2009 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf

A full field of 12 2 years old are entered of this year Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf, a race that favorite the European runners.

Post Horse Jockey Trainer Odds
1. Zip Quik Mike Smith Patrick Biancone 50-1
2. Viscount Nelson John Murtagh Aidan O'Brien 6-1
3. Codoy Garrett Gomez Mark Hubley 15-1
4. Pounced Frankie Dettori John Gosden 9-2
5. Gallant Gent Joel Rosario Craig Lewis 30-1
6. Awesome Act Ryan Moore Jeremy Noseda 20-1
7. Bridgetown Robert Landry Kenneth McPeek 8-1
8. King Ledley Rafael Bejarano Darrin Miller 20-1
9. Kera's Kitten Rajiv Maragh Michael Maker 12-1
10. Becky's Kitten Julien Leparoux Wesley Ward 12-1
11. Interactif Kent Desormeaux Todd Pletcher 4-1
12. Buzzword Ahmed Ajtebi Saeed bid Suroor 6-1

My top pick is the European invader #4 Pounced. Pounced finished 2nd in a group 1 in his last start and beaten only by 1/2 length. He had showed early speed and is prime for mild upset at 4-1. The same jockey and trainer combo also won this race last year.

#12 Buzzword is the most experienced starter with 8 start already this year. He finished 3rd behind Pounced 2 start back and then ran 5th in the G1 Dewhurst stakes. If he can repeat those form, I expected a 1-2 Euro finish in this race.

#5 Gallant Glen is my longshot of the race. Gallant Glen finished 3rd in the Norfolk G1 in his last start over the pro-ride surface and this will be his first try over the turf. Gallant Glen has been very consistent in his 5 starts, he has a record of 3-1-1. Al thought there is very little turf in his pedigree but if he can transform his pro-ride form over to turf. He can surprise with long odds.

The mornign line favorite #11 Interactif is the probably the best 2 years old turf horse in American. I also like the late running #3 Codoy in my exotic wagers.

2009 Breeders' Cup Ladies Classic

Even without Zenyatta, this year's ladies Classic is shaping up to be an excellent race with a strong field.

Post Horse Jockey Trainer Odds
1. Careless Jewel Robert Landry Josie Carroll 2-1
2. Life is Sweet Garrett Gomez John Shirreffs 8-1
3. Mushka Kent Desormeaux William Mott 12-1
4. Lethal Heat Alex Solis Barry Abrams 20-1
5. Proviso John Velazquez Robert Frankel 8-1
6. Cocoa Beach Richard Migliore Saeed bin Suroor 8-1
7. Music Note Rajiv Maragh Saeed bin Suroor 9-5
8. Rainbow View Julien Leparoux John Gosden 6-1

#2 Life is Sweet is the forgotten horse in this year's Lady Classic. She has been a disapponitment after winning 3 in a row in Spring this year. She only managed to finish 4th in her last 2 races but both time were beaten by Zenyatta. After taking a closer look at her past performance, I noticed there is alot going for her in this race. Life is Sweet is 2 for 2 at the 1 1/8 M distance, she is also 3 for 4 at Santa Anita. Life is sweet is training well in the morning after her last race. If she can ran back to her Spring form, she will be in the top 3 at the finish.

There is a lot of reasons to like #1 Careless Jewel, she is Canadian own, train and will be ridden by a Canadian jockey. Careless Jewel had won 5 in a row coming into the Lady Classic and is the 2nd best 3 year old filly in North American behind Rachel Alexandra. I am not crazy about the 1 hole and would like to see a better odds than 2-1 in this very competitve field.

I don't understand how #4 Lethal Heat is listed as 20-1 on the ML. Lethal Heat is winless in 7 starts this years but she owns 3 2nd and 3 3rd place finished. She finished 2nd to Zenyatta in her last race and she loves the pro-ride surface. Lethal Heat may not be good enough to win this race, but she is a must use on all exotic wagers.

#7 Music Note is the stronger of the Godolphin entries and is in the best form of her career. She own the best beyers in this field and had won her last 2 with a combine of 7.5 length. If she can handle the pro-ride surface, everyone is running for 2nd money.

2009 Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint

The defending champ Ventura looks like the horse to beat in this year Filly & Mare Sprint.

Post Horse Jockey Trainer Odds
1. Free Flying Soul Mike Smith Bruce Headley 50-1
2. Sara Louise Frankie Dettori Saeed bin Suroor 9-2
3. Game Face Edgar Prado Todd Pletcher 10-1
4. Only Green Olivier Peslier Freddy Head 20-1
5. Silver Swallow Alex Solis Bruce Headley 30-1
6. Evita Argentina Joel Rosario John Sadler 20-1
7. Informed Decision Julian Leparoux Jonathon Sheppard 5-2
8. Seventh Street Rajiv Maragh Saeed bin Suroor 4-1
9. Ventura Garrett Gomez Bobby Frankel 8-5

I hate to go against Ventura, she seem to be the luck of the day. She burned me last year in the Filly & Mare Sprint and then in the Woodbine Mile. A lot of attention will be on the synthetic specialist Informed Decision and the Godolphin duo, but I just don't see how anyone can beat Ventura. She dominated last year's race by defeating Indian Blessing by 4 length, she is 2 for 2 at Santa Anita. The outside post is going help her to save ground early. The only concern is the pace may not be as hot as last year. She will be my single on all tickets.

Top complete the bottom of my Tri tickets, I like #2 Sara Louise, #5 Silver Swallow, #6, Evita Argentina, #7 Informed Decision and #8 Seventh Street.

2009 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies

Another even matched field of 12 fillies are set for the Juvenile Fillies.

Post Horse Jockey Trainer Odds
1. Zilva Jeremy Rose Graham Motion 30-1
2. Ms Vanenzza J. Rocco, Jr. Juan Vasquez 30-1
3. Blind Luck Tyler Baze Jerry Hollendorfer 3-1
4. Beautician Robby Albarado Ken McPeek 6-1
5. Bickersons Joel Rosario Kelly Breen20-1
6. Connie and Michael Desormeaux Ken McPeek 4-1
7. Devil May Care John Velazquez Todd Pletcher 8-1
8. She be Wild Julien Leparoux Wayne Catalano 8-1
9. Champagne d'Oro Martin Garcia John Daley 50-1
10. Negligee Rajiv Maragh John Terranova II 6-1
11. Always a Priness Garrett Gomez Bob Baffert 6-1
12. Biofuel Eurico Da Silva Reade Baker 15-1

I am not a big fan of handicaping 2 years old races, they can be very unpredictable. This year's Juvenile fillies is no difference, especially most of them are lightly raced. My picks are #8 She be Wild, #10 Negligee, #5 Bickersons and #3 Blind Luck.

She be wild is 1/2 length away from being undefeated in 4 career start. She is proven on the synthetic surface and is very consistent. Her final workout on 10/30 at 5f for 1:00 1/5s was very impressive. I think she will move forward from her last race and at 8-1ML, she is my top choice for this race.

Negliee was the only filly to defeated my top choice She be wild in her last start. She is also proven on the synthetic surface with a 2-1 record in 3 starts. She should be saving group early with the outside post and closing strongly in the stretch. A strong pace will benefit her tomorrow.

Bickersons is my longshot of the race. She had placed in 3 G1 races and is experienced with the pro-ride surface. She been training very well at Santa Anita in the morning and prime for a big effort. At 20-1, she can really light up the tote board.

Blink Luck had done nothing wrong in her 4 race career with a 3-1-0 record. She won her last race the Oak leaf convincingly with 2 1/4 length. She is a must use all all exacta and trifecta tickets.

2009 Breeder's Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf

A evenly matched field of 12 fillies is set to for this year's Breeder's Cup Juvenile Turf. It is not surprised to see the Group/graded stakes winner Lillie Langtry was made the morning line favorite in a relative weak field.


PP Horse Jockey Trainer ML
1 Potostina J. Velazquez Shuman 20-1
2 Elusive Galaxy Bejarano Cecil 12-1
3 Smart Seattle Rose Motion 8-1
4 Rose Catherine Castellano Pletcher 8-1
5 La Nez Smith Kruljac 20-1
6 Jungle Tale Bridgmohan Asmussen 15-1
7 House of Grace Luzzi McPeek 4-1
8 Lillie Langtry Murtagh O'Brien 3-1
9 Hatheer Gracia McLaughlin 10-1
10 Tapitsfly Albarado Romans 8-1
11 Junia Tepzia Fallon Schiergen 8-1
12 Lisa's Kitten Leparoux Marker 12-1


There isn't any standout in this years field and the horses I like are #7 House of Grace, #10 Tapitsfly, #8 Lillie Langtry and #6 Jungle Tale.


House of Grace is lightly raced and she is also unbeaten in 2 career starts. Her running style is prefect for this race as there will be a lot of speed up front. The post 7 will help her save ground in the early going and she will picking up the pieces at the stretch. She is 1 for 1 on turf and she won her other race on the synthetic surface after it got race off the turf. Assuming she can handle the turf course at Santa Anita, she will be very tough to beat.

Tapitsfly is 1 for 1 on turf and finished 2nd in her last race after it was taken off turf. Her last work on the 10/31 at 5f for 1:00 3/5 was very impressive. Her post should help her since most of the speed are inside of her. If she can get the lead at the top of the stretch, she will be hard to beat.

As mentioned earlier, Lillie Langtry is the ONLY group/graded stakes winner in the field. This will be her first try over 7f but this closer should have no problem handle the added distance. If I can close to the 3-1 ML, i will key her in my exacta and trifecta tickets.

For the longshot of the race, I like Woodbine based Jungle Tale. She ran greenly when 2nd in the Natalma, a more professional effort could land her in the top 3.

2009 Breeders' Cup Marathon

The Breeders' Cup Marathon will be the first Breeders Cup race to kickoff the champion weekend at Santa Anita. The distance for this year's Marathon is at 1 3/4M, 1/4M longer than last year when the race was run for the first time.

Post Horse Jockey Trainer Odds
1. Black Astor Alex Solis Lisa Lewis 12-1
2. Muhannak Ryan Moore Richard Pegum 12-1
3. Nite Light John Velazquez Todd Pletcher 4-1
4. Cloudy's Knight R. Homeister Jr. Jonathan Sheppard 8-1
5. Father Time Eddie Ahern Henry Cecil 3-1
6. Mastery Frankie Dettori Saeed bin Suroor 9-5
7. Sir Dave Joel Rosario Jack Carava 20-1
8. Eldaafer Rafael Bejarano Diane Alvarado 30-1
9. Man of Iron John Murtagh Aidan P. O'Brien 8-1
10. Gangbuster Kent Desormeaux J. Keith Desormeaux 30-1

When it comes to distance racing, the European hold a big advantage over the American. My top choice is #9 Man of Iron. Man of Iron is a half-brother of 2 Belmont stakes winners (Rag to riches and Jazil) and the Giant's Causeway colt is bred to run all day. Man of Iron had won last 2 of 3 races and all of them are on synthetic surface. The Marathon is a major class jump for him but I think he will be the one that breaks O'Brien 28-race losing streak in the Breeders Cup.

The next 2 horses that I like are the only G1 winner in the field, #6 Mastery and #4 Cloudy's Knight. Mastery won the St Leger stakes in his last race and is most likely the odd-on favorite for the Marathon. The St Leger was run at a similar distance as the Marathon and Mastery should the distance as it also owns a 3rd in the 2M Queen Vase back in June this summer.

Cloudy's Knight is a 9 years old gelding that is making his 3rd starts in the Marathon after a year off. His trainer Sheppard is a master of handle long distance turf horses. Cloudy's Knight won both of his comeback races at the 1 1/2M on turf and his Beyer shows him belong with the top contenders.

My longshot of the race is #8 Eldaafer. If you throw out his last race, he actually hasn't been that bad. He beat Nite Light in the Brooklyn back in June and fast pace should help him. I think he is more effective coming off the pace than being too close up front. At 30-1, he can light up the tote board.

2009 Princess Rooney Handicap

I had been playing the DRF.com Race of the day for the last week and the result is surprisingly positive. I had hit the the Trifacta for both Sunday and Wednesday and I will try my luck at tomorrow's Princess Rooney Handicap.

PP Horse Jockey ML
1 Jessica is Back Lopez 12-1
2 Orinoquia Nunez 20-1
3 Indian Blessing Smith 5-2
4 B R's Girl Santiago 8-1
5 Pious Ashley Bridgmohan 12-1
6 Game Face Prado 3-1
7 Keep the Peace Cruz 6-1
8 Dubai Majesty Theriot 5-1
9 Marina Ballerina Lezcano 6-1

Nine horses entered for the 6F Princess Rooney but only eight will start tomorrow. The morning line favorite Indian Blessing is out and the race is wide open. I will pick 2 key horses for the top of my tri tickets and then find 5 horses to fill out the bottom. This is my favorite tri bet and I had done well over the years.

My 2 key horses are Dubai Majesty and Jessica is Back. Dubai Majesty won the Winning Colors at ChurchChill in her last start and she had ran four 90+ beyers in a row. Dubia Majesty love the 6f distance and she spotted a 4-3-0 record in 8 starts. At post 8, I don't see her getting the lead tomorrow, but she can be in a good stalking position. She had been pointing at this race since her last race back in May 25 and she had been training very well in the morning. She is my top choice.

My 2nd key horse Jessica is Back is a longshot in the field. She ran a career best 99 beyers in her last race while finished 2nd to Marina Ballerina. Marina Ballerina drew the outside post and put her in a major disadvantage. Jessica is Back was claimed 3 starts back for 50k and this will be a major class jump. Her trainier Wolfson has 3 horses in the field and her regular rider Bridgmohan choose to ride stablemate Pious Ashley worries me. But then again, you don't get 12-1 longshot if everything is prefect. I like Jessica is Back's record at Calder, 12-4-4-0. She also spots a 15-3-5-1 record at the distance.

The 2 horses that I will left off my tickets are Orinoquia and B R's Girl. Orinoquia is just too slow against this group and had never ran a 90+ beyers. B R's Girl will be closing from the back but 6f is just too short for her.