2009 Breeders' Cup Predictions

You may be wondering why a Breeders' Cup article is posted on an Eagles' Blog, but my father after being a die hard Eagles' season ticket holder for over 40 years was also huge horse racing fan and the Breeder Cup was one of his favorite events. So to kick off this huge sports weekend I thought I would post my Breeders' Cup Predictions for all you Eagles' Fans that are also a fan of the ponies:

Breeders’ Cup Winning Picks

The 2009 Breeders’ Cup will be run on November 6th and 7th from Santa Anita Racetrack in Arcadia, Ca. 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. The following is each race and my favorite to win.

The Marathon- Friday November 6th Post Time: 3:35 P.M. (EST)

Nite Light: A wire to wire win in the Group 3 Turfway Park Fall Championship in September earned him an automatic spot in this race. In early October he finished second in the Hawthorne Gold Cup.

The Juvenile Fillies Turf - Friday November 6th Post Time: 4:08 P.M. (EST)

Lisa’s Kitten: In September, she won her first race, a Maiden Special Weight race at Belmont. With a poor start, she rallied from last place with incredible closing speed to pull off the win.

The Juvenile Fillies - Friday November 6th Post Time: 4:45 P.M. (EST)

Blind Luck earned her automatic bid with a win in the Grade 1 Oak Leaf Stakes at Santa Anita in early October. She has two other first place wins this season in the Starter Allowance at Del Mar and in the Maiden Claiming at Calder.

The Filly and Mare Turf- Friday November 6th Post Time: 5:23 P.M. (EST)

Magical Fantasy earned her bid with a win in the Grade 1 Yellow Ribbon Stakes at Santa Anita. She has won her last four starts including another win at Santa Anita in the Santa Barbara Handicap back in April.

The Filly and Mare Sprint- Friday November 6th Post Time: 6:02 P.M. (EST)

Informed Decision: She earned the last automatic bid with a victory in the Grade 2 Thoroughbred of America Stakes at Keeneland a few weeks ago. She has won five of her six starts this season.

The Ladies Classic- Friday November 6th Post Time: 6:45 P.M. (EST)

Careless Jewel: She heads into this race with five victories in her last five starts including a win in the Alabama Stakes at Saratoga. Many experts believe she will be the horse to beat in the Ladies Classic.

The Juvenile Turf – Saturday November 7th Post Time: 1:45 P.M. (EST)

Interactif: In a dominating fashion, he won the Grade 3 Bourbon Stakes at Keeneland to gain his bid and making him an early favorite for this race. In his previous race he won the With Anticipation Stakes at Saratoga going off at 15-1.

The Turf Sprint – Saturday November 7th Post Time: 2:23 P.M. (EST)

California Flag: He earned a spot in the Turf Sprint with a win in the Grade 3 Morvich Handicap at Santa Anita. This horse is extremely fast out of the gate and if he gets an early lead he might run away from the field.

The Sprint – Saturday November 7th Post Time: 3:10 P.M. (EST)

Zensational: Back in early September he earned is automatic bid with a win in the Grade 1 Pat O’Brien at Del Mar. He has not raced since, but is considered to be the odds on favorite to win this race.

The Juvenile – Saturday November 7th Post Time: 3:49 P.M. (EST)

Lookin At Lucky: With a win in the Grade 1 Norfolk Stakes at Santa Anita he secured an automatic spot in this race. He has three other victories this season including a win in the Del Mar Futurity at Del Mar in September.

The Mile – Saturday November 7th Post Time: 4:28 P.M. (EST)

Cowboy Cal: He earned an automatic bid for the Mile with a win in the Grade 2 Oak Tree Mile at Santa Anita in mid October. He has now won three stakes races in a row at Santa Anita which should make him one of the favorites for this race.

The Dirt Mile – Saturday November 7th Post Time: 5:12 P.M. (EST)

Chocolate Candy: His big wins came early in the season at Golden Gate Fields in the California Derby and the El Camino Real Derby. Trainer Jerry Hollendorfer believes this horse will be better suited for the Dirt Mile, rather the Classic.

The Turf – Saturday November 7th Post Time: 5:57 P.M. (EST)

Precious Passion: He earned an automatic bid for the Turf by winning the United Nations Stakes at Monmouth Park. He most likely sprint into the lead from the gate and try to win by going wire to wire.

The Classic – Saturday November 7th Post Time: 6:45 P.M. (EST)

Zenyatta: This filly won the Breeders’ Cup Ladies Classic last year, but opted to run against the boys in this year’s Classic instead of defending her title. The 5 year old is currently undefeated in 13 previous starts, all against fillies and mares.