Breeders' Cup Santa Anita 2012: Contenders That Will Impress This Weekend

Beautiful Southern California weather and historic track Santa Anita Park will set the stage for several thoroughbreds to shine at the 2012 Breeders’ Cup Classic.

Drosselmeyer and Zenyatta are notable names that have recently won this prestigious race and the horse that crosses the finish line on Saturday, November 3 will be set for even more exciting results in the future. Post time for the final event of the weekend’s festivities is 8:30 p.m. ET.

More information on race schedules and contenders can be found via BreedersCup.com. Here are the horses to watch this weekend at Santa Anita.

Game on Dude

If there is a major horse race on American soil, spectators can guarantee that they will see a thoroughbred trained by Bob Baffert take part in the competition. 

This thoroughbred has a history of winning races in the L.A. area and is even partly owned by former Los Angeles Dodgers manager Joe Torre, as noted by Brisnet via ESPN. With SoCal roots and an impressive team surrounding it, Game on Dude is the Classic’s top contender.

Expect this gelding to look extremely comfortable when racing on its home track and to be right there with the leaders on the final stretch. At this point, the Classic is Game on Dude’s race to lose.

  

Dullahan

This name is familiar to those who followed the Triple Crown races. Dullahan finished third at the Kentucky Derby and was expected to impress at the Belmont Stakes, but finished seventh.

Dale Romans’ colt has another opportunity for a fine showing in a prestigious race and certainly stands a chance to deliver.

While other horses will certainly provide extremely tough competition, this thoroughbred’s talent was on display earlier this year and it will be a major factor in the weekend’s main event.

Flat Out

This contender has shown good recent form and will have an advantage in this race. As Tim Wilkin from the Albany Times Union notes, Flat Out is one of five horses who won their previous race.

One of those other horses is Game on Dude, and Bill Mott‘s thoroughbred will provide the favorite with a serious challenge. 

This will be yet another horse that will catch spectators’ eyes as it makes its way around the track at Santa Anita in what is sure to be a thrilling day full of racing.