Early Breeders Cup Selections

Sprint: My early pick for the Breeders Cup Sprint will be Street Boss. He has been nearly unstoppable since he rolled on to the stakes scene in May. His latest victory in Bing Crosby was nothing short of awe inspiring. He came from last and went to the parking lot in the process, and STILL flattened the field. He will have no shortage of competition to overcome. Benny The Bull has showed no signs of slowing down, and Fabulous Strike is sharp as ever. It wont be easy, but I think Street Boss will show everyone who the boss is in the Breeders Cup Sprint.

Ladies Classic: This is without a doubt the most competitive division at the moment. With the likes of Music Note, Proud Spell, Hystericalady, Zenyetta and defending champ Ginger Punch vying for the win there is no shortage of talent. I am going to go with the undefeated Zenyetta as my early selection. She has already defeated Ginger Punch and will have home field advantage working for her. Any the fillies I mentioned could do it.

Classic: My pick here might surprise you. No, I don’t think Curlin will take this one, and no I don’t like Big Brown either.  I’m going to go with Divine Park to win the Breeders Cup Classic instead. He has been a different horse since laying off the pace, and counts the Metropolitan Mile as his best win this year. He will be meeting up with Curlin in the Woodward on August 30th. Don’t get me wrong, Curlin is probably the better horse at the moment, but there is no guarantee he will even be in the race. As for Big Brown, I believe he is overrated.

Turf: Einstein is having the best year of his career. His most notable wins this year came in the Woodford Reserve Turf Classic, and the Gulfstream Park Turf Stakes, both Grade 1 events. He will be my early pick to win the Breeders Cup Turf. His best challenger will probably be former winner Red Rocks. Though he hasn’t been very successful in Europe, he is highly contentious in the United States. Einstein’s next start will come in the Arlington Million, while Red Rocks is aiming for the Sword Dancer Invitational.

Mile: It’s going to be hard to wrest the title from Kip Deville. He hasn’t seen much activity this year, but he owns  a win in the Grade 1 Makers Mark Mile. I like his chances of defending his title in the Breeders Cup Mile. The most likely horse to pull off an upset is Daytona. Minus his last start in the American Handicap, Daytona has been virtually unstoppable. He has wins in the Shoemaker Mile, and the Arcadia Handicap this year.