2011 Breeders Cup Contenders: Flat Out Will Upset Uncle Mo in Classic

Uncle Mo, Havre de Grace and New Zealand import So You Think have been the focus of attention throughout the afternoon, but it will be Flat Out who emerges victorious in the Breeders' Cup Classic at Churchill Downs on Saturday.

Charles "Scooter" Dickey has been training horses for almost a half-century and indicates Flat Out is likely the best of the bunch (via Associated Press):

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Flat Out is the best horse of Dickey's nearly 50-year career and the first to win a Grade 1 stakes for him. He came to Dickey as a promising 2-year-old in 2008, and the trainer has seen Flat Out through a history of foot problems to reach North America's richest race.

''It hasn't really sunk in yet,'' Dickey said, standing inside a stall piled with bags of feed. ''Come Saturday, I'll get nervous about the time we start putting the saddle on.''

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The five-year-old horse has finished either first or second in four straight races. That includes a Belmont triumph last month against foes Drosselmeyer and Stay Thirsty in the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup, which was the same distance as Saturday's Classic.

He's also posted some blazing workout times in recent weeks, so it's hard to find a more in-form horse heading into the weekend's marquee race.

Meanwhile, the favorite is Uncle Mo, who had some serious health concerns earlier in the year and hasn't been stretched out to the mile-and-a-quarter distance. It would not be surprising to see him leading at the mile mark, only to fall short in the end.

Other dark horse contenders include Stay Thirsty, who has been in good form and is acclimated to the distance, and Drosselmeyer, who has enough talent to win, but has struggled with consistency in recent months.

However, it's Flat Out who will steal the spotlight in the $5 million race. And he'll give Dickey the biggest win of his long career in the process. Uncle Mo to show, Stay Thirsty to place and, if you're feeling lucky, Drosselmeyer to round out the superfecta.

Predicted order of finish:

1. Flat Out

2. Uncle Mo

3. Stay Thirsty