Breeders Cup Turf Free Betting Picks

Of the Breeders' Cup races, the Breeders' Cup Turf (Grade 1) follows racing conditions akin to the classic standard of European thoroughbred racing: 1 ½ miles on grass at weight for age. As a result, overseas runners have won a majority of these $2 million races of the Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships.

That said, however, the European contingents have not exactly been dominant. One possible reason is the Breeders' Cup racing schedule, set in late October or early November, is beyond the European calendar, which traditionally culminates for top horses in early October with the running of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (Fr-G1). Another possibly is that the European race horses do not adapt well to warm weather at the Florida or Southern California Breeders' Cup sites. In fact, American owners and trainers have fielded some outstanding grass runners, and they have defeated top-level European competitors over the years.

Given these observations vis-a-vis the world racing calendar, the Breeders' Cup Turf has become the definitive North American championship race. A North American victor has come out of the Turf each year with the exception of two - in 1984 which was John Henry's last championship season, and in 1989 when the male title went to Breeders' Cup Mile (G1) winner Steinlen (Great Britain).

At the 2004 Breeders' Cup Turf, Better Talk Now won the championship at 27.90 odds with jockey Ramon Dominguez. Kitten's Joy came in second at 0.70 odds with jockey John Velasquez, and Powerscourt placed third at 10.90 odds with jockey Jamie Spencer.

The 2003 edition of the Turf featured the first dead heat for win in any Breeders' Cup thoroughbred championships race, with High Chaparral (Ireland) and Johar reaching the finish line together. High Chaparral became the first dual winner of all Breeders' Cup races.

A decade earlier, Kotashaan (France) dominated grass racing in Southern California and scored a half-length victory over fellow Californian Bien Bien in the Breeders' Cup Turf. With a weak handicap division that year and no dominant 3 year old coming out of the Triple Crown series, American-trained Kotashaan was voted both champion turf male and Horse of the Year. He remains the only Turf winner to earn the top North American honor.

Early in the history of the Breeders' Cup Turf, European runners gave indications they would dominate the race. Unheralded Lashkari (Great Britain) won the inaugural running in 1984 at Hollywood Park in Inglewood, California, at 53.40-to-1, the longest winning odds in Breeders' Cup history. Lashkari, who never duplicated that effort, was bred and owned by the Aga Khan, who also bred back-to-back Turf winners Daylami (Ireland), who was leased to Godolphin Racing, and Kalanisi (Ireland), also owned by the Aga Khan. At the 2001 Turf, Godolphin's Fantastic Light triumphed at 7-to-5.

Pebbles (Great Britain), who was supplemented to the Turf in 1985, scored a hard-fought victory over Strawberry Road (Australia). The race in the following year at Santa Anita Park was expected to showcase Dancing Brave, the Arc winner whose only career defeat was a second-place finish in the Epsom Derby (England; G1). But Dancing Brave was clearly over the top and tired to finish fourth as Manila stormed to a neck victory over Theatrical (Ireland), who would win the Breeders' Cup Turf the following year.

At the Turf events of the 1988 and 1989 Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships, the American home-court advantage became apparent when California-based runners Great Communicator and Prized won, respectively. European runners won in the next two years and have subsequently performed well. In 1996, overseas interests swept the top four spots as Pilsudski (Ireland) finished ahead of Singspiel (Ireland), Swain (Ireland), and Shantou.