Odds Say Curlin but Watch out for European Invaders

Curlin has no choice at this point. He has to step into the fray at Breeders’ Cup Classic. There’s just no other way to write it.

For Belmont Park, the Breeders’ Cup Classic is always a difficult race to win.

The field figures to be contentious from the get go. BetUS online sportsbook fans will need to do some serious creative handicapping in order to find the horse that wins this.

Let’s get to the rankings!

Breeders’ Cup Classic Power Rankings

1. Henrythenavigator - - online betting odds + 500 - - Curlin drops from the top spot because Aidan O’Brien has said that this son of Kingmambo most likely will make the Breeders’ Cup Classic. He’s about as good of a horse as I have seen this year. Unlike Curlin, who may have fired his best shot in March in the Dubai World Cup, Henrythenavigator has room for improvement. If he improves even slightly in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, then watch out. O’Brien loves to send horses to the States and win huge races. This guy should have no problem with the synthetic surface.

2. Casino Drive - - online betting odds + 800 – The likely second choice in this year’s Belmont Stakes until an injury forced him out of the race will prep on the new Santa Anita racing surface for this. That automatically makes him a strong contender from an online betting point-of-view - - should he win that allowance race. If he finishes worse than second, then the Japanese will probably scratch him again. He’s worth a shot at 8 to 1 because he might deserve monster status in this if he runs his race in that allowance prep.

3. Curlin - - online betting odds + 180 - - Curlin is one of the best racehorses I have ever seen in my life. He’s the Elvis of racing. Actually, he might be the Bob Dylan of racing after that enigmatic performance in his last. Even though my online wagering dollars won’t be going on him to win this, his online odds are too low, I won’t be disappointed if he does.

4. New Approach - - online betting odds + 1000 - - His form has tailed off some after losing to Henrythenavigator and Duke of Marmalade, but his ability is unquestioned. Maybe he needed those two loses in order to get back to the top of his form cycle. There’s going to be a heavy influence of European invaders in this year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic.

5. Duke of Marmalade - - online betting odds + 500 - - This guy just needs to show up in the Breeders’ Cup Turf and he probably wins going away, but trainer Aidan O’Brien has never been afraid of a challenge. That’s good new for BetUS online sportsbook fans that will be looking at this guy with a keen eye. Marmalade has Kingmambo on his mother’s side. That means there will be no distance limitations.

6. Big Brown - - online betting odds + 225 - - I have to admit that Brown looked fantastic winning the Monmouth Stakes on the grass in his last race. He’s big, strong, and back on his game. I still have to question the competition he’s faced. That’s why he’s ranked sixth on my list. Also, he’s not bred to beat the likes of Duke of Marmalade and Henrythenavigator. Still, he was impressive. The online wagering odds are still too low.