Breeders' Cup 2011: Uncle Mo and Chantal Sutherland Will Rule Breeders' Hype

For those just beginning to get involved in the horse race that will take over the nation this weekend, you may want to pay close attention to Uncle Mo and Chantal Sutherland, because you are about to hear a whole lot about them. 

One of them is a colt that is coming back from a debilitating liver disorder that nearly cost the horse its career or worse its life. 

The other is a jockey turned model that aims to be the second woman to win at the Breeders Cup. Both will feature prominently as Friday turns to Saturday and the Classic run takes center stage. 

It is quite hard to find which story is the more intriguing so I will split it down the line and go with both. A day of racing hardly needs to poignant tales so I feel a little spoiled getting two. 

Uncle Mo is the odds on favorite to take the Classic which says a great deal about his return to form following a liver disorder that saw the colt drop an immense amount of weight. 

Now he is back to deliver a knockout performance. The only issue facing Uncle Mo will of course be the distance. There is just no way of knowing how his endurance will keep up with the other horses. 

Chantal Sutherland will be riding Game On Dude, Saturday. The best part of Sutherland is that she is trying her best to not make her appearance a story. Women riders are becoming far more prevalent and the fact that Sutherland is a great rider should be bandied about, not that she is a great "woman" rider. 

ESPN's Gary West reports on a very aggressive rider for the sport, regardless of sex. Sutherland herself spells out her love of the sport. 

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"All these other things, the modeling and the acting, they've happened because I'm a jockey. I enjoy them; they're fun. And if by doing these things I can get one more fan out to the racetrack, then I've done something for racing. But I love to ride. This is my dream."

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Sutherland is a rider at heart and a rider by trade. All other notions should be thrown out the window. However, the media will still be drawn to the beautiful jockey more than any other on Saturday. 

You can judge for yourself what you think of her at that time, because she will get a great deal of time on the camera. 

Uncle Mo and Sutherland will dominate our viewing on Saturday, and I am perfectly fine with that. It means we are in store for one hell of a day.