Breeders' Cup Preview

Believe in Belief - Shared Belief can win the Breeders' Cup Classic

With the loss of some big names, this year’s Breeders’ Cup has encountered similar problems to Ascot’s own Champions’ Day, however much like with that event we still look set for an incredible weekend of racing.

Time has conspired against me somewhat this week preventing me from going quite as in depth as I would like on every race – I did however get Mile and Juvenile previews up last week which you can view by clicking the respective links – so I’ll simply have to put up my fancies for the weekend and try to explain why I’ve backed them.

Starting on the Friday, and first up we have the Dirt Mile and Goldencents. Last year’s winner is my idea of the weekend’s banker and providing he can get out and get on to the lead from his draw in one then he should take some stopping once again.

His form this season might not look all that on paper but that doesn’t tell the whole story and he’s been running some mighty figures in defeat with legitimate excuses when coming up short.

Forget the controversy surrounding his trainer, it is essentially just a name change and nothing else, Goldencents can become yet another horse to back up at the Breeders’ Cup, and though not all out disastrous it will be a disappointing start to the weekend if he’s beaten.

Breeders' Cup Juvenile Preview

Better The Devil You Know - Daredevil is fancied to land the Juvenile

The Juvenile is one of my favourite races at the Breeders’ Cup meeting and this year’s race looks like being a classic with two very highly rated colts squaring off.

Bob Baffert’s American Pharaoh and Todd Pletcher’s Daredevil both look destined for big things and their showdown at Santa Anita will definitely be one to savour.

It’s the Pletcher colt I’m siding with though on the back of his effortless Champagne Stakes win at the beginning of the month at Belmont. The Champagne has become a really great guide to the Juvenile with, in the previous four years alone, Uncle Mo, Union Rags, Shanghai Bobby and Havana all winning the Champagne prior to then either winning or placing in the Juvenile.

Pletcher and Baffert both have good records in the Juvenile but at the prices Daredevil makes more appeal, even though his Champagne win came on a sloppy track, which obviously barring some freak weather he won’t get in California and of course Santa Anita is American Pharaoh’s own back yard.

Breeders’ Cup Mile Preview

Seek The Value - Seek Again has drifted to an enticing price in the UK

With the mighty Wise Dan out this year’s Breeders’ Cup Mile the race and the meeting itself has lost a bit of its magic.

However the Mile now looks ripe to try and exploit some value from, and after a bizarre and frankly ludicrous drift in the last few days the horse to do that with is Bill Mott’s Seek Again.

Generally around the 6/1 mark for a number of weeks, Seek Again has been inexplicably pushed out to 12/1 and bigger in places in the last 48 hours with several UK firms. There appears to be no real reason for this as he’s been working well on the east coast as he preps for the penultimate race on the Breeders’ Cup card, so now confirmed as an intended runner, and as arguably the leading hope for the home team, now seems a good time to back him as he will be half that price come the day.

Beaten in a photo in May on the Kentucky Derby undercard by Wise Dan, who prior to being ruled out was a 6/4 shot for the race, there seems little justification for Seek Again being eight times that price.