Breeders' Cup 2014: Post Time, Post Positions and Friday TV Coverage
While the Classic race is the by far the biggest draw of the weekend at the Breeders' Cup, Friday features a nice variety of exciting events for true racing fans.
Changes in ages, distances and surfaces will keep fans on their toes as they follow the action in the first of a two-day event at Santa Anita Park. For long-time followers of the sport, the juvenile races are especially interesting because they often become predictors of future success for the winners.
To help you follow all of the action, take a look at this guide for each race set for the first day at the 2014 Breeders' Cup.
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Friday TV Info
Channel: NBC Sports Network
Time: 5 - 8 p.m. ET
Live Stream: BreedersCup.com (Starting at 2 p.m. ET)
Juvenile Turf
| 1 | Wet Sail | Jamie Spencer | 15-1 |
| 2 | Daddy D T | Corey Nakatani | 15-1 |
| 3 | Luck of the Kitten | Mike Smith | 8-1 |
| 4 | Commemorative | James Doyle | 8-1 |
| 5 | Hootenanny | Lanfranco Dettori | 3-1 |
| 6 | Conquest Typhoon | Patrick Husbands | 12-1 |
| 7 | War Envoy | Ryan Moore | 9-2 |
| 8 | Offering Plan | Irad Ortiz Jr. | 20-1 |
| 9 | Aktabanty | Olivier Peslier | 12-1 |
| 10 | Startup Nation | Joel Rosario | 12-1 |
| 11 | Imperia | Javier Castellano | 6-1 |
| 12 | International Star | John Velazquez | 15-1 |
| 13 | Lawn Ranger | Chris Landeros | 20-1 |
| 14 | Danny Boy | Julien Leparoux | 20-1 |
| AE | Faithful Creek | Kieran Fallon | 20-1 |
| AE | Papacoolpapacool | Joseph Talamo | 30-1 |
This race has been dominated by European horses in the past, and there is no reason to expect any different this time around. Horse Betting Direct breaks down the notable entries in this one:
Hootenanny is the favorite, but do not count out Commemorative, who is entering the race from Great Britain. He has only competed in three races in his career but won his last two starts, both of which came on mile-long tracks.
He has excelled on the turf and seems to have been bred especially to succeed at this race.
Commemorative will have to push hard from the start to not got blocked in by either Hootenanny or Luck of the Kitten on either side, two horses that can adjust to the pace. Additionally, War Envoy has a chance to cause some serious damage late.
However, this should be a coming-out party for the British horse and young jockey James Doyle.
Dirt Mile
| 1 | Goldenscents | Rafael Bejarano | 6-5 |
| 2 | Carve | Mike Smith | 15-1 |
| 3 | Vicar's in Trouble | John Velazquez | 12-1 |
| 4 | Pants on Fire | Paco Lopez | 6-1 |
| 5 | Handsome Mike | Mario Gutierrez | Scratched |
| 6 | Golden Ticket | Joel Rosario | 15-1 |
| 7 | Bronzo | Luis Torres | 12-1 |
| 8 | Fed Biz | Martin Garcia | 7-2 |
| 9 | Tapiture | Rosie Napravnik | 6-1 |
| 10 | Big Bane Theory | Joseph Talamo | 15-1 |
Goldencents is the overwhelming favorite, although there are a few reasons to doubt his ability to come through in this one.
Since winning the Dirt Mile last year, he has just one win in his last five starts. Trainer Leandro Mora has also been taking it easy on the horse, entering him in shorter events lately. Goldencents has not competed in anything longer than seven furlongs since last June.
That being said, Mike Welsch of Daily Racing Form was impressed with the performance in the recent workouts:
As the most talented horse in the field and the defending champion, Goldencents should be just fine in this race.
Still, be on the lookout for some underdogs like Vicar's In Trouble or Tapiture to come away with a surprising win.
Juvenile Fillies Turf
| 1 | Partisan Politics | Javier Castellano | 15-1 |
| 2 | Osaila | Lanfranco Dettori | 5-1 |
| 3 | Sunset Glow | Victor Espinoza | 7-2 |
| 4 | Lady Eli | Irad Ortiz Jr. | 6-1 |
| 5 | Isabella Sings | John Velazquez | 12-1 |
| 6 | Sivoliere | Gary Stevens | 12-1 |
| 7 | Rainha Da Bateria | Joel Rosario | 12-1 |
| 8 | Nicky's Brown Miss | Francisco Torres | 20-1 |
| 9 | Lady Zuzu | Julien Leparoux | 15-1 |
| 10 | Quality Rocks | Jose Lezcano | 20-1 |
| 11 | Conquest Harlanate | Patrick Husbands | 10-1 |
| 12 | Tammy the Torpedo | Rafael Bejarano | 12-1 |
| 13 | Prize Exhibit | Jamie Spencer | 20-1 |
| 14 | Qualify | Ryan Moore | 5-1 |
| AE | Flying Tipat | Jose Ortiz | 20-1 |
| AE | War Alert | Jamie Spencer | 20-1 |
Of all the races at the Breeders' Cup, this one might be the most wide open. A full field of 14 will create a lot of uncertainty in the early going, and any number of horses could come away with a first-place finish.
If you were going to take a long shot on Friday, this might be the best race to do it.
Although she does not have the longest odds, Lady Eli is a horse that could have good value at 6-1. She has won each of her only two starts in her career, including at the Grade 3 Miss Grillo Stakes.
With Irad Ortiz Jr. performing exceptionally well in recent months, the jockey has a chance to take Lady Eli into the winner's circle.
Sunset Glow is the favorite in this race, but a lot of it will be decided in the first few seconds of the race, as Victor Espinoza will try to avoid getting trapped inside at the No. 2 post. If he cannot get his horse out of danger, Lady Eli—or any other horse—could be in for more success.
Longines Distaff
| 1 | L'Amour de Ma Vie | Maxime Guyon | 15-1 |
| 2 | Tiz Midnight | Victor Espinoza | 10-1 |
| 3 | Iotapa | Joseph Talamo | 6-1 |
| 4 | Belle Gallantey | Jose Ortiz | 6-1 |
| 5 | Unbridled Forever | John Velazquez | 20-1 |
| 6 | Stanwyck | Corey Nakatani | 20-1 |
| 7 | Don't Tell Sophia | Joseph Rocco Jr. | 5-1 |
| 8 | Valiant Emilia | Rafael Bejarano | 20-1 |
| 9 | Ria Antonia | Paco Lopez | 15-1 |
| 10 | Untapable | Rosie Napravnik | 5-2 |
| 11 | Close Hatches | Joel Rosario | 3-1 |
This is one of the biggest events of the entire weekend as the best female horses in the world compete for a $2 million purse.
Unsurprisingly, the field is loaded at the top, with Iotapa, Belle Gallantey, Close Hatches and Untapable all entering with single-digit lines. However, Untapable is the one that truly stands out above the rest.
Aside from a disappointing effort in last year's Breeders' Cup in the Juvenile Fillies race, Untapable has been extremely impressive in her career. She has especially shined in 2014 with five wins in six starts. Three of those wins came in Grade 1 events against some of the best competitors around.
"She's had a tremendous year to this point, but having success in the Distaff would really top it off," trainer Steve Asmussen recently explained, per Agence France-Presse (via Yahoo Sports). "She has a tremendous amount of talent and has been able to display that in several races this year."
With Rosie Napravnik quickly becoming one of the top jockeys in the sport, she should be able to move from the No. 10 post to a better position inside and put Untapable in position to succeed.
Although it will be a close battle down the stretch, this horse will be hard to stop.
Follow Rob Goldberg on Twitter for the latest breaking news and analysis.
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