Horseracing Betting Briefing: All eyes on Santa Anita as Breeders' Cup rounds out a fine seven days of racing

General / Andrew Hughes / 19 October 2008 / Leave a Comment

Andrew Hughes rounds up the domestic and international week ahead in racing.

This is perhaps my favourite time of the racing year. The nights are drawing in, the days are misty and chilly and after a long summer of pulsating Flat racing action, its time for a change of pace, for something a little more substantial. That's the great thing about British racing, that just as you tire of one kind of racing, another is getting into gear. The Cheltenham ante-post markets begin to awaken, the stars of the jumping game are starting to make their reappearances and there is the excitement of all those favourite autumn contests to relish over the next few weeks, from the Old Roan Chase to the Hennessey.

Of course, you need to keep your wits about you at this time of changing codes, particularly if you are choosing to juggle with both at the same time. So to help you pick your way through the top class action this week, here's the Betfair guide to the next seven racing days.

Sunday 19th October

Last Flat meet of the year for Fairyhouse, featuring the appropriately named Finale Stakes over twelve furlongs. There is also the Lanwades and Staffordstown Stud Stakes, a Listed contest for fillies and a typically robust and competitive six furlong Premier Handicap.

Meanwhile, over at Longchamp, there are a couple of interesting Group races. The Prix du Conseil de Paris is a mile-and-a-half race for those middle distance and staying types just short of top class whilst the Prix de Conde for two-year-olds may throw up a star or two.

Monday 20th October

Highlight of the day is up at Pontefract, with one of their better races, the Silver Tankard Stakes over a mile for two-year-olds. Expect a small field made up of decent sorts from some of the better stables.

Friday 24th October

A rather lopsided week ends with a bang as the Breeders' Cup celebrates its silver anniversary. This year the circus has pitched its tent in Santa Anita, just north of Los Angeles and for the first time, the 'dirt' races will be run on Polytrack. The main action is tomorrow, but Betfair will have markets on all the races on both days. And there are some pretty solid looking contests today, confined to fillies and mares. The Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, confined to two-year-olds, is run over a mile whilst the Ladies Classic (formerly known as the Distaff) is a nine furlong contest for fillies and mares. And you shouldn't miss the race that Ouija Board made her own, the Fillies and Mares Turf, run on the turf track inside the Polytrack over ten furlongs. The best of the action begins at 8:35 pm our time.

Saturday 25th October

One of the best days racing of the year. In the afternoon, there's action from Doncaster with the Racing Post Trophy, a top notch two-year-old contest and the final piece in the ante-post puzzles for next year's 2000 Guineas and Derby.

Meanwhile, Newbury hosts a couple of interesting Group races. The Horris Hill Stakes is not quite the Classic trial that it once was, but there will still be a decent field of two-year-olds going to post. And the St Simon Stakes is a typical Group Three over a mile-and-a-half with a small field but plenty of exposed form on view.

Then after the day's domestic racing action, settle back and savour the feast of racing from California. The action begins at 6:10pm and could well go on until around midnight. Perhaps the pick of the evening is the one they all want to win; the Breeders Cup Classic, over ten furlongs, that ends the card. But before that there are eight races of the highest quality. Amongs the highlights are the Breeders Cup Turf over a mile-and-a-half, a race that European raiders have traditionally fared well in. There are also two excellent races for the younger horses, the Juvenile and Juvenile Turf, and the Breeders' Cup Mile and Breeders' Cup Sprint are both fascinating contests.