2011 Breeders' Cup Post Time: Why Classic Is a Must-Watch for Any Sports Fan

To the casual sports fan, any horse race, even one as important (and profitable) as the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic, may be easy to dismiss.

Maybe you don't consider it a sporting event because most of the physical work isn't being done by people. Maybe you think horse racing is just animal cruelty dressed up for human enjoyment. Maybe the whole spectacle is too "old world" and aristocratic for your tastes.

Whatever the case may be, there's still no shortage of intriguing storylines to follow when the entries take their posts at 5:20 p.m. EST to run the rigorous, mile-and-a-quarter race to close out the weekend.

If you like talented favorites, Uncle Mo is your horse. At 5-to-2 odds, the three-year-old colt is as gifted as any horse in the field, but is no sure bet to come away with the purse. Uncle Mo has been plagued by debilitating illnesses this year, with a nasty case of cholangiohepatitis limiting the Todd Pletcher-trained horse to just two races since the spring.

As such, Uncle Mo's endurance will be tested in what will be the longest race of his competitive career.

He'll be chased closely by Havre de Grace, the Larry Jones entry who, at 3-to-1 odds, could sew up Horse of the Year honors with a win at Churchill Downs. The four-year-old filly has won five of her six races in 2011 and is gunning to become just the second female horse to ever win the Classic, following up Zenyatta in 2009.

Havre de Grace isn't the only horse that could play a role in breaking gender barriers on Saturday. If Game On Dude is the first to finish, he'll make Chantal Sutherland the first-ever female jockey to ride to victory at the Classic. The four-year-old gelding, entering the race at 10-to-1 odds and trained by the legendary Bob Baffert, has finished in the winners' circle with Sutherland before, having done so just over a month ago at the Goodwood Stakes at Santa Anita Park.

And if you're a fan of familiar names, look no further than Drosselmeyer, the reigning Belmont Stakes champion and the pupil of Bill Mott, the winningest trainer in the history of Churchill Downs.

So for all you Hollywood screenwriters out there, get your pens and laptops ready because, one way or another, the 2011 Breeders' Cup Classic will be perfect fodder for an exciting, silver-screen script.