Breeders’ Cup Gambling - The Japanese Come to the Classic with a Star

Japanese horsemen have slowly begun to infiltrate American racing. In the past there had been no reason to invade the States as the purses in Japan and Hong Kong are far more lucrative than the purses in America.

But as the horses in Japan have developed into world beaters, many Japanese horsemen have started to look stateside to take down the quickly rising American purses. Such is the case with the Japanese horse that will run in the Breeders’ Cup Classic on October 25th, Casino Drive.

How good is Casino Drive? He’s about as good as any horse I have seen all year, based on purely watching his races, and no matter what Curlin fans may believe about their god like online betting profit making machine, Casino Drive has a legitimate shot to take down the win money in the Classic.

His easy victory in an allowance race this past Sunday at Santa Anita was absolutely breathtaking. Why? Because at no point did Casino Drive try to do anything in the race. He simply ran up to the front running Informed and then ran by him. He had to quicken sharply in the lane once Dakota Phone came to him, but he even did that with ease.

It was a truly beautiful performance. It had to have opened the eyes of online racebook fans who no doubt are wondering what to make of a horse going into the Breeders’ Cup after only three life time races.

Before I get to that, and it’s a huge deal, I want to discuss some of the reasons Casino Drive could win the Classic.

He will be the closest horse to front runner Well Armed early in the race. Casino Drive has the ability to lay right off the pace. That makes him a serious threat turning for home. Because Big Brown has been retired, Well Armed should get an easy lead in this race. What is the one horse capable of pressing Well Armed? Casino Drive.

By pressing Well Armed, he won’t have to navigate through traffic. By pressing Well Armed, Casino Drive won’t have to navigate through a wall of horses to get to the finish line. It’s an even bigger deal in this race because of the quality of the animals. A lot of the plodders may not even pick up their feet in his race. Have you seen Tiago? Try getting around that big old horse and close into slow fractions! Casino Drive won’t have that issue.

His speed ratings say that he can challenge Curlin. This is a huge plus. Curlin is simply faster than any other horse in the race except for Casino Drive. Now, I’m not saying he has run a rating close to what Curlin usually runs. What I’m saying is that Casino Drive could because this will be only his fourth lifetime start. Casino Drive might actually improve in the Classic.

Okay, there’s only one knock against Casino Drive. It might not even be a knock, but he’s going to have to be a super horse to get through it. The Breeders’ Cup Classic will be only his fourth lifetime start. Yes, I know. I just wrote above that it means he could improve.

That’s true. But it also means that he might not have the experience to beat horses like Curlin, Go Between and Well Armed. It’s going to depend on how much natural ability Casino Drive actually brings to the table.