SCOTIA ON BREEDERS CUP WEEKEND!

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Good morning to the CLAN and hope you are fit and well.

Its the Breeders Cup this weekend and some great racing, we will just have to ensure we keep awake on what could be a couple of long days.

I just want to touch on a few of the runners, not tips just a mention.

On the 24th the BC fm sprint, watch out for Indian Blessing.
In addition Stardom Bound in the BC juv fillies, we have the O'Brien runner Halfway to Heaven in the BC fm turf, and the best bet on the evening should be Zenyatta the banker in the BC ladies.

The Sat, should be magic, with Sixties Icon in the BC marathon, the BC turf sprint has Fleeting Spirit, the BC dirt mile, Well Armed and in the BC mile Goldikova.
BC turf we have the MDK runner Eagle Mountain bumping Soldier of Fortune, Conduit and Red Rocks and nothing to say Mike cant pull off another achievement in his superb career.

Last but not least is the BC Classic, where I think Curlin will be very difficult to beat and at 5/2 is a good price, O'Brien is having a full go with Henry and the Duke, not to forget Casino Drive on what should be a "Classic".

Down under, where a very open Cox Plate is run this weekend, Princess Coup and Samantha Miss are joint favs, but I prefer Zipping. The Melbourne Cup is run on the 4th, Nov. when Australia stops! Septimus is now 9/2 from 7/1 and the dangers are Mad Rush and Efficient.

Just want to touch on the amazing competition for the table at the Summer Cup, the selections have left me speechless (which is not easy), we had a few 14/1 and 16/1 selections that came home smoking, then a 40/1 winner, and now a 50/1 winner!! and the competition is still wide open ! Its never too late to start and I have the feeling we are going to the wire with this one. I did start to write this last night and the STOP PRESS, is that our leader POWEROFONE, has just taken a 33/1 shot to follow on his 50/1 yesterday, you must be hungry my man, well done! Remember these tipsters are only selecting one horse per day!

I am also glad to announce that INTERBET have donated a computer to the A.B.C box at Turffontien with full free Internet access, to allow our visitors to have everything at their fingertips, in addition a few goodies for new punters opening accounts. So get on line and get the best prices on offer via INTERBET.

Finally would like to mention we have 8 days left in October, but at this stage, we have broken all previous records for visitors to the site with a bumper month, thanks again for the support and your valuable contributions to the Forum.

Hope to see you at the big "T" on Saturday.

Good punting and may your God be with you.

scotia

As a point of interest, former local runner JAZZY(Arg) is entered in the BC, the F&M sprint, I think.

5/2 does sound like a good price on Curlin, I agree (without having look closely at the field though).

As for the competition, it's been quite amazing. After a poor start, I'm doing okay but if it was real betting I'd only be just about breaking even. Following up a 50/1 shot with a 33/1 shot the next day is incredible.

Morning scotia, have you any idea if these races will be shown on teletrack and if there will be local betting?

Morning Hermes, I am sure tellytrack will show and you can bet on Interbet, request your own prices using a site like ladbrookes or betfair as a benchmark, but will get you some betting and post.

scotia

Thanks

This is from odds checker and the best prices on offer for tonight.


20:35 Breeders Cup Fillies and Mares Sprint - Win Market
Best Odds: Indian Blessing (5/2) , Ventura (5) , Intangaroo (6) , Zaftig ( , Dearest Trickski (14) , Lady Sprinter (16) - Others 25 or more
%: 105%
Non Runners: None (All 14 Run)
Bookmakers:
Bet 365 Betfred Blue Square Paddy Power 888sport Ladbrokes William Hill Betfair Betdaq

21:15 Breeders Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf - Win Market
Best Odds: Laragh (4) , Consequence (7) , C Karma ( , Maram ( , Renda (10) , Freedom Rings (12) - Others 12 or more
%: 108%
Non Runners: None (All 14 Run)
Bookmakers:
Bet 365 Betfred Blue Square Paddy Power 888sport Ladbrokes William Hill Betfair Betdaq

21:55 Breeders Cup Juvenile Fillies - Win Market
Best Odds: Stardom Bound (6/4) , Sky Diva (5) , Dream Empress (9) , Pursuit of Glory (12) , C S Silk (14) , Doremifasollatido (16) - Others 20 or more
%: 109%
Non Runners: None (All 13 Run)
Bookmakers:
Bet 365 Betfred Blue Square Paddy Power 888sport Ladbrokes William Hill Betfair Betdaq

22:35 Breeders Cup Fillies and Mares Turf - Win Market
Best Odds: Halfway to Heaven (4) , Wait a While (9/2) , Forever Together (11/2) , Mauralakana (7) , Dynaforce (10) , Folk Opera (11) - Others 12 or more
%: 107%
Non Runners: None (All 10 Run)
Bookmakers:
Bet 365 Betfred Blue Square Paddy Power 888sport Ladbrokes William Hill Betfair Betdaq

23:15 Breeders Cup Ladies Classic - Win Market
Best Odds: Zenyatta (8/11) , Carriage Trail ( , Cocoa Beach ( , Music Note ( , Ginger Punch (12) , Hystericalady (16) - Others 33 or more
%: 110%
Non Runners: None (All 8 Run)
Bookmakers:
Bet 365 Betfred Victor Chandler Blue Square Paddy Power 888sport Ladbrokes William Hill Betfair Betdaq

Here's a link to a good formguide, much better than the cut down one from saftote.com.

www.equibase.com/bcup2008/oerp/08bcuptv-all.pdf

Having a quick look through those odds compared with the US morning line forecast, there could be some value about Saucey Evening in the Juv Fillies Turf (9/2 vs 12/1+) and Ginger Punch in the Ladies Classic (9/2 vs 12/1).

To MDK , Kevin Shea and Shake Mo all the best. Lets hope some major news medium in SA picks this up no matter where the horse runs.

Breeders' Cup Preview from Oddschecker.com


Friday 24th October

The Breeders' Cup is back, bloated up to 2 full days, and everyone will be keen to erase the memory of last year at Monmouth Park. The 'dirt' races are now run on Pro-Ride, which by all accounts is a halfway house between dirt and grass. In theory this should benefit the European challengers in the battle for transatlantic bragging rights.


11:00 Breeders' Cup Turf
Usually a European gimme, but with more horses trained for the race the Americans have held their own in recent years. The market will often disregard the home challengers and only Grand Couturier is given any respect after a ten length drubbing of a few hounds at Belmont last month. He is a smart horse on his day, but at the age of five is clearly no superstar and should find the international turf warriors too much. Soldier Of Fortune has had a light campaign, and his supposed preference for a long layoff between races makes little sense considering his best performance by far came in last year's Irish Derby, 4 weeks after Epsom. What worries me is a lack of gears, and although a repeat of much of his form could be good enough to score, he always seems vulnerable on a fast surface and to any kind of turn of foot.

Many would have you believe St. Leger winner Conduit has enough pace to handle the drop back in trip, but year after year people come out with that old chestnut and it never holds up. If a horse runs in the St. Leger it is because stamina is its forte, and that isn't enough to win a race of this calibre. I feel compelled to also mention that Conduit's Leger was run on soft ground where they went like a bat out of hell and finished strung out like it was the Eider Chase. I'm not sure southern LA has much in common with Doncaster, at least climate-wise. 2006 winner Red Rocks is everything Robbie Williams would love to be, as all his triumphs have come Stateside while cutting no ice on this side of the Atlantic. He now somehow has a win over Curlin on his CV, and for all the horse has been in the right race at the right time, he is no High Chaparral and doesn’t deserve to win this; grounds of "justice" are enough to dismiss his chances.

After rinsing the chances of the market leaders, we get to Eagle Mountain, the first Breeders' Cup representative of South African master trainer Mike de Kock. He was formerly with Aiden O'Brien, and finished runner up in last year's Derby. Some questioned his resolution on later starts, but this could not be faulted when breaking the Newbury mile track record three weeks ago. This wasn't initially the plan, but has proven too good an opportunity to miss given that he stays 12 furlongs, and against a bunch of plodders I expect him to blitz away. The word bounce could be mentioned but that is an inexact science and there is no reason why this hardy colt shouldn't come on again.

Oddschecker Prediction:
3pts win Eagle Mountain @ 6/1


11:45 Breeders' Cup Classic
The Classic is always one of the biggest and most intriguing races of the year, and this is no exception. Very few European champions have taken to the dirt so the switch to an artificial surface offers only encouragement that one of the raiding party can emulate 133/1 shot Arcangues, who silenced the Santa Anita crowd in 1993.

Aidan O'Brien has seen many of his top horses flounder on the dirt since Giant's Causeway came so close in 2000, and although it's a commercial decision to run both Henrythenavigator and Duke Of Marmalade they offer Ballydoyle's strongest attack on the race yet. On their best form either would go very close, and the main factor to consider is whether a long hard season has caught up. The Duke certainly seemed jaded when seventh in the Arc, and the excuses of a slow pace don't really fly. Whatever happens, he has nothing left to prove after a great season, and Murtagh must ride him prominently to let the others play catch-up and hope the old warrior is ready for one last battle.

Henry has different attributes, as a more nimble and fleet-footed colt, and should be at home in the California conditions. What worries me is that Raven's Pass beat him fairly in the QE2, and I can't see a way back for the dual Guineas winner. Raven's is a more imposing colt who seems to be still improving, and based on breeding should be at home on this surface. Their head-to-head clashes this year have all seen Raven's going on at the finish, and I think the 10 furlong trip will suit him.

Raven's Pass appeals as the best Euro challenger, but will have to go some to beat the mighty Curlin, who is the richest horse in US history and armed with a deeply impressive racing record. Connections have been spouting all year how this race was not the priority, but he lines up bidding to emulate Tiznow as a dual winner. A defeat by Red Rocks on turf doesn't auger well for the surface change, however, and this race will be nothing like last year’s abomination. I'm willing to take him on and salute a true champion if he triumphs. Colonel John has proven course form and looks best of the other Americans, while Japanese colt Casino Drive is very inexperienced for a race like this.

John Gosden's move to run champion sprinter Oasis Dream in the Mile here in 2003 didn't pay off, but I have a feeling he and his Raven will be the toast of California come Saturday night.

Oddschecker Prediction:
2pts win Raven's Pass @ 17/2

Good evening just home and watching the racing "Trevor Denman" calling the races, nothing wrong, good punting!

Jazzy ran 8th, beaten 12 lengths. She is a stretch runner who confused her rider by breaking on time. She ran evenly. The 7 furlongs was a furlong too far. She is being sold next week at public auction in Kentucky and should sell extremely well based on her form (Grade 2 winner at Belmont Park) and conformation (she is an awesome physical specimen).