2011 Breeders' Cup Favorites: 5 Horses in Best Spot for Win

The 2011 Breeders’ Cup race is on Saturday, November 5th at 7:00 p.m. ET, and it’s time to get your wagers ready, folks.

This is one of the biggest days on the horse racing calendar, and these are horses that should be on your radar while you watch the race or lay a few dollars on it.

The following horses are all contenders to show and place, but they are also serious favorites to steal the show and win it all. 

Uncle Mo

Uncle Mo is the 4.5-1 favorite for the Breeders' Cup this year, but I don’t think he has what it takes to shock the field on Saturday.

Uncle Mo has never raced on a track that is 1.25 miles like Churchill Downs, and that’s a big question mark for the favorite of the race.

While five wins in seven races is impressive, there are other horses with more experience that will be a safer bet than Uncle Mo.

Havre de Grace

With Havre de Grace being the 5.5-1 favorite for Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup, the betting odds for the horse will be going down, and it’s not worth the risk.

While Havre de Grace is a contender, she doesn’t have the history on Churchill Downs' 1.25-mile track style, and like Uncle Mo, that hurts her chances.

Havre de Grace has won five of her last six races, but her struggles on longer tracks makes the small wager not worth the risk. 

So You Think

My personal favorite to win this 2011 Breeders’ Cup is So You Think, and it’s the 6-1 favorite’s history at 1.25 mile tracks that gives him the edge.

So You Think has won 11 races over his three-year career as a racehorse, and eight of those wins came on tracks that were 1.25 miles long.

This horse is getting older, and the races are starting to wear on the steed, so now is as good of a time for a win as there is. 

Stay Thirsty

This was Stay Thirsty’s first go-round at the big races, and the three-year-old colt did much better than most people thought.

Despite a poor showing in the Kentucky Derby, Stay Thirsty and his jockey ran like a bat out of hell and almost stole the show at the Belmont Stakes.

Now the 15-1 favorite brings his talents back to Churchill downs in an attempt to accomplish what he couldn’t earlier in the season.

And, yes, I do believe the fact that he raced on the track earlier this season will play into his stellar finish. 

Ruler on Ice

As dangerous as Stay Thirsty has been and will be, the real underdog to watch in this Breeders' Cup will be the 21-1 underdog, Ruler on Ice.

Ruler on Ice has placed in all of his last eight races, including a victory at the Belmont Stakes and a victory on the Saratoga Race Course, similarly long as the Churchill Downs he’ll run this weekend.

Betting on the long shots is an art, and factors during the day of the race and how the they enter the gates all plays into a how a horse will finish, but Ruler on Ice is a solid long shot.

Check back for more on horse racing as it comes, and check out Bleacher Report’s Horse Racing Page to get your fill of the ponies.

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