US Racing: Laying the Breeders' Cup runners is still paying

US Racing / Nick Shiambouros / 07 December 2007 / Leave a Comment

Nick Shiambouros takes you through the weekend's racing in the States...

In the dawn of the new era of artificial surfaces a week old track record was broken by Romance Is Diane in The Bayakoa Handicap at Hollywood Park. The new record for the one mile and one sixteenth journey on the Cushion Track is now 1.40.9. Due to the new surface these records are broken quite frequently these days and it may take a few seasons for the times to have more relevance.

I have to give huge credit to the super game winner who held off a very stubborn Tough Tiz's Sis in the lane and thus saving me from paying out on the runner-up which I had opposed at [3.0]. My selection Sugar Shake was never travelling and faded alarmingly at the top of the lane to finish last.

Winter has officially arrived in the New York area as racing switched to the inner track. Our selection Morine's Victory duly obliged to land the feature on Friday's card but he was heavily backed and his closing price was around [2.1].

This was a solid effort and he will pay his way this winter. On Saturday's card the feature race was The Garland Of Roses Handicap and the odds-on favourite Oprah Winney was soundly beaten by Control System. Once again another horse that ran in The Breeder's Cup was disappointing.

As previously reported, treat all horses that ran in The Cup with caution and there are plenty of short-priced favourites that can easily be opposed. Yet another horse in that category was Greg's Gold who was also well beaten at [2.0] back over at Hollywood Park in The Vernon O Underwood by Bushwacker who was brilliantly ridden by teenage riding sensation Joe Talamo. He rides with incredible maturity and will surely be champion jockey sooner rather than later.

On to this week's action and The Queens County Handicap Grade 3 at Aqueduct looks to rest at the mercy of Styvesant winner Hunting who will probably head the market in this warm event. I will be backing him at around [3.2] give or take. Both Evening Attire and Barcola must rate as dangers. The latter would be very dangerous if allowed to dictate the pace.

Over on the west coast at Hollywood Park on Saturday there is a super card on offer featuring two cracking Stakes races. First up is The Hollywood Turf Cup Grade 1 run over a mile-and-a-half on the lawn. I really do savour these rare distance Grade 1 races as they are so few and far between and always attract a lot of ex-European horses. I do like the look of Sunriver who skipped The Breeder's Cup for this race and I will be backing him at around [4.0] for the win. If Gomez can relax him on the lead he will be super tough to beat. As it is a Grade 1 there is plenty of opposition to the selection notably Champs Elysees who has some decent form in Europe and Obrigado who gets Joe Talamo and is a lively outsider.

Later on, one time Kentucky Derby hope Ravel is running in The Native Diver Handicap Grade 3 over nine furlongs on the Cushion Track. He is relatively lightly-raced but faces some very stiff opposition in horses like Arson Squad and the very quirky and talented Buzzard's Bay. I think Ravel will be a short price as connections are already talking about a crack at Next years Breeder's Cup Classic with this horse so I will try to lay him at around [2.5] for the win.

The Fairgrounds over in Louisiana hosts its Champions Day program featuring 11 State Bred Staked races. The feature is The Louisiana Champions Day Classic run over nine furlongs on the main track. I hope the great track announcer John G Dooley calls Costa Rising home first in this race as I will be backing him for the win at around [3.0] or less if I have to. The choice won this race last year and he has been campaigned for this event.

Finally if you are going to Woodbine this weekend for some racing and you either want to celebrate a win or drown your sorrows after a loss you could be in trouble because bar staff and servers are on strike until a pay deal with benefits is thrashed out by The Canadian Auto Workers Union on their behalf. I think that the next time I go racing in the UK I will go on strike as a consumer and not consume any food or beverage in a protest to the outrageous prices that are charged by most racecourses in the country. Perhaps if a few people join me we may just change things a little or at the very least we will leave with more cash in our pockets for once!