2011 Breeders' Cup Betting Preview

The Breeders' Cup at Churchill Downs is shaping up to be one of the most intriguing iteration of the world championships in quite some time. The ante post action is just starting to pick up a bit this week as the final declarations are coming in and we're seeing a number of horses either pulled out of the Breeders' Cup entirely or at least firmed up for which particular race that they're targeting.

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There are still some genuinely solid prices out there as several major horses retain co-entries. Even Uncle Mo, the betting favourite for the Breeders' Cup Classic, is also lined up for the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile. Obviously we all know where Mike Repole wants his colt to go – where the most attention is being paid – but you still have to wonder whether workouts will indicate that Mo, who is not bred for the distance being an Indian Charlie, may not be able to get the 1m2f against horses of this calibre.

Is a last-minute switch still in the cards? Unlikely. But not out of the question.

While many in the American horse racing world continue to heap praise and attention onto the now in-foal Zenyatta, not many have remarked that Uncle Mo looks to be pulling off a bit of a Zenyatta himself with his season very much looking like he was going to come up short – not just race-wise but career-wise. Instead he looks to have pulled off a dramatic move late in the race and, should he wind up winning the classic, he could shock the world just like the seven-year-old daughter of Street Cry.

There are some really good match-ups in several of the races, though we will not be able to see the coveted Blind Luck/Havre De Grace match-up that many of us were hoping for. Big Drama vs The Factor in the Breeders' Cup Sprint looks to be a tidy race with some added influence coming from Giant Ryan and Bob Baffert's Euroears. All of those horses trade around the same prices but several bookmakers have taken defending champion Big Drama into 5/2s while the majority continue to list him at a 4/1 price tag.

The Sprint also sees a few interesting outsiders like Jackson Bend – who liked very solid in the Grade 1 Forego Stakes and D Wayne Lukas' Hamazing Destiny – both hovering around the 10/1 or 12/1 corridor.

An east coast vs west coast match-up in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile is fairly intriguing with Union Rags taking plenty of support and many observers have branded the two-year-old bay son of Dixie Union as the so-called “festival banker” which isn't a term you usually hear stateside. Michael Matz has campaigned Union Rags on the New York circuit while Creative Cause, a grey or roan colt by standout sire Giant's Causeway, showed genuine acumen over Santa Anita's dirt surface. He is trading as low as 7/2 ante post for this one and could see another trimming as we get closer and closer to post time.