CURLIN GOING BACK-TO-BACK?
Curlin is the heavy 2:1 favorite for the 25th Breeders’ Cup Classic as he tries to become just the second horse to win back-to-back Breeders’ Cup championships.
Curlin leads a very strong field of horses in Saturday’s $5 Million Classic that caps 14 races over a two-day period. You can see all the Sportsbook.com odds for the Breeders’ Cup Classic here.
Also, for a second year in a row, we are putting a quarter million dollars on the line for our Breeders’ Cup bettors to strive for.
Correctly pick the nine first place winners for Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup races and you can walk away with $250,000.00. There’s also a $5,000.00 guaranteed prize pool if no one predicts perfection.
The racing world did suffer a bit of a blow recently when it was announced that Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner, Big Brown would be permanently retired and forced into stud duty. A Curlin and Big Brown matchup would have generated even more interest in the sport.
Curlin won last year’s Classic at Monmouth Park in New Jersey by 4.5 lengths, but the track at Santa Anita, California will be his first time on a synthetic track. The conditions are expected to be excellent with sunshine and temperatures in the 80’s and his trainer Steve Asmussen seems content with the 9th post position that he drew.
“I didn’t want him to be on the extreme inside or extreme outside, and nine should be fine,” Asmussen said.
Undefeated Casino Drive (6:1) is the other big name in the race. He came over from Japan and was supposed to run in the Belmont Stakes in a showdown with Big Brown but was scratched to the disappointment of many. Casino Drive returned from a five month layoff and had an easy victory in a Santa Anita prep race on October 12th.
Another 6:1 horse is Colonel John, winner of the Santa Anita Derby and the $1 Million Travers. He’s also unbeaten at the Santa Anita track, a perfect three for three.
Finally, don’t discount the chances of three European horses; Duke of Marmalade (7:1), Henrythenavigator (7:1) and Raven’s Pass (7:1). Each was enticed to come to this race by the synthetic surface, especially Raven’s Pass trainer John Gosden.
“I wouldn’t be running in the Classic if it was still on the dirt,” Gosden said. “The problem with the dirt is not the surface you’re going on, it’s the kickback. European horses have never, ever, ever suffered kickback in their face. It will put you right out of your stride.”
