Kevin Blake's Breeders' Cup Day 1 Tips: Lake Victoria Friday night's banker

• British raider Aesterius can with the Juvenile Sprint

• Lake Victoria the banker of the night for many

• Expect another procession from talented East Avenue

• Place £10 bet on any sport on the Betfair Exchange to start your Free Bet Streak

Listen to Racing...Only Bettor

The Breeders' Cup takes centre stage in the world of racing in the coming days. The two-day meeting is a feast of world-class action that brings together contenders from all over the globe. Del Mar in California is the venue this year and with a huge array of contenders having made the trip from Europe to bid for glory, there are sure to be multitudes of British and Irish eyes transfixed on the action.

Right, let's get straight into it.

21:45 - Back Aesterius @ 9/25.50

The Breeders' Cup Juvenile Sprint (21.45) would look just as at home being run in Europe as half of the runners are trained there. A point that cannot be emphasised enough on the five-furlong turf track at Del Mar is that it really is as tight as it gets.

The stats will tell you what you might already suspect to be the case, as low-drawn horses and those that race close to the pace are very much favoured.

With this in mind, I am favouring the Archie Watson-trained Aesterius.

His form ties in with plenty of these and there isn't much between them on the book. He was most recently seen getting the better of the re-opposing Big Mojo in the Flying Childers Stakes at Doncaster by just a neck, but a combination of his low draw, his front-running style and crucially, the fact that he has shown above-average gate speed despite having been saddled with the widest stall (horses drawn in the widest stall with open space on their outer are statistically more likely to be slow from the gates) on a couple of occasions.

Big Mojo hasn't been quite as consistent at the gates and as well as that he hasn't been looking to have been enjoying the training environment at Del Mar as much as others, having been seen to get quite fired up on a few occasions. So, Asterius is the selection to make all and win.

Watch Paul Nicholls talk to Betfair about his Saturday runners

🏇 Paul's Ditcheat Decs

A busy Saturday for the yard as the wraps are taken off Bravemansgame in the Charlie Hall and 7 runners at a drying Ascot.

Plus, Paul's thoughts on City Of Troy as he bids to land the Breeders' Cup Classic on dirt at Del Mar!@PFNicholls @BetfairBarry pic.twitter.com/uFoXPR9BvA

-- Betfair Racing (@BetfairRacing) November 1, 2024

23:05 - Back Lake Victoria @ 11/102.11

The John Deere Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (23:05) will feature what for many will be the short-priced banker of the meeting in the shape of the Aidan O'Brien-trained Lake Victoria.

The daughter of Frankel has created a deep impression in her career thus far and has already accumulated a CV that might well make her unique in the history of the two-year-old pattern.

She made it three wins from three starts when successfully stepping up in class to win the Moyglare Stud Stakes at the Curragh, coming from last to first to beat better-fancied rivals with style points.

Then, both unexpectedly and remarkably, Aidan O'Brien decided to drop her in trip just 13 days later to contest the Cheveley Park Stakes over six furlongs at Newmarket. By any measure, this was a very left field decision to take, but it was justified in spectacular style as Lake Victoria switched to make positive tactics over the shorter trip on softer ground and blew away her opposition by three lengths having made the running on her side of the track.

In short, Lake Victoria has to already be considered one of the most remarkable two-year-old fillies of recent years.

Now, she steps right up in trip for this contest over a mile on what will be the firmest ground she has encountered. The draw Gods have been very kind to her by dealing her stall one and her tactical versatility will make Ryan Moore's job that bit easier, with a no-nonsense box seat ride likely to be plan A. The one ever-so-slight concern regarding her chance is the much firmer ground, as she is a very powerful and quite heavy filly, but it is only a slight concern.

Lake Victoria will be a banker for many and I certainly won't be disagreeing. I could see her winning this with added style points.

23:45 - Back East Avenue @ 9/43.25

For my final selection, I will make a venture onto the dirt track for the Fanduel Breeders' Cup Juvenile (23:45).

Every single morning I've been out on the track in the morning, a two-year-old has caught the eye to an extent that made me go away and have a deep look at his form. That colt is East Avenue.

He is a physical standout, a real beauty that has been impressing everyone, and his form only serves to reinforce the positive view of him. He has been utterly dominant in his two starts to date, turning a Grade 1 at Keeneland into a procession on the latest occasion. He has been gifted a plum draw and it wouldn't be a surprise if he turns this into a procession too.

Now read Ryan Moore on his Friday rides at the Breeders' Cup here.