2011 Breeders Cup: Stay Thirsty and Winners No One Is Betting on

It's been a while since the sport of horse racing was front and center on the American sports landscape, but that is going to change this coming weekend.

The Breeders' Cup is going to be held at Churchill Downs on Friday and Saturday, and all the attention is focused on which horse will win the $5 million prize in Saturday's Classic.

If you take a look at the horses that have been entered for the big race, you'll notice that there are a couple of big names among them. Uncle Mo will be in action, and so will Belmont Stakes winner Ruler On Ice and Belmont Stakes runner-up Stay Thirsty.

Just as important as the names are the odds. But before you go falling in love with a horse and a set of odds, just know that there are some horses that you should be wary of placing a bet on.

For your convenience, they are listed below.

Note: all odds according to Bodog.

Rattlesnake Bridge (30/1)

This is the kind of horse that is going to attract people that love to pick horses with cool names, make no mistake about that.

Those who choose to do a little more research will learn to be a little more cautious when it comes to Rattlesnake Bridge. He peaked with a win in a one-and-1/16-mile race at Long Branch in July, but hasn't performed as well in two longer races since then.

The Breeders' Cup Classic is a mile-and-a-quarter race, so you should think twice before having faith in Rattlesnake Bridge to turn it around.

Ruler On Ice (20/1)

Ruler On Ice won the Belmont Stakes back in June, but he hasn't won since. His last mile-and-a-quarter race came in August, and he finished fourth.

Now, you do have to be at least a little intrigued with Ruler On Ice because the Belmont Stakes is a mile-and-a-half race, but his track record suggests the win was a fluke. He's consistently solid, but his only win outside the Belmont Stakes came in a six-furlong race last October.

Game On Dude (14/1)

Game On Dude is coming into the Breeders' Cup fresh off a win in the Goodwood, so he's going to draw his fair share of bets.

However, I'm skeptical. Game On Dude's win in early October was his first since March, and he was unable to win either of his last two mile-and-a-quarter races. He won three out of four races at one point, but I'm wondering if Game On Dude's best races are behind him.

Stay Thirsty (14/1)

Stay Thirsty has always been the subject of quite a bit of hype, but he didn't really put it all together until he won two straight races in July and August. The latter win came in a mile-and-a-quarter race.

Since then, Stay Thirsty has raced in another mile-and-a-quarter contest, and he finished third. Because Stay Thirsty has shown a tendency to be inconsistent, I'm quick to take this as an early warning sign.