Pre-Breeder's Cup Results - Saturday

Ah. Breeder's Cup Saturday. Every horse with an opportunity to be a legend. Every gambler with an opportunity to pick that horse and be a legend. For every Sunday Silence there's a guy who made a million bucks on a two dollar Arcangues bet. Maybe this year its me.

Lets begin the day with the
Juvenile Fillies:
The card used to open with the Distaff, which I never understood. I'm glad they've made the change. This is a heck of a field with 4 undefeated horses, 3 Grade 1 winners, and 6 Graded states winners. With the scratch of Cry and Catch Me I'm going to go with Bob Baffert's other filly Indian Blessing. 2 for 2 at the track the Blessing is obviously still green but she's shown class already winning the Grade 1 Frizette and I like her to stretch out with relative ease. Plus, shes a front runner which bodes well in light of the monsoon sitting on top of New Jersey as we speak. I like the closer Irish Smoke to show up late and Ron McAnally's Izarra to make it interesting in 3rd. Great field though, it could be anybody's race.

In light of that I'm going with:
$1 exacta box with the 4,5, and 8
Total Weekend Cost: $24

Off to the window to collect and then we go to the
Juvenile:
The Juvenile is always fun because the winner will be handed the spot of Derby favorite before the next race is run. Who will it be this year? War Pass. Nice to see Nick Zito back in the mix with the game 3 for 3 colt. I would give Wicked Style a better shot but he's all speed and sitting way out in the 13 slot. I like Salute the Sarge to show, and could even do better if the front runners cook themselves with swift fractions. There's a lot of speed in this race so it might actually set up well for the closers.

Still
$5 on both the 12 and 13 to show - I'll get good prices on both
Total: $34

Done with the two year olds and on to the
Filly and Mare Turf:
Hard not to like Precious Kitten. Bobby Frankel is somehow the man on the turf and his filly has a nice resume built up. I like Todd Pletcher's Honey Ryder in second and the 7 for 7 undefeated filly Nashoba's Key to finally find herself bested in third. 6 of the 12 horses in this race are Grade 1 winners to give you an idea of the quality we have here. I'm bad at turf handicapping so I'll let the quality serve as my excuse.

Wait...Precious Kitten is 30-1 on the morning line?
$10 to win on the 12
Total: $44

At this point I should mention that I'm making these selections before checking the morning lines. I know I've taken my share of favorites but 30-1 is ridiculous unless the horse lost a leg in transit and nobody told me. If the horse has 3 legs I reserve the right to change my pick.

With more white paper in my pocket than green I go to the
Sprint:
The Sprint is a breeding ground for upsets in my humble opinion. A lot of good horses have taken one slow step out of the gate or been too far off the rail and that was all she wrote. So naturally I'll take what I can only assume will be the favorite, Midnight Lute. Lute won his last race with an "is this a typo?" Beyer figure of 124. (Street Sense got a 110 for the Derby) If he does it again I'll be astonished but I still like him up front. Second place that day was Benny the Bull and he'll finish third behind Greg's Gold in this one. Still, Greg's Gold has a shot.

$2 exacta box with the 2 and 10
Total: $48

With 4 races to go I'm still under $50, but not after the
Mile:
Huh. I think this is going to be the best opportunity to get a value on the winner, which is a polite way of saying its a toughie to handicap. Yet, here we go. I like After Market followed byTrippi's Storm and Nobiz Like Shobiz. I kind of want to include Cosmonaut but while always in the money he's allergic to winning so I can keep him around. I need winners, not also rans. I hope Nobiz finds a niche here with the milers as he was my Derby favorite before breaking my heart.

Nobiz factors, hopefully at a price
$10 to show on the 9
Total: $58

Side note: This race includes a horse name Silent Name who is out of sire Sunday Silence. (yellow silks above) Sunday Silence stood in Japan and totally dominate Japanese breeding for about 15 years but he progeny rarely made their way back over here. In fact, I cant remember ever seeing one run here. That being said Silent Name wont factor. Sorry Japan.

Hey Ladies, welcome to the
Distaff:
The Classic for the ladies, the Distaff certainly doesn't disappoint this year with a gate stacked full of class. I like Octave, trained by the Atlanta Braves of horse trainers Todd Pletcher. Year after year Pletcher comes through in the standings all to fall short in the one that matters. He finally broke through with Rags to Riches in the Belmont but his record isnt exactly stellar here in the Breeder's Cup. Still, Octave is a multiple Grade 1 stakes winner and should show up to play with Ginger Punch taking the place and Pletcher's pair Unbridled Belle and Indian Vale dead heating for third. Ballsy pick but that's just what I do.

A lot of ladies looking to get my money... stay with me
$2 across the board on the 8, $1 trifecta with the 8-4-10 and another with 8-4-11
Total: $66

Spread the love I say, but not much spread around in the
Turf:
Second lock of the weekend after Discreet Cat is European invader, Arc de Triomphe winner, and all around good guy Dylan Thomas. He's going to win. Second place is English Channel - who my friend Travis informs me has a body of water named after him - followed by Better Talk Now, the old man at 8.

No choice but to beat the British
$2 exacta box with the 3 and 6
Total: $70

And with one race to go I can promise you its going to be a
Classic:
I estimate that the starting gate in the race will probably feature about $250 million worth of horse flesh - and thats just 6 of the 9 horses. My guess is more than half this field will retire after the race. We have Derby winner Street Sense, Preakness winner Curlin, Derby runner up Hard Spun, 3rd place in the Belmont and winner of the Swaps Tiago, Haskell winner and "King of Monmouth Park" Any Given Saturday, and $2.7 million winner Lawyer Ron. Who will win? My third and final lock of the weekend Lawyer Ron. Ron is the old man in the bunch but stands head and shoulders above the others in class. He tore up the Woodward and the Whitney this year in dazzling fashion and I just dont think the others will have anything for him. I think Any Given Saturday will show back up in second and I look for Curlin to run third. Watch for Hard Spun and Ron to set the early fractions with Any Given Saturday and Curlin sitting just off the pace and Tiago and Street Sense looking to swallow up ground late and catch the speed. Its going to be one for the ages. Oh, and there's three more horses but all they'll do is get in the way.

Last bet of the weekend
$10 to win on the 1
Total: $80

There you have it. $80 spent on 11 races. Good luck to you and happy racing.

Pre-Breeder's Cup Results - Friday

After many hours of painstaking handicapping, I've reduced the event that is the Breeder's Cup to an efficient list horses who will win and those who will not. So sure of these picks am I, that I'm including the bets I would be making if the Good Lord and state of Georgia allowed me to participate in such depraved and sinister activities. As a compromise I'll spend no more than $10 a race, aka what the average bum spends daily on the Georgia sanctioned, divinely supported Georgia Lotto. So throw the kids in the car, you're going to the bank. And possibly McDonalds if its on the way.

Filly and Mare Sprint:
Let me say first that these 11 races are stacked as much as any I've ever seen and 90% of the horses running would be the 1st or 2nd choice in any Grade 1 event they entered. That being said, some are better than others. In the F&M Sprint I like the classy filly Dream Rush coming off back to back Grade 1 wins. The undefeated La Traviata, previously trained by the suspended Frenchman Patrick Biancone, to follow in second with the all or nothing mare Maryfield running a close third.

Dream Rush I'm sure of, the others I'm not.
2 $2 exactas with the 3 over the 4 and the 7
Total: $4

And we move to the
Breeder's Cup Juvenile Turf:
How did I miss that the same morons who brought you The Green Monkey also have an animal with a $2.5 million price tag named The Leopard. The Leopard will be soundly beaten by The Horse with a 9 on his saddlecloth named Prussian. This undefeated Billy Mott trained colt won a Grade 3 in his most recent and second ever start. Michael Tabor gets to watch The Leopard come home second, an experience it seems he actually can put a price on, and Michael Maker's Cherokee Triangle comes home third. Not that I feel bad for Tabor - who I havent forgiven for retiring Scat Daddy before his time. Don't need him though because I'm getting 3-1 on Prussian on the morning line.

How sure am I? Not very.
A conservative $5 to win and place on the 9
Total: $14

And we arrive at
The Dirt Mile:
Which might as well be named The Discreet Cat Fun Run. I have three sure fire locks for the weekend and The Cat is one of them. Unfortunately he's everyone elses as well and should be even money by the time he leaves the gate. Gottcha Gold runs second and I'm hoping Corinthian returns to form and comes home third. Let it be known that the 2, Lewis Michael, has the potential to show up to the party like a pimple on prom night and spoil my good time in second. I'm a pouter. Be prepared for this.

Side note: Do you ever feel like the horse that sneaks in late to break up your million dollar trifecta is laughing at you? If you utter the words aloud, "I'm fine as long as I can beat the 4," somone will invariably inform the 4 and your skip in the step jog to the IRS window turns into you being left with a piece of paper whose sole value is as a place to deposit your gum.

I dont think I'll be adding any additions to the house, but
2 $2 exactas with the 1 over the 6 and 8.

I'm fine as long as I can beat the 2.

Friday total: $18

Saturday picks to follow shortly

Breeder's Cup Picks Soon to Follow

But for now give me that horse on the lead.

My Fantasy Football Team Will Not Be Stopped

I Have...Dear God...A Plan

October is the best time of the year to be a sports fan. Baseball heads into the postseason, the NFL and college football both hit the midseason full stride, Nascar drives deep into the chase, the action on the hardwood heats up, and the horse racing eyes of the world turn to see the best of the best square off in the Breeder's Cup. Predictions in the works.

Its a beautiful thing but almost too much to fully appreciate at once. I hope you've seen your college football highlights by midnight Saturday because when you wake up on Sunday you have to watch Keyshawn Johnson pontificate on whether Deion Branch is making the impact he should in Seattle. I propose a couple solutions to ease the anxiety of the common fan.

1. Sportscenter needs to go regional. Sure sure, keep the flagship sailing on ESPN that covers all of it, but let the Deuce show an hour long show centered around the action in the southeast. I love college football, but I know I'm not going to hear any analysis on the Georgia - Vandy game for Mark May telling me why Oregon - Washington State is going to be the game of the week. Stop analyzing Notre Dame, Mark and Lou, they are irrelevant in the south. My southeastern show can still pay lip service to whats going on in the rest of America, baseball playoffs, Nascar, big matchups, but I want to spend more time on the Falcons, Titans, Jaguars, SEC, ACC and Southern Conference. I'd rather see some highlights from local college games I normally wouldnt than Montreal hockey highlights. There's just not enough time for all of it.

2. Treat Saturday morning college football like Sunday morning NFL. How are the networks missing out on this potential goldmine? Currently, ESPN's Gameday has the only show in town telling you how it is in college football. Tommy Tuberville is right, ESPN has a scary monopoly in the sport because they get to tell you what games and players are important and what games and players are not. For some rason if its the Saturday night ESPN game two mediocre teams become dark horse contenders. Spread the wealth. I want to see FOX and CBS start pregame shows. Get big name guys who know and love the college game and still have ties that compete with their NFL careers. Where are Bo Jackson and Herschel Walker? While many I know dont, I like Jesse Palmer covering the sport. He's a college guy, as is Doug Flutie who's back doing college games too. Go get the Champ Baileys, Joe Hamiltons, Woody Dantzlers, Keith Brookings when their playing days are over. Put David Pollack, Chad Lavalais, and Alex Brown in the back of the end zone with a microphone Tony Siragusa style. Spread out the college coverage, stop running the ball up the middle.

3. For God sakes put the horses on TV. Keeneland is running and I'm not a part of it. I cant handle this.

4. Just put the hockey highlights on the internet in the deep south. That's right, put the horses on TV and hockey on the internet. All its doing is taking away from the sports we care about down here. Those being football (college and pro), baseball, basketball (college and pro), and Nascar. Do you ever see hockey on in a sports bar when you're trying to watch something else? Does it make you angry? Me too.

5. ESPN needs to create Sportscenter Court TV. If an athlete is arrested, sued, going to jail, suing someone else or otherwise finding himself askew of the law it goes on Sportscenter Court TV, not on Sportscenter. Steirods included. I'm not sure if sports were played in August but I do know that Michael Vick is going to jail, a ref bet, and half the athletic world is juicing. This is a problem.

Off to check the Edmonton Oilers score...