Horse Racing Worse Off Than BCS Mess

It is too bad the folks who run the BCS don't run Horse Racing Betting too. For as ridiculous a way it is that the BCS goes about crowning a so-called best college football team in the land -- an arranged marriage, I call it -- it would be an upgrade for how the monarchs in the sport of kings go about naming their best horse. This year, especially, they looked like dunces instead.

To be sure, Horse Racing chose the three-year-old filly Rachel Alexandra (pictured) on Monday night in Beverly Hills as the 2009 Horse of the Year at its Eclipse Awards, which are a sort of Oscars' handout for the horse racing game. She etched herself into the public psyche last season with a win in the Preakness, the second leg of the Triple Crown, against a field full of boys with that crazy Calvin Borel in her saddle. She won her other seven starts last season, including two more against nothing but boys, to finish 8-0.

With such a stellar record, she appeared impossible to argue against -- unless you were the handlers of another female, a five-year-old mare named Zenyatta. Horse Racing Betting

Breeders' Cup Horses are Clean - Horse Racing

All horses that ran in the Breeders' Cup have tested negative for illegal performance-enhancing drugs.

The California Horse Racing Board said testing was completed Tuesday and all the samples came back clear from the UC Davis laboratory.

All entrants underwent pre-race blood testing for TCO2, a performance-enhancing alkalizing agent known as a ``milkshake,'' while post-race blood and urine testing was done on the top three finishers in all 14 races plus random horses selected by the stewards at Santa Anita.

The tests checked for more than 45 anabolic steroids and hundreds of other prohibited drugs.

Out-of-competition testing was also done on 25 percent of all horses pre-entered in the two-day world championships, with samples analyzed in Europe for international entries.

2009 Breeders' Cup Betting - Match Schedule

Since 1984, the Breeders' Cup organizers at Breeders' Cup Limited has paid out more than $325 million in purses and awards through the Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships and its year-round racing programs. These Breeders' Cup races include the Breeders' Cup Stakes program, which is cooperatively funded by Breeders' Cup Limited and 40 participating racetracks.

2009 Breeders' Cup Schedule

November 6, 2009 Breeders' Cup Races at Santa Anita Park

* Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (gr. IT), $2,000,000g, 3&up, f/m, 11f (turf).
* Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (gr. I), $2,000,000g, 2yo f, 8.5f.
* Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic (gr. I), $2,000,000g, 3&up, f/m, 9f.
* Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (gr. I), $1,000,000g, 3&up, f/m, 7f.
* Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, $1,000,000g, 2yo f, 8f (turf).

November 7, 2009 Breeders' Cup Races at Santa Anita Park

* Breeders' Cup Classic (gr. I), $5,000,000g, 3&up, 10f.
* Breeders' Cup Turf (gr. IT), $3,000,000g, 3&up, 12f (turf).
* Breeders' Cup Juvenile (gr. I), $2,000,000g, 2yo, c/g, 8.5f.
* Breeders' Cup Mile (gr. IT), $2,000,000g, 3&up, 8f (turf).
* Breeders' Cup Sprint (gr. I), $2,000,000g, 3&up, 6f.
* Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (gr. I), $1,000,000g, 3&up, 8f.
* Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (gr. IIT), $1,000,000g, 2yo, 8f (turf).
* Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint, $1,000,000g, 3&up, 6.5f (turf).
* Breeders' Cup Marathon, $500,000g, 3&up, 12f.

2009 Breeders' Cup post times to be announced.

The 2009 Breeders’ Cup is just about upon us! Comprised of 14 races over 2 days, the Breeders’ Cup is America’s biggest days of thoroughbred action!

With horses arriving from all over the world and with total purses close to 26 million, there’s no wonder that the Breeders’ Cup has become the two biggest days in horse racing in North America.

This year’s races will showcase two of America’s most popular horses, the undefeated Zenyatta and the Belmont and Travers winner, Summer Bird.

Zenyatta’s connections have been quiet on whether or not she will run in the Ladies’ Classic on Nov. 7th. 6th or the Classic on Nov. 7th. In whichever race she runs, Zenyatta figures to be a short-priced favorite unless bettors decide to knock down the Travers winner, Summer Bird, to favoritism. A win in the Classic no doubt would give Summer Bird the right to claim the Horse of the Year title.

Check out more Breeders Cup Betting Picks & Odds, Horse Racing Odds at BetRepublic.com

Horse Racing Picks: Howard Johnson Hopes For Tidal Revival

In latest horse racing picks, Howard Johnson hopes a breathing operation can help Tidal Bay return to his best at Aintree on Saturday.

His stable star runs in the tote ten to follow Old Roan Chase and the trainer is expecting a big run.

"We are looking forward to getting Tidal Bay back on the racecourse. We had him hobdayed through the summer and we are hoping that has tidied him up. I would say at the minute that he will probably be our standard bearer this year," said Johnson with sports betting community.

"He jumped a few fences indoors on Monday morning and looked good. He'll school outdoors if it keeps drizzling like it is now and he will have a piece of work with Denis O'Regan up, probably on Tuesday. If I'm happy and the ground is alright, we'll go to Aintree.

"He is training well and we'll weigh him on Wednesday. He actually looks like he's carrying a lot more condition this year, which is good because he always looks Gorky."

Johnson is pleased with the form of his stable at present, which boasts a 33% strike rate this month, with nine wins from 27 runners.

He said: "The horses in horse racing betting generally are alright, I'm happy enough with them, it's just that we haven't been able to get on the grass yet. The ground has been too firm and the racecourses don't help us trainers in the north east because they won't let us work our horses on the tracks."

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