Breeders' Cup 2012 Odds: Early Lines for Turf Race

After the Classic, the most prestigious event at the Breeders' Cup is the Turf race, with its $3 million purse. The race is a 1.5-mile weight-for-age for three-year-olds and older and has been run since the creation of the Breeders' Cup in 1984, when Yves Saint-Martin rode Lashkari to victory. 

This year's race, held at 3:18 p.m. PDT on Saturday, November 3rd, will be headlined by a few of the finest turf-running horses in the world, including last year's Turf winner. Joseph O'Brien, who rode St. Nicholas Abbey to victory in 2011, will once again ride the Irish horse, and at 3/1 odds, they are currently co-favorites along with Point of Entry, jockeyed by John Velazquez.  Point of Entry has won three consecutive Grade I wins, two of which were at 1.5 miles.

Trailing just behind St. Nicholas Abbey and Point of Entry in the eyes of handicappers is Shareta, jockeyed by Christophe Lemaire. Another Irish horse, Shareta has finished in the money in five of six races in 2012, including two victories. At 6/1 odds, the Japanese horse Trailblazer has finished in the money in 10 of 21 career races, including one victory in three starts this year.

In addition to the four favorites, eight more thoroughbreds will likely challenge for the $3 million prize, one of the biggest prices in all of thoroughbred racing.

Though most of the attention will be focused on the Classic and its $5 million purse, it is well worth tuning in two hours early to watch what promises to be the most exciting—and lucrative—turf race of the year.  

Position	Horse	Jockey	Odds
1	Point of Entry	John Velazquez	3/1
2	Turbo Compressor	Joe Bravo	33/1
3	St. Nicholas Abbey	Joseph O'Brien	3/1
4	Treasure Beach	Jamie Spencer	12/1
5	Shareta	Christophe Lemaire	4/1
6	Cogito	Lanfranco Dettori	20/1
7	Little Mike	Ramon Dominguez	16/1
8	Kindergarden Kid	Julien Leparoux	25/1
9	Dullahan	Joel Rosario	12/1
10	Optimizer	Jon Court	33/1
11	Slim Shadey	Garrett Gomez	20/1
12	Trailblazer	Yutaka Take	6/1

Odds courtesy of Ladbrokes.com