Get Your Bankroll Ready!

by Ed Meyer

posted on October 15, 2008 in Breeders Cup, News | No Comments >>

With the Breeders’ Cup coming upon us very quickly, you will definitely want to take advantage of getting your WinningPonies.com picks as soon as they are available. There will be two incredible days of racing, and value packed exotics that can payoff big.

Highlighted by the world’s largest guaranteed Pick 6 betting pool and new Super High 5 wagers, the Breeders’ Cup announced on Sept. 29 the post times and wagering menu for the 25th Breeders’ Cup World Championships, on Friday-Saturday, Oct. 24-25, at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif. The official race order for the World Championships will be announced on Thursday, Oct. 16.

The expanded two-day race program includes 14 Breeders’ Cup races worth $25.5 million in prize money.

Each race will feature a maximum of 14 horses and wagering interests, with the exception of the Grey Goose Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf, the Grey Goose Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf and the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint, each of which have a maximum of 12 horses. In addition to the standard Win, Place and Show betting, there will be Exacta and Trifecta wagering on every race; and rolling Pick 3 wagers beginning with the first race and continuing through all races on both Friday and Saturday. Over the 24 years of the Breeders’ Cup, Exacta payouts have averaged a robust $230.00, while Trifecta payouts have averaged $2,600.

Saturday features the world’s largest guaranteed pool, the $3 million Ultra Pick 6. Four times in the past ten years, players have become millionaires by correctly selecting the six winners. Graham Stone won $2.7 million on an $8 ticket at the 2003 Breeders’ Cup at Santa Anita, by correctly selecting six winners of six consecutive Breeders Cup races on one ticket. The Ultra Pick 6 has a mandatory payout for Saturday.

Also new this year is Super High 5 wagering on both the Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic and the Breeders’ Cup Classic. In the Super High 5, bettors are required to select the first five finishing places on one ticket. If no one hits the Super High 5 on Friday, the pool will carry over to Saturday’s Super High 5 on the Classic, where there will be a mandatory payout.

There will be a Breeders’ Cup Pick 6 on Championship Friday, with a carryover provision into Saturday if no one correctly selects the six winners.

“With 14 World Championship races over the two days, racing fans around the world will have the opportunity to watch and enjoy the ‘best betting days in sports’, as the Breeders’ Cup has proven year after year,” said Ken Kirchner, who has overseen wagering programs for the Breeders’ Cup since 1996. “It’s the high quality of the fields that produces the incredible betting value, from the Ultra Pick 6 which can return millions, to lucrative Exacta and Trifecta payouts. With ten cent Superfectas and the new Super High Five Wagers, these are two days every player wants to load up on.”

Other featured wagers this year include:

  • Ten-cent Superfectas will be offered on every race, except the two Super High Five races.
  • Two of the Breeders’ Cup Saturday Pick 4s are guaranteed with the early Pick 4 starting on race 2 with a $1 million guarantee, and the Pick 4 starting on race 6 with a $2 million guarantee.

The Breeders’ Cup again will be a truly global competition for the horses and fans. Wagering will be conducted in over 20 countries, including Canada, France, United Kingdom, Ireland, Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Italy, Monaco, South Africa, Hong Kong, Australia, Mexico, Panama, Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Jamaica, and Trinidad.

There will be a total of 10 races (five Breeders’ Cup races) on the Friday program. First post time on Friday is 2:05 p.m. ET. Post time for the first Breeders’ Cup race, featuring the first-ever all Female program of major stakes races, is at 3:35 p.m. ET. The five Breeders’ Cup races will be: $1 million Sentient Flight Group Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint, $1 million Grey Goose Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, $2 million Bessemer Trust Breeders Cup Juvenile Fillies, $2 million Emirates Airline Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf and the $2 million Ladies Classic. ESPN2 will televise the five Breeders’ Cup races beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET until 6:30 p.m. ET.

On Championship Saturday, first post time is 1:10 p.m. ET. The program will begin with nine consecutive Breeders’ Cup races. ABC Sports will televise four races from 1:00-3:30 p.m. ET, followed by the remaining five races on ESPN from 3:30-7:00 p.m. ET. The nine Breeders’ Cup Championship races will be: $500,000 Breeders’ Cup Marathon, $1 million Grey Goose Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf, $1 million Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, $1 million Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint, $2 million Bessemer Trust Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, $2 million Breeders’ Cup Mile, $2 million Sentient Flight Group Breeders’ Cup Sprint, $3 million Emirates Airline Breeders’ Cup Turf and the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic.