Vol. 4, No. 10, October 2007
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Race for the Cup
Prestigious horse-racing championships take place at Monmouth Park
Imagine 11 Kentucky Derbys in just over 24 hours. That’s what happens when the world’s best thoroughbreds invade Monmouth County for 11 championship races worth $23 million. This is the first time a New Jersey facility has hosted the annual Breeders Cup, which began in 1984 at Hollywood Park, California.
Garden State residents enjoy a noteworthy home-field edge based on the Cup’s expansion this year. Three of the 11 championship races will occur Friday, prompting additional seats to be released to the public. Fans shut out of Saturday’s action observe an excellent chance to savor the Friday teaser. The Breeders races are mixed with a regular card. There is enough action to prompt a Monmouth journey, but perhaps not enough to coax Saturday ticket-holders to come a day earlier.
If neither option opens, Atlantic City Race Course, the casinos and off-track facilities like Favorites in Vineland provide a simulcast agenda.
Properties like Bally’s and Borgata, which invested substantially in racing books, obtain a significant weekend payoff.
Bettors, meanwhile, receive a pleasant culture shock. After more than 360 days of wagering on events as low as $2,500, they see elite horses gunning for seven figures, race after race.
The Breeders Cup includes the Juvenile Filly, and Mare Turf, Sprint, the Mile and Distaff, at $2 million. The $3 million Turf event follows and the $5 million Classic completes the extravaganza. Three Friday races at $1 million apiece open the event.
Wagering handle will easily exceed $100 million. The Breeders Cup will also be televised to at least 25 countries.
The Impact
The Cup was created as a year-end championship competition for North American thoroughbred racing. Its purse money comes primarily from within the industry. The Breeders Cup benefits racing by providing a premier fall stage. Previously, racing had no public visibility after the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes in May and June.
Breeders Cup championships help determine horse-of-the-year honors and incentivize owners to train horses all summer. That subsequently boosts meets like Monmouth and Saratoga. Kentucky Derby entry Any Given Saturday won the Haskell in July at Monmouth. The late-August Travers Stakes at Saratoga, N.Y., gained increased notoriety because Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense was seen as taking another step toward the Breeders Cup. His participation, and victory in a thrilling stretch duel, kept the mystique of the Travers strong for the future.
For the fans, Breeders Cup day is Mardi Gras. Huge, 14-horse-fields and a multimillion-dollar betting pool ensure value. Thoroughbreds with glittering credentials, who have been odds-on favorites in most of their races, can now go off at 7-1. Long-shots prosper, because few horses dominate an elite field.
Handicappers know they will get a strong run from whomever they play. When horses make the final turn, sprint duels to the wire are all-out.
How will you make out? Because each field has up to 14 horses, let’s consider a dozen pointers.
Playing The Breeders
1. If you are a serious bettor, focus the bankroll. Selecting winners in large fields is difficult, yet rewarding. Some races will demand a lighter bet to maintain money for other ones.
2. Don’t forget the “win” line. Projected exacta, trifecta and superfecta payouts are intoxicating, but nothing hurts more than picking the top horse without collecting. Win-line bets on Breeders Cup Day carry substantial value.
3. Once you’ve covered the win bet, consider an “all” ticket. For $13, bettors can have a $1 exacta with their top horse over the entire field. If the favorites look vulnerable, this can be an excellent play.
4. For $12, you can box five horses in a 10-cent superfecta. This requires picking the top four horses, but it could bring more than $1,000.
5. Toy with a $1 superfecta. It could pay off a college education. You’ll need a hunch for a horse you expect to finish first or second, then place a field of horses in the other slots.
6. View gimmick bets like the Ultra Pick Six as a lottery ticket. Play it, but with the same expectation. They’ve been known to pay in the millions. Naturally, the odds are as remote as Haley’s Comet. That also means that once in a lifetime, but it could be your ultra lucky day.
7. Remember the impact of pace. The best horse won’t win if he is caught in a wicked speed duel. If there are three or more “speed” horses, who expend most of their energy early, a stalker or closer looms prominently. If there is an absence of “early speed,” a lone front-runner like Cat Thief can win the race.
8. Bet early. Unlike most days, odds rarely fluctuate dramatically in the final minutes of elite races. Many people bet serious money and will take more time. Avoid the shutout. Use the machines, too.
9. Utilize the Racing Form more than usual. On most other days, bettors need to combine the paper’s past-performance with how the horse looks on the track. With owners having pointed to this day for months, however, most horses will look tremendous.
10. Observe “traffic” conditions. If a horse competes with better early speed to his left or right, he could become “pocketed” and flounder.
11. Pray for good weather. Rain changes everything.
12. European invaders often perform well on turf. Give strong consideration to them, especially if the weather is comfortable, as expected.
For those who live near Monmouth Park, the track runs an extended special meet from Wednesday through Saturday. For those who appreciate history, this is where Cigar concluded his perfect 1995 season and where French-based Miesque became the first horse to win consecutive Breeders Cups. It was here that European import Arcangues stunned the racing world at 134-1, paying a record $269.20 for a $2 wager in 1993. It will be here, presumably, that Street Sense will try to duplicate the Miesque feet. He won the Breeders Cup last year and the Kentucky Derby in 2007.
It’s all on the table. Betting. History. Panorama. Enjoy this all-star performance of the Sport of Kings. Hit a big one, too.
