (Smart Strike) and the legendary mare Zenyatta (Street Cry), who comes back to defend her title that she captured in dramatic fashion over the pro-ride at Santa Anita. Many folks were assuming this one would finally be when we saw Rachel Alexandra (Medaglia D’Oro) finally face-off against the Big Z, but she will likely go towards the Ladies Classic where she will likely have a better chance of winning. It will be especially interesting to see Zenyatta run at Churchill but she does boast victories over dirt with her previous scores at Oaklawn showing that she isn’t just a synthetic runner. We’ll be building up the focus on the 2010 Breeders’ Cup Classic in the weeks to come!