The Dirt Mile – 2010 Breeders Cup Championship Picks

2010 Breeders’ Cup Race Preview- The Dirt Mile

The 2010 Breeders’ Cup will be run on November 5th and 6th from Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. This year’s Cup features 14 races over the two day period with 6 races scheduled for Friday and 8 races slated to run on Saturday.

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The Dirt Mile – Saturday November 6^th Post Time: 5:20 P.M. (EST)

The Dirt Mile is a weight for age race open to Thoroughbreds age 3 and up. It is contested on a dirt track at a distance of 1 mile with a total prize purse of $1,000,000. There are four automatic bids awarded from wins in a designated Challenge Race for this division and the rest of the field is determined by total points earned over the course of the racing season. The following is a look at a few of the favorites that are expected to run this race.

Crown of Thorns

This will be his second trip to the Breeders’ Cup after taking second in last year’s Sprint at Santa Anita. He does not have a stakes race victory this year, but a second place finish in the grade I $300,000 Pat O’Brian Stakes at Del Mar in August and a second place finish in the grade I $250,000 Goodwood Stakes at Hollywood Park on Oct. 2 makes him one of the top contenders for The Dirt Mile.

Here Comes Ben

This horse comes into The Dirt Mile on a four race winning streak including victories in the Kelly Landings Stakes at Churchill Downs in June and the grade I $250,000 Forego Stakes at Saratoga on Sept. 4. His stock continues to rise for this race after some impressive workouts the past few weeks at Keeneland. Trained by Charles Lopresti, Here Comes Ben is expected to have jockey Enrique Pacheco aboard for this race.

Vineyard Haven

For one reason or another, this horse never had a chance to race in a Triple Crown Event or a Breeders’ Cup, but has the pedigree and talent to be a legitimate contender for this year’s Dirt Mile. Earlier this year he won the non-graded $75,000 James Marvin Stakes at Saratoga. He followed that up with a solid third place finish in the grade I Forego Stakes this past September. He has two prior career victories in a graded stakes race.

Tizway

This horse cruised to a five-length victory over Jersey Town in the grade II $250,000 Kelso Stakes at Belmont in October, making this five-year old one of the top contenders for The Dirt Mile. This was his first stakes race win in five starts. He won an Optional Claiming race at Aqueduct earlier in the year and finished third in the grade I $500,000 Metropolitan Handicap at Belmont Park. He is trained by James Bond and is expected to be ridden by jockey Rajiv Maragh.

Predicted winner of the 2010 Dirt Mile: Crown of Thorns

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