2011 Breeders' Cup: European Invasion Will Dominate Churchill Downs

The state of Kentucky will be taking on a very European feel over the next few days as Churchill Downs hosts the Breeders' Cup. 

While the Triple Crown races bring more prestige, the Breeders' Cup is a 15-race event that brings a lot of recognition to horse-racing. More importantly, it's open to horses of different ages and genders, and it also has different races on different surfaces.

So, for a true racing fan, this is the best two days of the year. With European horses all over Churchill Downs this week, American fans will get a good look at the International contingent. Not only will they get to see European horses, they will get to see European horses win. 

Let's start with the first race we're going to see. American-bred Secret Circle is the favorite in the Juvenile Sprint, but one of the more trendy horses is Shumoos, a filly from England.  

According to Jerry Bossert of the New York Daily News, she's won two of her last six races in Europe. That's not a great percentage, but not smart to pass over.

But the top European horse is filly Goldikova, who comes from France. Her legacy is written. A win will only add to it, but with wins in the Breeders' Cup Mile in 2008, 2009 and 2010, nothing bad can happen.

Just for the record, a three-peat in that race has no precedent before Goldikova. Well, if three is great, then four is even better, and she'll nail down the fourth this year, cementing her legacy as one of the greatest race horses of all time. 

But going back a little to the second race, we have the Juvenile Fillies turf. See what Bossert had to say about this group. 

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This will be the first grass race of the Breeders' Cup and as expected, the Europeans are the ones to beat.

Both Dear Lavinia and Elusive Kate have performed well on the other side of the pond this year, with Dear Lavinia winning three of five starts and Elusive Kate winning four of five, including her last four.

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It's hard to go against one of them in this one. 

In total, there are two dozen European horses this year at the Breeders' Cup. They will participate and they will win. The Breeders' Cup is all about finding the best horses in the world. This weekend will give us a great glimpse.