POST POSITIONS FOR THE LADIES' CLASSIC

Here are the post positions for the Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic. . .

1 Life at Ten
2 It's Tea Time
3 Malibu Prayer
4 Milwaukee Appeal
5 Acting Happy
6 Persistently
7 Seeking the Title
8 Unrivaled Belle
9 Acomo
10 Blind Luck
11 Havre de Grace

-Keelerman

POST POSITIONS FOR THE CLASSIC

Here are the post positions for the Breeders' Cup Classic

PP/Horse/Odds
1 Quality Road 5-1
2 Paddy O'Prado 15-1
3 Haynesfield 12-1
4 First Dude 15-1
5 Blame 9-2
6 Fly Down 15-1
7 Musket Man 20-1
8 Zenyatta 8-5
9 Pleasant Prince 30-1
10 Etched 30-1
11 Espoir City 20-1
12 Lookin at Lucky 6-1

-Keelerman

POST POSITIONS FOR THE TURF

Here are the post positions for the Breeders' Cup Turf. . .

PP/Horse/Odds
1 Champ Pegasus 10-1
2 Winchester 8-1
3 Telling 20-1
4 Debussy 10-1
5 Al Khali 10-1
6 Workforce 7-5
7 Behkabad 9-5
8 Dangerous Midge 12-1

-Keelerman

POST POSITIONS FOR THE DIRT MILE

Here are the post positions for the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile. . .

1 Dakota Phone 30-1
2 Tizway 6-1
3 Aikenite 50-1
4 Mad Flatter 12-1
5 Here Comes Ben 6-1
6 Gayego 6-1
7 Thiskyhasnolimit 10-1
8 Crown of Thorns 4-1
9 Hurricane Ike 20-1
10 Morning Line 7-2
11 Mine That Bird 20-1
12 Vineyard Haven 10-1
13 Cool Coal Man 20-1

Interestingly, Morning Line is the morning line favorite. . . :)

-Keelerman

POST POSITIONS FOR THE MILE

Here are the post positions for the Breeders' Cup Mile. . .

1 Beethoven
2 Society's Chairman
3 Gio Ponti
4 Court Vision
5 Delegator
6 Paco Boy
7 The Usual Q. T.
8 Get Stormy
9 Sidney's Candy
10 Goldikova
11 Proviso

-Keelerman

POST POSITIONS FOR THE JUVENILE

Here are the post positions for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile. . .

1 Biondetti
2 Boys at Tosconova
3 J. B.'s Thunder
4 J P's Gusto
5 Riveting Reason
6 Stay Thirsty
7 Uncle Mo
8 Murjan
9 Rogue Romance
10 Jaycito

-Keelerman

POST POSITIONS FOR THE TURF SPRINT

Here are the post positions for the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint. . .

1 Chamberlain Bridge
2 Central City
3 Stradivinsky
4 Unzip Me
5 Silver Timber
6 Waveline
7 Bridgetown
8 Quick Enough
9 Rose Catherine
10 Due Date
11 Grand Adventure
12 California Flag
13 Tropic Storm
14 Canadian Ballet

Also Eligible

15 Yield Bogey

-Keelerman

POST POSITIONS FOR THE SPRINT

Here are the post positions for the Breeders' Cup Sprint. . .

1 Big Drama
2 Girolamo
3 Wise Dan
4 Hamazing Destiny
5 Smiling Tiger
6 Pashito the Che
7 Kinsale King
8 Cash Refund
9 Surpreme Summit
10 Riley Tucker
11 Atta Boy Roy
12 Warrior's Reward

-Keelerman

POST POSITIONS FOR THE JUVENILE TURF

The Post Positions for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf have been announced!

Here they are. . .

1 Tycoon Slew
2 Deciphering Dreams
3 Mantoba
4 Air Support
5 Master of Hounds
6 Utley
7 Wilcox Inn
8 Banned
9 Soldat
10 Madman Diaries
11 Rough Sailing
12 Humble and Hungry
13 Pluck

-Keelerman

POST POSITIONS FOR THE FILLY & MARE TURF

The post positions have just been drawn for the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf!

Here they are. . .

1 Plumania
2 Eclair de Lune
3 Miss Keller
4 Keertana
5 Shared Account
6 Harmonious
7 Midday
8 Hot Cha Cha
9 Hibayeeb
10 Red Desire
11 Forever Together

-Keelerman

POST POSITIONS FOR THE JUVENILE FILLIES TURF

The post positions have just been drawn for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf!

Here they are. . .

1 Dos Lunas
2 Tale Untold
3 Quiet Oasis
4 Kathmanblu
5 Forest Legend
6 Arch Support
7 Winter Memories
8 Wyomia
9 Fancy Point
10 New Normal
11 More Than Real
12 Flood Plain
13 Together
14 Allure d'Amour

Also Eligible

15 Nina Fever

-Keelerman

POST POSITIONS FOR THE MARATHON

The post positions have just been drawn for the Breeders' Cup Marathon!

Here they are. . .

1 Atoned
2 Prince Will I Am
3 Million Seller
4 Eldaafer
5 Romp
6 Gabriel's Hill
7 Awesome Gem
8 Giant Oak
9 Bright Horizon
10 Alcomo
11 Precision Break
12 A. U. Miner

-Keelerman

KEELERMAN'S BREEDERS' CUP RANKINGS - November 2nd, 2010

(Note: Because the final entries are announced today, this is my final "Breeders' Cup Rankings" post. I will handicap the races soon and post my picks & thoughts later this week.)

CLASSIC

1 Zenyatta
2 Lookin at Lucky
3 Blame
4 Quality Road
5 Haynesfield

TURF

1 Behkabad
2 Champ Pegasus
3 Workforce
4 Winchester
5 Al Khali

MILE

1 Goldikova
2 Gio Ponti
3 Proviso
4 Paco Boy
5 Court Vision

SPRINT

1 Kinsale King
2 Big Drama
3 Smiling Tiger
4 Wise Dan
5 Girolamo

LADIES' CLASSIC

1 Blind Luck
2 Havre de Grace
3 Life at Ten
4 Unrivaled Belle
5 Persistently

FILLY & MARE TURF

1 Midday
2 Harmonious
3 Red Desire
4 Plumania
5 Eclair de Lune

DIRT MILE

1 Here Comes Ben
2 Crown of Thorns
3 Thiskyhasnolimit
4 Tizway
5 Vineyard Haven

FILLY & MARE SPRINT

1 Dubai Majesty
2 Champagne d'Oro
3 Rightly So
4 Evening Jewel
5 Sara Louise

TURF SPRINT

1 Silver Timber
2 Chamberlain Bridge
3 Rose Catherine
4 Unzip Me
5 Central City

MARATHON

1 Bright Horizon
2 Giant Oak
3 Eldaafer
4 Awesome Gem
5 Romp

JUVENILE

1 Uncle Mo
2 Jaycito
3 Boys at Tosconova
4 J P's Gusto
5 Murjan

JUVENILE FILLIES

1 Awesome Feather
2 Tell a Kelly
3 Delightful Mary
4 A Z Warrior
5 R Heat Lightning

JUVENILE TURF

1 Dux Scholar
2 Mantoba
3 Soldat
4 Air Support
5 Utely

JUVENILE FILLIES TURF

1 Winter Memories
2 Together
3 New Normal
4 Tale Untold
5 Wyomia

-Keelerman

FOREVER TOGETHER AGAIN

Heading into the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf, it's hard not to feel that the American representatives have little chance. After all, with the likes of Midday, Plumania, and Red Desire in the race, it's fairly easy to see the American's getting shut out of the trifecta.

Obviously, there are contenders from the United States. Harmonious, Eclair de Lune, and Miss Keller will all be well bet. However, there is one mare, a pretty gray six-year-old that may be forgotten in the betting, yet has a decent chance at winning the race.

This mare is named Forever Together.

Trained by Jonathan Sheppard, Forever Together is already a Breeders' Cup winner, as well as an Eclipse award winner---her victory in the 2008 Filly & Mare Turf made her the obvious choice for the Eclipse award as Champion Turf Female. Unfortunately, her luck has turned sour since then, and she has recorded only two wins since that brilliant score.

Some of her losses have been easy to understand. She has had more than her fair share of traffic trouble, and has run into some very good horses recently.

Her last victory came by a head in the Diana Handicap (gr. I) of 2009. She then lost her next race, the grade II Canadian Stakes, by a nose. Not a bad effort there, she ran a mile and an eighth in 1:45 flat and just missed winning.

In her next start, the First Lady Stakes (gr. I) she dropped back to as many as twenty lengths off the pace. Remember, this race was only a mile. She was eight and a half lengths behind at the eighth pole, and somehow managed to get up for third, beaten only a length and a half by winner Diamondrella.

Favored for a repeat in the 2009 Breeders' Cup, Forever Together dropped well off the pace and rallied furiously, but ended up finishing third, just over two lengths behind Midday. The final time in the ten furlong event was 1:59 flat.

That was supposed to be her last race, but Forever Together was brought back for another year of competition. She made her return in April at Keeneland, finishing second, beaten a half-length, in the Jenny Wiley Stakes (gr. II). The winner, however, was Wasted Tears, who has subsequently shown how brilliant she is on turf. The final time in that mile and a sixteenth race was 1:40 4/5.

Shipped to Hollywood Park for the grade I Gamely Stakes, Forever Together ran into a monster mare in Tuscan Evening, who just managed to hold off the 2008 champion for a half-length victory. The final time was a sharp 1:47 1/5.

Then came the Diana Handicap, which Forever Together was attempting to win for the third consecutive year. Once again, luck was not with her. Despite stumbling at the start and running into traffic issues, Forever Together charged gamely in between horses and finished third, failing by a head to defeat Proviso and Shared Account.

Then she ran in the grade III Glen Falls Handicap. Going farther than she had ever gone before, a mile and three eighths, Forever Together dropped well off the pace, but rallied mildly to finish third, beaten four and a half lengths. The final time was an excellent 2:12 3/5.

Finally, in her last start, the grade I Flower Bowl Invitational at Belmont Park, Forever Together suffered from a bad trip and a very, very yielding track, and finished sixth of seven, beaten thirteen lengths.

However, I’m going to excuse that poor effort for multiple reasons, one of them being that nothing went her way that day. She raced wide all the way around the track, and I don’t believe that she cares for yielding turf courses. The turf course that day was bog-like and far from the firm surface that saw her win the Breeders’ Cup in 2008.

Now, I'm not saying that Forever Together is going to win this year’s Filly & Mare Turf, and I would not be surprised if she failed to hit the board. But don't throw her out just because of her last race; it was better than it appeared to be. If she gets an opportunity to drop well off the pace on Friday, you may think that you are watching the 2008 Forever Together charging down in the center of the track.

Perhaps the winner will be Forever Together again.

-Keelerman

JUVENILE TURF THOUGHTS

Here are ten handicapping thoughts regarding the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf, one of the trickier races to decipher of the fourteen Breeders' Cup races. . .

1. European colts have won two of the three runnings of this race, with Pounced in 2009 and Donativum in 2008. In 2007, the one year in which a European colt did not win the race, Archill Hill, a European, finished second, beaten by a half-length.

2. Soldat probably doesn't care for yielding turf. In the With Anticipation Stakes (gr. III) over a firm turf course, he won by three lengths, getting a mile and a sixteenth in 1:41.37. Seven lengths behind him, finishing fourth, was Air Support. In Soldat's next start, the Pilgrim Stakes (gr. III) over a yielding turf course, he was beaten a length and a half by Air Support, who ran a mile and a sixteenth in 1:47 4/5.

3. Banned could run the best race of his life here, as he comes off of an impressive score in a $49,000 allowance race at Keeneland where he won by five lengths. Granted, the final time was only 1:38, but he is most likely capable of better.

4. Mantoba looks like a very good European colt after winning an allowance race at Newmarket last time out by an easy 2 1/4 lengths. He was carrying 129 pounds that day and gets into the Juvenile Turf carrying only 122 pounds. Hmm. . .

5. Although Madman Diaries has never gone beyond six furlongs, I would not be surprised to see him do what Bridgetown did last year, set a slow pace and hang around for second. Bridgetown has since become a very good sprinter. Can Madman Diaries do the same?

6. Humble and Hungry seems to a capable enough colt. He broke his maiden last time out in a one mile turf race at Belmont Park, winning by a length and a quarter after going three wide all the way. He could improve off of that race and seems to have some stamina.

7. Master of Hounds is coming into this race having raced in the group I Racing Post Trophy Stakes at Doncaster on October 23rd. He may be racing again a bit quickly, but he is bred to win this race and looks very classy.

8. Dux Scholar, another European invader, must not be ignored based off of his strong second to Klammer in the group III Horris Hill Stakes, where he was beaten a nose.

9. Utely looks like a possibility here. Although he faded in his last start, the group I Grand Criterium at Longchamp, that seven furlong race was run in a very good time (1:23) and looks very intriguing here.

10. Trainer John Gosden has won this race two years in a row, which make Utely even more interesting.

-Keelerman