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October 25 - Saturday is the day that most horseracing fans from the United States and indeed from all over the world have been waiting for as day 2 of the 25th Breeders' Cup World Championships in Santa Anita in Arcadia, California, features the $5-million 2008 Breeders' Cup Classic and its horse racing betting favorite, Curlin.
As the last race (race 9) of the day, the Breeders' Cup Classic is expected to dazzle with its field of 12 highly-respected contenders set to tackle Santa Anita's synthetic Pro-Ride surface, including defending champion Curlin. The 7-5 race favorite, Curlin drew post nine ahead of the 1 1/4 mile race earlier this week.
So far in his 15-race career, Curlin has previously only once drawn a post further away from the rail which was in Dubai earlier this year in the $6-million Dubai World Cup. Suffice to say that Curlin took his wide draw in his stride and using his seemingly limitless speed and stamina dispatched the field to snatch victory.
But his draw aside ahead of today's auspicious Breeders' Cup Classic, what Curlin and indeed his connections and fans will be curious to see is how the 4-year-old colt handles the Pro-Ride surface. This is a surface that he has never raced over before and it will be interesting to see if he can conquer it like turf and dirt before.
Provided Curlin takes to the Pro-Ride surface, then all he and his formidable jockey Robby Albarado have to worry about is the other 11 runners, which include four top-rated foreign runners - Henrythenavigator, Duke of Marmalade and Raven's Pass all of whom hail from Europe and Casino Drive from Japan.
The Breeders' Cup Classic's American entrants should prove to be equally challenging which include Go Between, Tiago, Smooth Air, Student Council, Fairbanks, Colonel John and Champs Elysees. The big question on everyone's mind will be whether Curlin can dispatch these 11 challengers and retain his Breeders' cup title?
As unpredictable as horseracing is, it is obviously impossible to say. That said, it will be interesting to see where the punters choose to lay their bets ahead of the race and whether Curlin can end his bumper year with a bang and win even more prize money - after breaking the US earnings record last month with over $10m.
Said Curlin's trainer Steve Asmussen, 'We are obviously very excited ahead of the race and the only real unknown is if Curlin will be able to transfer the kinds of speeds he reaches over dirt onto Santa Anita's Pro-Ride surface. Assuming he can, do not be surprised to see him standing in the winners circle on Saturday.'
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