Breeder's Cup 2012 Preview

Wise Move - Wise Dan leads the American charge at the Breeder's Cup this weekend.

Regular readers will know I have more than keen interest in American racing so this weekend’s 29th Breeder’s Cup is like Christmas come early for me.

On Friday and Saturday the 2nd and 3rd of November the top horses in North America, and some of the best horses from around the world, will descend on the beautiful Santa Anita Park racetrack in California for the annual thoroughbred World Championships.

Over the years the Breeder’s Cup has given some fantastic, unforgettable and iconic moments and the coverage of this spectacular event really is second to none. This year’s Breeder’s Cup looks set to be another incredible instalment with some of the world’s best race horses set to battle it out round the turns of Santa Anita.

The British & Irish challenge is typically strong but with Longchamp’s Arc meeting and Champions Day so close to the American racing showpiece the transatlantic raiding party is no longer quite what it used to be. Although we have some of our best in this year’s raiding party, 2012 looks to me to be a year where the home team will dominate proceedings.

Chantal Sutherland Jocked Off Game On Dude

Game Over - Chantal Sutherland has lost the ride on Game On Dude

In a bit of a sad, but not all that surprising announcement it’s been revealed that America’s golden girl of Racing Chantal Sutherland has lost the ride on Breeder’s Cup Classic favourite Game On Dude.

Bob Baffert’s star horse will now be ridden by Rafael Bejarano as the Baffert team bid to go one better than last year and land the Classic in their own backyard.

Sutherland was widely criticised for her ride on Game On Dude in last month’s Pacific Classic as she dropped a rein in the closing moments of the race and ended up getting collared by Dullahan.

There were many commenting in the aftermath of that race that she’d lose the ride as a result and those views have been proven correct now.

Baffert is quoted as saying "Rafael is our main rider and we wanted to have our number one rider on our number one horses. With the big fall races coming up, we just felt comfortable having Rafael on Game On Dude” as a way of explanation for the change.

Sutherland has already tweeted “I am sad I have lost the opportunity to ride the "Dude"...I'm sure he will continue to be the champion I know him to be” so is clearly disappointed to have lost the ride on her flagship mount.

Game On Dude is unbeaten in four starts at Santa Anita, home to this year’s Breeder’s Cup, and looks to hold an outstanding chance in an open year of atoning for his narrow second to Drosselmeyer last year, even more so now with one of North America’s top jockeys on board.

Breeder’s Cup Classic 2012 Odds

Game On - Breeder's Cup Classic prices are out and Pacific Classic 1-2 Dullahan and Game On Dude are both prominent in the market.

William Hill have become the first bookie to price up the 2012 Breeder’s Cup Classic this afternoon; and they deserve praise for doing so.

The race has lost some of it’s strength this year with so many of this year’s top US three-year-olds already in retirement and the world’s greatest horse Frankel snubbing it; but while The Breeder’s Cup may have lost some of its appeal in some quarters on these shores, especially with the introduction of Champion’s Day, it remains one of the highlights of the season for me and this year’s renewal looks like being a cracking, and open, race.

My fancy for the race has been Game On Dude for quite some time and that hasn’t wavered in spite of his ½ length loss to Dullahan in last weekend’s Pacific Classic at Del Mar.

Last year’s second must have a great chance of gaining compensation for his narrow defeat twelve months ago with the Breeder’s Cup now switched back to his backyard of Santa Anita.

Hills obviously share those sentiments as they have put him in as the 7/1 favourite, with Triple Crown chasing Camelot in just behind at 8/1 – will Ballydoyle risk their star across the Atlantic once the Triple Crown bid is put to bed? You’d have to think they’d fancy their chances in an open year but with or without the added interest of a UK or Irish runner the Breeder’s Cup Classic looks like being another great race.

Breeder’s Cup Classic 2012 – Selected Odds (William Hill):

Game On Dude 7/1

Camelot 8/1

Fort Larned 8/1

Ron The Greek 8/1

Dullahan 10/1

Wise Dan 10/1

Mucho Macho Man 12/1

Alpha 16/1

Imperial Monarch 16/1

Richards Kid 20/1

Flat Out 25/1

To Honor And Serve 25/1

Game On Dude Wins Hollywood Gold Cup

Last year’s Breeder’s Cup Classic 2nd Game On Dude booked a berth in this year’s renewal with a brilliant performance in the Hollywood Gold Cup last night at Betfair Hollywood Park.

In landing the $500,000 prize, Shergar Cup-bound jockey Chantal Sutherland became the first female jockey to win the Hollywood Gold Cup and continues to show, like her British counterpart Hayley Turner, that she’s more than capable of mix it with the men in the big races.

Game On Dude was second in this race last year in a 1-2 for trainer Bob Baffert, this time though in the 73rd running of the race Game On Dude went one better with a typically gutsy front-running display, fending off a challenge in the straight from stable mate Richard’s Kid under an almost motionless Sutherland to once again register a 1-2 in the race for Baffert.

Game On Dude went down by just a nose last year but this time around it was a comfortable 1 ½ length win for the big horse. The win was Game On Dude’s third Grade 1 in the last 16 months and was a performance more in tune with what the five-year-old colt is really capable of than his disappointing run at Meydan in the Dubai World Cup back in March was when nothing went right for him at all.

With a spot in the showpiece of Breeder’s Cup weekend now guaranteed, if he performs like this come November Game On Dude could be going one better than last year in that race too.

You can watch Game On Dude's brilliant Hollywood Gold Cup win below: