Top Contenders in the Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic, Mile, Turf and Sprint

November in the horse racing world means one thing: the Breeders' Cup! And this year-end, two-day extravaganza is a bonanza of opportunity for bettors to wager on horse racing - whether you've been following along all season or you're new to the scene. So get ready for two days of incredible racing with the Bodog Racebook at the Breeders' Cup World Championships at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif.

The highlight of the first day of racing on Thursday, Nov. 5 is the Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic, a $2M 1 1/8-mile test for 3-year-old fillies and mares. Even with superstar mare Zenyatta leaning toward the Breeders' Cup Classic a day later, the Ladies' Classic is brimming with exciting competitors like Lethal Heat, Music Note and Careless Jewel. Lethal Heat has played second fiddle to Zenyatta all year and should blossom in her absence. The 4-year-old  Barry Abrams trainee has had a string of runner-up finishes and is looking for her first win of the year. On the other hand, Music Note is coming off two consecutive Grade 1 wins and will be seeking to better last year's third-place finish; this 4-year-old Saeed bin Suroor trainee is certainly stronger and faster. Three-year-old Careless Jewel will be facing older horses for the first time but this Josie Carroll trainee is unbeaten in five starts, including the Gr. 1 Alabama Stakes. Life is Sweet, Cocoa Beach, Provisio, Mushka and Rainbow View round out the potential lineup.

One-mile turf runners will take center stage on Friday, Nov. 6 in the $2M Gr. 1 Breeders' Cup Mile for 3-year-olds and up. Fourteen have been pre-nominated, with Court Vision, Goldikova and Justenuffhumor among the top contenders. Court Vision has found newfound life under the training of Rick Dutrow, Jr., bouncing back from a mid-season slump that saw him lose five straight; he is coming into the Mile off a hard-fought win in the Gr. 1 Shadwell Turf Mile. Despite losing her last outing, last year's champ Goldikova is back to her best distance of a mile and should be the favorite. And while Justenuffhumor found the slop hard to deal with in the Shadwell Turf Mile, he has six wins this year and the firmer turf of Santa Anita Park to look forward to. The field also includes Awesome Gem, Whatsthescript, Cowboy Cal and Gladiatorus.

The best sprinters will be highlighted in the $2M Gr. 1 Breeders' Cup Sprint, a 6-furlong dash for 3-year-olds and up. Bob Baffert's 3-year-old Zensational will be the horse to beat, having won three straight Grade 1 races in a row. But strong competition will come from Saeed bin Suroor's Gayego, who stunned horse bettors with his incredible last-to-first surge to victory in his last outing. Capt. Candyman Can and Fatal Bullet are also among the top contenders for the Breeders' Cup Sprint.

And the smallest field of the day will take to the grass in the 1 ½-mile Breeders' Cup Turf, a Gr. 1 race with a $3M purse. Michael Stoute's Conduit, last year's reigning champion, should emerge as the race favorite, while his stablemate Spanish Moon is a strong contender in his own right. Presious Passion and Telling top the American contingent.

Are you ready for the Breeders' Cup on Nov. 5-6? Bet on horse racing at Santa Anita Park with Bodog Racebook!

Top Contenders for the Breeders' Cup Classic

The biggest and richest race of the Breeders' Cup World Championships is the $5M Breeders' Cup Classic. The 1 ¼-mile Classic  for 3-year-olds and up is the showpiece of the meet at Santa Anita Park and has attracted some of the top names in horse racing. With big names like Zenyatta, Summer Bird and Mine That Bird set to compete head-to-head, this year's Breeders' Cup will be a race you do not want to miss.

Up until a few days ago, trainer John Shirreffs was still on the fence about which race Zenyatta  would line up for; she was initially pointed to the Ladies' Classic to defend her title. But her connections - Mr. and Mrs. Jerome Moss - see bigger things for their 5-year-old mare, who has an amazing record of 13 consecutive wins thanks in large part to her explosive finishing kick. Just in 2009, she is 4-4-0-0 and has earned $630,000. A win in the Classic would be an incredible feather in this Street Cry mare's cap, and with her solid final work on Oct. 31 with jockey Mike Smith aboard - a 6-furlong move in 1:12 2/5 at Hollywood Park, Shirreffs has all but confirmed that Zenyatta will compete in the Breeders' Cup Classic. She would be facing males for the first time in her career and she would be stretching out to 1 ¼ miles, but Shirreffs is confident that neither of these things will be factors come race day.

Summer Bird has had an incredible year - and what better way to round out 2009 than with a win in the Breeders' Cup Classic. Trainer Tim Ice has seen his protégé go from relative unknown (sixth in the Kentucky Derby) to top contender for Horse of the Year (winner of the Belmont Stakes, the Travers Stakes and the Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes). The 3-year-old son of Birdstone will again be teamed with jockey Kent Desormeaux, and despite the fact that Summer Bird has never raced on a synthetic track, he has proven to be an adaptable competitor, and that, along with his versatile running style, will make him difficult to beat.

Since his eye-catching Kentucky Derby win in May, the other son of Birdstone, Mine That Bird, has flown under the radar. Has reality finally set in for this Chip Woolley trainee or is there another perfect trip awaiting this potential value bet for horse bettors? Jockey Calvin Borel was reserved about Mine That Bird's affinity for the Pro-Ride track after the Goodwood Stakes on Oct. 10 (in which Mine That Bird finished sixth) but Woolley contends that his horse simply needed more distance - another 1/8 mile, to be exact - to be competitive. And he will get that distance in the Classic, along with the benefit of several works at Santa Anita Park, which could equate to another big race for this small horse.

In addition to Zenyatta, the Breeders' Cup Classic has attracted other top horses from other divisions. A leader in the Turf division, Christophe Clement's 4-year-old Gio Ponti will contend the Classic. And Einstein, the Helen Pitts-trained 7-year-old who is a champion on a variety of surfaces, will also line up for Friday's richest race. The European presence is also strong, bolstered by the unexpected win of Kentucky-bred but England-based Raven's Pass last year, and includes Mastercraftsman, Twice Over and Rip Van Winkle. Also expected are Colonel John, Quality Road, Bullsbay and Richard's Kid.

The 2009 Breeders' Cup will take place on Nov. 5 and 6! Don't miss out on this amazing horse wagering opportunity - bet on the Breeders' Cup at Santa Anita Park with Bodog Racebook.

Harold Ramser Handicap Horse Racing Results and Analysis

Fall racing continued at the Oak Tree meet at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif., on Saturday, Oct. 24 with the $100,000 Gr. 3 Harold Ramser Handicap. A 1-mile race over turf for 3-year-old fillies, the Harold Ramser was a comeback race for the boisterous April Pride, who was looking to redeem two straight losses. Among those standing in her way in a field of eight was race favorite Minute Limit and speedster Strawberry Tart.

British-bred April Pride began her 2009 campaign in February with a runner-up performance in an allowance race at Santa Anita Park. A month later, she finally tasted victory in her first stakes race, the $70,000 China Doll Stakes, beating fellow Harold Ramser Handicap nominees Acting Lady and Century Park by a length. A five-month layoff ensued and her first race back was an eighth-place disappointment in the Sandy Blue Handicap at Del Mar in August. Perhaps still rusty from that layoff, the Jim Cassidy trained 3-year-old managed only a third-place finish in an optional claiming race at Oak Tree at the beginning of October. But with Garrett Gomez in the irons for the first time, April Pride finally broke through with a solid win, despite having drawn the extreme outside post.

Mid-pack in the early going and chasing pacesetters Century Park, under Tyler Baze, and Strawberry Tart, ridden by Mike E. Smith, April Pride slowly eroded the distance between herself and the leaders. Strawberry Tart weakened down the lane and April Pride finally overtook Century Park mid-stretch, even increasing her lead. Her winning time over a firm course was 1:34.01, which earned her $60,000 and her third win of her 14-race career.

Cassidy was thrilled with his filly's first graded stakes win - and the first-time partnership of his trainee with Gomez. "Garrett [Gomez] rode her great... I'm very happy. She's been unlucky in the past, so today she showed her stuff."

Following her to the wire was Century Park, Starlarks, Minute Limit, Acting Lady, Point of Reference, Mrs. Kipling and Strawberry Tart. The Bob Baffert-trained Century Park had only a three-week break between her California Cup Distance Handicap and her Harold Ramser effort, making her runner-up finish even more impressive. Strawberry Tart has been battling a slump, having dropped her last three races; she has not won since July in the $100,000 Flawlessly Stakes.

Santa Anita Park will be hosting the Breeders' Cup in just a few short weeks! Bet on horse racing with the Bodog Racebook!