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Uncle Mo 5-2 Favorite for Saturday's Breeders' Cup Classic

Rob Gregorka

Las Vegas, NV -- Two of the biggest days in horse racing are Friday and Saturday with $26 million up for grabs in the Breeders' Cup. The biggest race over the two days is Saturday's $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic with Uncle Mo listed as the 5-2 favorite on the morning line.

Uncle Mo will start from post #12 in the 13-horse field that includes possible Horse of the Year, Havre de Grace, who is the second choice on the morning line at 3-1. The Breeders' Cup Classic will be the final race of the 15 Breeders' Cup races that begin on Friday.

The big threat to Uncle Mo is expected to be the filly, Havre de Grace, who could be the top horse in the country.

Uncle Mo was thought of as the best horse in the country earlier this year but due to an infection he did not run in the Kentucky Derby. He looks to be at full strength once again and trainer Todd Pletcher is very confident in his horse's chances on Saturday. "I think he's doing as well as he could possibly be doing," Pletcher said. "He has settled in here real well. We're optimistic. We've come a long way, and we're hopeful we can get there." Pletcher will also be sending Stay Thirsty in the Classic for owner Mike Repole. Stay Thirsty is an interesting longshot at odds of 12-1.

The big threat to Uncle Mo is expected to be the filly, Havre de Grace, who could be the top horse in the country. Trainer Larry Jones believes post position #10 will not be a problem. "If Todd is happy with post 12, hopefully [Uncle Mo] will just lead us around there," Jones said. "She has been doing very well after tough races back-to-back-to-back. We were able to back off her training a bit, and she's feeling well right now."

Also in the field for Saturday's Classic is Belmont Stakes winner Drosselmeyer although the horse is not getting much respect in Breeders' Cup odds at 15-1.

One horse that is getting some attention is Flat Out for trainer Charles "Scooter" Dickey. The horse is coming off a great workout at Churchill a few days ago and is listed at off track betting odds of 6-1.

With all the potential big payoffs, and then add the OTB rebate you will get at OffTrackBetting.com, it's the best day of the year to bet the races.


2011 Breeders' Cup Classic Odds

Post

Horse

Jockey

ML Odds

1

Prayer for Relief

Rafael Bejarano

30-1

2

Flat Out

Alex Solis

6-1

3

Drosselmeyer

Mike Smith

15-1

4

Ruler On Ice

Garrett Gomez

30-1

5

So You Think

Ryan Moore

5-1

6

Ice Box

Corey Nakatani

30-1

7

Rattlesnake Bridge

Calvin Borel

30-1

8

Game On Dude

Chantal Sutherland

10-1

9

Stay Thirsty

Javier Castellano

12-1

10

Havre de Grace

Ramon Dominguez

3-1

11

Headache

Paco Lopez

30-1

12

Uncle Mo

John Velazquez

5-2

13

To Honor and Serve

Jose Lezcano

12-1

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