Breeders' Cup In-Play Tips: The Fugue is a filly to follow on day one

Five days of waiting, rating and pontificating finally gives way to two-and-a-half hours of world-class racing and frenetic wagering. And, as with any race around the world, the key to finding the right in-running options lies in knowing how the race will develop tactically. There is unlikely to be anything complicated about the Juvenile Sprint. In short, Merit Man is probably the best horse in this field and the way he bolted up over this course and distance suggests that he's unlikely to be caught short of speed. This is by far the weakest race of Breeders' Cup weekend. But in Merit Man we have a horse who looks very solid value at anything around 2.56/4. The Marathon looks a riddle wrapped in an enigma and there is nothing safe about backing Fame And Glory given his inexperience on dirt. That said, this is a multiple Group 1 winner over a wide range of distances who has vastly more ability than the vast majority of this bunch.  I suspect he will lead - probably by daylight, possibly by wide daylight - and if that's the case he might just trade appreciably shorter than the current 5.39/2 and bigger. Some will see Richard Hannon's Sky Lantern as Europe's first big hope of the weekend in the Juvenile Fillies Turf.  But Timeform don't make her top-rated despite an Irish Group 1 success and I make the Canadian raider Spring Venture the interesting one here. This filly's impressive defeat of stablemate Spring In The Air in the Natalma Stakes at Woodbine shows her winning potential. The way she cruised along under restraint before unleashing a sharp turn of foot to overcome traffic trouble that day was striking. And, with the runner-up having franked the form by landing a G1 on Polytrack, Spring Venture looks a very interesting trading proposition here. Spring In The Air gets her chance to shine again in the Juvenile Fillies on dirt, but the California girls are the ones to focus on here and the key galloping clue could be the duel at Del Mar Debutante Stakes in which Executiveprivilege nailed Beholder right on the line. At the prices - 8.07/1 vs 2.68/5 - Beholder is the back-to-lay call here. Richard Mandella's filly has blazing speed, as she showed when powering well clear back over six on her latest start, and although the last furlong here is unknown territory I suspect she has all it takes to trade at short prices in-running. The Filly & Mare Turf and the Ladies' Classic are both tremendously deep contests in which a case can be made for any number of horses. But I'll make mine for The Fugue and I'm A Dreamer in the former and Royal Delta in the latter. The Fugue has looked tailor made for the F&MT for ages and her ability to quicken could prove a major asset, while I'm A Dreamer is definite saver material for the simple reason she's no slouch in the acceleration department and that her Betfair price - around 15.014/1 - underestimates her chance. The Ladies Classic is a belter, but stamina could be very important with several strong front runners and last year's winner Royal Delta will relish a fast pace as she bids to win this for the second year running. Breeders' Cup Recommended Bets Back Merit Man in the BC Juvenile Sprint Back Spring Venture in the Juvenile Fillies Turf and lay off at 3.02/1 in-running Back Beholder in the Juvenile Fillies and lay off at 2.56/4 in-running Back The Fugue in the F&MT and lay off at 2.01/1 in-running Back I'm A Dreamer in the F&MT and lay off at 4.03/1 in-running Back Royal Delta in the Ladies' Classic and lay off at 1.51/2 in-running