POOLE, DORSET -- The build up to the Breeders' Cup weekend is well and truly underway as anticipation increases for the first race on November 5th at Churchill Downs, Kentucky. The 'World Series of Horse Racing' will witness some of the greatest horses of all time compete over two days of thrilling racing, and there is always the added competition of America versus Europe, as people compare the performances of the American and European horses race by race and reverse the recent Ryder Cup defeat at the hands of the Europeans. With prize money for each race varying between $500,000 and $5 million there is plenty at stake.
The highlight of Fridays's racing will no doubt be the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare turf race for three year olds and above. All talk will centre around the British horse Midday who is trained by the legendary Henry Cecil, and the UK Online Bookmakers are backing her to do the business come race day. She enjoyed success in 2009 in this 1 ¼ mile race by beating Pure Clan by a length to claim victory and a cool $2 million prize purse. This time around she will be up against some of the best America has to offer, but nobody comes close to matching her career record and form, and it looks like it will take something special to stop Midday claiming a second consecutive win in the Breeders' Cup Filly and Turf.
On Saturday the racing will step up a notch further as all eyes focus on some of the greats of horse racing and some potentially record breaking performances. The first of these eye-catching races is the Breeders' Cup Mile, which could witness history in the making as the Irish mare Goldikova attempts to claim a sensational and unprecedented third consecutive victory in the race. Last year she pulled off a quite remarkable performance to come from second last for most of the race to storm to victory, and only missed out on a world record time by 0.8 seconds. Her form heading into the race has been good after winning last time out at Longchamp and the bookmakers make her an overwhelming favourite. Meanwhile another British horse hoping to upset the odds and form is Paco Boy, who finished second to Goldikova at Longchamp on soft ground, and is currently second favourite in the betting with UK online bookie Ladbrokes who are offering a £25 Free Bet for home customers.
Another major race where the Europeans have a great chance of winning is the Breeders' Cup Turf with Workforce being made the clear favourite by the online bookmakers. The 2010 Epsom Derby and Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner is looking for a maiden Breeders' Cup win following a quite brilliant year. The British horse stormed to victory by seven lengths at Epsom, but things were a bit tighter in the Arc but he still claimed glory by a head. The three-year-old bay colt is trained by a Breeders' Cup legend in the form of Sir Michael Stoute, who has the remarkable record of having trained four Breeders' Cup Turf winners since 1996. He will be hoping for a fifth in a race that has treated him so well in the past, although he has said that Workforce will only run if the ground isn't too firm at Churchill Downs. One of those hoping to overcome Workforce is the French horse Behkabad. The French horse lost out to Workforce at the Prix de l'Arc de triomphe and most recently at Longchamp, and he will need to produce something special to overhaul Workforce here. While Dangerous Midge leads the American hopefuls in the eyes of the Bookmakers, and his trainer Brian Meehan has warned that his horse is not to be underestimated.
The highlight and final race of the weekend will be the Breeders' Cup Classic which should live up to its name as it promises drama and the potential for history to be made. The Classic is the pinnacle of the US Season with this year's field dominated by American horses, and the name of one horse will be on the lips of racing enthusiasts the world over. Zenyatta. The 2009 champion is not only attempting to win the Classic for a second year, but is also attempting to make it an amazing 20 career wins from 20 race starts. She will already go down as a legend in thoroughbred horse racing, but one horse who the bookmakers fancy to ruin her perfect record is joint favourite Lookin at Lucky. Zenyatta's fellow American has had an excellent 2010, and the three-year-old won the American Classic Preakness Stakes race, so goes into the Breeders' Cup Classic in fine form. It should be a 'Classic' as the youthful Lookin at Lucky goes head-to-head with the experienced Zenyatta in the climax race of the 2010 Breeders' Cup weekend.
