2011 Breeders' Cup: Who to Bet, Who to Avoid

Although there are bigger individual races in the “Sport of Kings,” few can match the two-day extravaganza that is The Breeders' Cup. Still one of the richest days in all of sports with $25 million-plus awarded in prize money, this year’s event at Churchill Downs is no exception.

For all the pageantry, people still watch the races to bet and for good reason; the event presents a potential windfall for purveyors of the ponies. Here are a few horses to wager on, and a few to avoid.

Wager:

Any horse trained by Bob Baffert. Although Baffert has pre-entered an astonishing 10 horses for the event, his success has been substantial. Prior to this year, Baffert has had 57 entries win seven races for $10.7 million in prize money.

While he admits his stable is not as stacked as years past, he does single out one favorite: Secret Circle. The unbeaten colt has loads of potential and will be a favorite in Friday’s Juvenile Sprint.

Plum Pretty, another of Baffert’s horses, will look to parlay past success at Churchill into a big Breeders' Cup weekend. Look for her in the Ladies' Classic.

Avoid:

The talk of the event has undoubtedly been Havre de Grace. Trainer Larry Jones’ filly will have a lot of eyes on her coming into the weekend. Grace posted some disappointing splits leading up to the weekend, which may be a cause for concern.

There is a lot of pressure surrounding her, as jockey Gabriel Saez is trying to make her the second female since Zenyatta to take home the Breeders' Classic finale race.

Needless to say, Grace may not be a good bet with poor odds and a lot of pressure. She is a substantial horse, although not quite in Zenyatta’s class just yet.