Betting On The 2008 Breeders' Cup World Championships
Horse racing fans and bettors take note: the 'best and richest thoroughbred event of the year', the 2008 Breeders' Cup Championships, is just around the corner. Are you ready to make your winning picks?
Set to take place on October 24 and 25, 2008 at Oak Tree at Santa Anita Park, the Breeders' Cup promises to bring together the world's best horses for two solid days of horse racing action and excitement. This year's event features 14 thrilling races that are sure to ignite the horse racing fan in all of us:
Breeders' Cup Races – Friday, October 24
$1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf
$1 million Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint
$2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies
$2 million Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf
$2 million Breeders' Cup Ladies Classic
Breeders' Cup Races – Saturday, October 25
$500,000 Breeders' Cup Marathon
$1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf
$1 million Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile
$1 million Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint
$2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile
$2 million Breeders' Cup Sprint
$2 million Breeders' Cup Mile
$3 million Breeders' Cup Turf
$5 million Breeders' Cup Classic
Picking a Breeders' Cup Classic Winner
The 2007 Breeders' Cup Classic turned out to be a tight race between favorite Street Sense, who won the 2007 Kentucky Derby (and who has since retired to stud duty with earnings of $4,383,200), and Curlin, who won the 2007 Preakness Stakes (and who went on to win 2007 Horse of the Year and then the 2008 Dubai World Cup).
The big story surrounding the 2008 Breeders' Cup is the highly anticipated race between 2007 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner, Big Brown, and Curlin, who was rumored to run in the Arc de Triomphe in place of the Breeders' Cup Classic. However, a second-place finish at the Man O' War Stakes at Belmont Park in early July has left that trip to Paris up in the air; but neither Big Brown nor Curlin have been inked to meet up at Santa Anita Park – as of yet.
Nonetheless, other horses have been competing in numerous Breeders' Cup Challenge races in the hopes of earning a guaranteed position in the Breeders' Cup World Championships. A few such names being tossed around are Belmont Stakes winner Da'Tara, three-year-old Denis of Cork, Hollywood Gold Cup winner Mast Track, Pimlico Special winner Student Council, and Tiago, and inconsistent but talented thoroughbred.
That being said, at this point in the race it's more important that you understand how to bet on the Breeders' Cup rather than who to bet on the Breeders' Cup.
Breeders' Cup Betting Tips
You have to know that because it's such a huge horse racing event, hundreds of thousands of people are also going to be betting on the Breeders' Cup Classic. With that in mind it's important that you realize that you are not betting against the track, but rather against a massively deep pool of bettors. Needless to say, the odds will change accordingly.
Another tip? Consider betting on the longshots. If a longshot does win you stand to make more money off a single wager. Here are a few more Breeders' Cup betting tips for you:
- Pay close attention to each contender's past efforts. Is there any one horse that has a proven edge over all other opponents?
- Note any leading jockeys, trainers, and any important tidbits of information on post positions.
- Note the condition of the race track on race day. (The main track at Santa Anita is a one mile synthetic "cushion" track.) Which horse has performed the best on such a track?
- And last but certainly not least, research the health and condition of each horse going into the Breeders' Cup. As we all witnessed in the 2007 Belmont Stakes, where Big Brown was the heavy favorite to win (and trainer Rick Dutrow went so far as to guarantee a win!), a cracked hoof and a loose shoe proved to be the undoing of what was supposed to be a Triple Crown-winning race for the popular colt.
Coverage of the 2008 Breeders' Cup World Championships will feature 14 races over two days with record purses of $25.5 million and air on ABC, ESPN and ESPN2 beginning on Friday, October 24 on ESPN2.
