Breeders’ Cup: Saturday Best Bet, Best Long Shot and Daily Double

Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup day races, as is often the case, offers plenty more overlays on which to wager than Friday’s card.

There are a number of races and horses in which horseplayers can expect to make money.  Finding the best bet wasn’t easy.  Heck, finding the best long shot bet wasn’t easy!  But, I believe I’ve got it down to a few horses with some nice chances.

Let’s take a look at the best bet, best long shot bet, and best daily double bet on the 2009 Breeders’ Cup Saturday card.

Best Bet:  #5 Gayego 5/2 in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint

Gayego is simply the best horse in the 2009 Breeders’ Cup Sprint.  Although his closing may not be better than Capt. Candyman Can’s, Gayego’s ability to produce a burst of speed on the Pro-Ride surface, as he did in the Grade I Ancient Title in his last race, makes him the best closer in a race full of speed.

Zensational, Cost of Freedom and the brilliantly fast Fatal Bullet take up the first three inside posts.  The Sprint is ripe for a closer and Gayego is the horse to do it.  Without a doubt, he’s the play in a race where speed should falter and closers should prosper.  Expect the best jockey in the world, Garrett Gomez, to put Gayego in perfect position to fire an awesome shot in the lane, passing the three speedsters with ease and running to the finish line first.

Gayego is the best win bet of the day.

Best Long Shot Bet:  #8 Eskendereya 10/1 in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile

Simply put, the $250,000 buy sired son of Giant’s Causeway is coming into the BC Juvenile about as well as any horse in this race.  There is a lot of fluff in this race, including the undefeated Lookin At Lucky who is stuck in the 13th hole, so taking a long shot is definitely the way to go.

Out of all of the potential long shot winners in this race, the Todd Pletcher Eskendereya is the one to bet.  He almost broke his maiden going 1 1/16th miles on the turf at Saratoga but he just couldn’t get there while running up on the inside.  It was a fantastic first time race for a horse.  He went two turns.  He tried to rally up the rail.  That type of education rarely happens in a first race.

In his second race, he used that education to blow the doors off of a nice field of two year olds in a $150,000 stakes race.  Pletcher had so much confidence in Eskendereya that he skipped the usual maiden races to run him in a stakes race.  That rarely happens.  The 7 length victory in the Pilgrim was as good as any race that any of his competitors in today’s field have ever produced.

This field is deep and tough which is one of the reasons Esekendereya is a long shot, but in a day full of long shot potential plays; he rates as the absolute best.

Best Daily Double:  #5 Gayego 5/2 in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint to #5 D’Funnybone 5/2 and #8 Eskendereya 10/1 in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile

#5 Gayego - - As I wrote above, he’s simply the best horse in the race.  He should dominate this field on par with what Ventura will do on Friday.  This guy is a serious racehorse and deserves serious race horse consideration which means keying him in all exotic tickets is probably the way to go.  You have to take a stand on Breeders’ Cup day.  I’m taking my stand with Gayego.