Now that the post positions for the Breeders' Cup races have been announced, the real handicapping can begin. Here are ten thoughts which came to mind as I was going over the post positions. . .
1. In the Classic, Quality Road could not have drawn a worse post position, in my opinion. As he drew gate one, he is going to have to be sent to the lead or risk getting trapped in a pocket, which would not be good.
2. Chamberlain Bridge drew the one hole in the Turf Sprint, which isn't great. Because he comes from off the pace, he is either going to have to drop back to dead-last and circle the field (not an easy thing to do in a race like this) or try and find openings in the stretch. Neither task will be easy.
3. As if the Filly & Mare Sprint wasn't wide-open enough already, three of the four favorites, Dubai Majesty, Rightly So, and Champagne d'Oro, drew gates twelve, thirteen, and fourteen respectively.
4. Thiskyhasnolimit, who has been training well at Churchill Downs, drew gate seven in the Dirt Mile and should have every chance at running his best race.
5. Also in the Dirt Mile, Vineyard Haven drew gate ten, making his task of wiring this field that much harder.
6. For the second year in a row, Goldikova drew an outside post position. Drawing gate ten this year is better than drawing thirteen last year, but it's still not the best gate she could have drawn.
7. Zenyatta drew an excellent gate in number eight, and should have no trouble dropping back to last early.
8. The Turf Sprint is likely going to turn into a mad rush to grab the rail going into the turn, as the three farthest outside post positions are occupied by California Flag, Tropic Storm, and Canadian Ballet, all of whom have done their best running on the front end. Throw in the other half-dozen or so horses that have shown interest in the lead and you have yourself a spectacular race.
9. I really like Big Drama in the Sprint, but unfortunately, he drew gate one. This means that he is going to have to be sent hard early if he wants to get to the lead.
10. I'm not sure what to think of Life at Ten drawing the rail. She showed the ability to rate just off the lead in the Beldame, but doing that here could find her in a pocket down along the inside with nowhere to go.
So what do you think? How will the post position draws affect your handicapping? What do you think of Quality Road drawing the rail? Are there any longshots that you feel will get a good trip thanks to their post positions? Feel free to comment below!
-Keelerman
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