With
more than 200 horses to be pre-entered next week for the Breeders' Cup
at Churchill Downs, it's not too soon to start studying. I suggest next
Friday you pick up the Daily Racing Form Breeders' Cup advance edition
to get familiar with the fields.
I've already begun my
handicapping, so I thought I'd share five horses I think will sneak
under the radar and won't be favored. A lot can change in two weeks, so
these are merely horses to think about, not final selections.
Atta Boy Roy will be a huge long
shot in the Sprint. His last race, eighth in the grassy Woodford at
Keeneland, colored his otherwise fine form. He has a ton of early speed
and will be ridden by Calvin Borel, the king of Churchill Downs. He
also won the Churchill Downs Handicap on Kentucky Derby day.
I
hope trainer Ken McPeek runs Bridgetown in the Turf Sprint. Bridgetown
ran an even fifth in the Nearctic last time out but is much better than
that. His top race is fast enough to envision an upset at monster odds.
If McPeek uses a Churchill jockey such as Borel, Robbie Albarado or
Julien Leparoux, he'll be included on all my tickets.