Posts Drawn for Breeders’ Cup Classic
The final competitors in the Breeders’ Cup have been confirmed and post positions have now been drawn. Excitement and anticipation for this long awaited event is reaching boiling point, and even though spectators will be turning up in their thousands for the 24th and 25th of October horse racing extravaganzas, most will set their sights on the Breeders’ Cup Classic, where the 2007 Horse of the Year, Curlin, will be defending his title against a formidable lineup of contenders. With Big Brown being retired due to injury and therefore not running the Breeders’ Cup Classic, the spotlight will be focused on Curlin.
The Breeders’ Cup Classic is a Grade 1 event with a purse of $5 million and will be run on Saturday. The contenders are as follows, in post position order: Go Between, Casino Drive, Tiago, Duke of Marmalade, Henrythenavigator, Smooth Air, Student Council, Raven’s Pass, Curlin, Fairbanks, Colonel John and Champs Elysees. The Breeders’ Cup Marathon will also take place on Saturday and the lineup consists of Church Service in post one, followed by Add Heat, Delightful Kiss, Sixties Icon, Muhannak, Zappa, Big Booster, Cedar Mountain and Booyah. The Turf Sprint is the second race of the day, with Hero’s Reward, Fleeting Spirit, True to Tradition, Only Answer, Salute the Count, Storm Treasure, Rouse the Cat, Diabolical, Desert Code, California Flag, Idiot Proof, One Union, Get Funky and Mr. Nightlinger in the starting gates. The magnificent Pyro (6), Well Armed (8), Lord Admiral (12) and Slew’s Tiznow (9) can be seen in action during the Dirt Mile, while Shakis (1), War Monger (9), Thorn Song (10) and Whatthescript (11) will be battling it out in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Mile. Other racing events to look forward to on Saturday; includes the Juvenile for colts and geldings, the Juvenile Turf, the Grade 1 Sprint and the Grade 1 Turf challenge.
The Breeders’ Cup will however be kicking off on Friday, with a full race card and many fabulous horses that have entered. One horse in particular, Zenyatta, will be under scrutiny in the Ladies Classic where she drew post one, with Hystericalady next to her, followed by Cocoa Beach, Music Note, Carriage Trail, Ginger Punch, Santa Teresita and Bear Now. Racing events before the Ladies Classic include the Filly and Mare Sprint, Juvenile Fillies Turf, Juvenile Fillies Grade 1, and the Filly and Mare Turf.
Betting establishments have had their hands full since the release of confirmed contenders and their post positions. Friday and Saturday are going to be two days of breathtaking racing action, and with Curlin running the Breeders’ Cup Classic, it is set to be a very memorable occasion.
