Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf

by Ed Meyer

posted on October 21, 2009 in Breeders Cup, General Discussion, Handicapping | No Comments >>

This race has always been good to me…. I sure hope I have not angered the wagering gods with that last statement, as they have no sense of humor when man thinks he does well on a race or surface…Hence, poly-track was created….. And it took more than seven days.

We are returning to Santa Anita. I loved my first trip last year, and the weather was great. I could not have asked for anything more, other than to conquer day two as I did on day one.

Beware of the weather. Do not play Euros that only love soft or yielding courses. Sometimes the turf can be sun baked. If the clouds open up, it can and will offer up a giving course. The funny thing is that European runners love this sod. Be sure to make sure they have run well on whatever type 0f surface is going on.  16 out of the last 25 have handled the sod of the day. Make sure to give bonus points for those who won their last time out..

Take a chance on a longshot. Turf runners can hold their ability for a long run. You should look for a runner that has run and won in the past 30 days. 12 out of 25 winners have followed this method.

Early speed fades… It will go the way of the dinosaur.. Far off pace runners who wheedle through the pack fare very well down the lane. I would not look for a gate to wire effort, and better focus on closers. Only 6 out of 25 speedsters have rolled….

Now is the time to brush up on breeding. For the babies it is really important. The grass runners always go back to this. You can throw out grass breeding for an 8-year-old weed runner. I think they have proven their point. It makes all the payoffs in the world to pay attention to the juvenile breeding.