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It’s the first of two days of outstanding racing action at Del Mar for the Breeders’ Cup with Friday’s card turned over to the juveniles. I’ve been through all the facts and figures and taken a look at the odds on the best betting sites to come up with five Breeders’ Cup tips for day one. This has been a poor race for favourites in recent times. There’s no doubt that the Ballydoyle inmate True Love has the pick of the form going into it but it’s interesting that Aidan O’Brien has left her in two contests. She is entered in both this and the Mile (23.05) and that doesn’t smack of being ultra confident she’s going to win this, more a case of waiting to see if the race cuts up at all and making a late call. She’s a Cheveley Park winner, so she must be taken very seriously but at the prices on horse racing betting sites, there are other potential improvers in the field. Aidan also has both Brussels and Mission Central set to line up, while another trainer who is mob-handed in Wesley Ward. He has four declared runners and the pick of them looks to be SCHWARZENEGGER, who was just pipped on debut at Saratoga in August, before stepping up to win at Listed level on his only subsequent start. He’s by leading sire Not This Time, who was a close second in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and he’s bred for speed. Wesley Ward has proved to be a genius with this type of horse and has won three of the last nine runnings of this. At 7/1, his charge can be backed each-way with plenty of confidence that he’ll be up to a very big run here, given his trainer knows what it takes to win it. Breeders’ Cup tip 1: Schwarzenegger (Del Mar, 21.45) – 0.5pts each-way @ 7/1 (Ladbrokes) A few of these have already taken each other on, with joint favourites Bottle Of Rouge and Explora among them, the former winning that battle of the Bob Baffert stable companions in the Group 1 Debutante Stakes here over 7f last month. Similarly, Percy’s Bar got the better of TOMMY JO in Keeneland’s Group 1 Alcibiades Stakes (1m½f, Dirt) at the beginning of this month but the latter was deemed to have been so badly impeded in the closing stages that Percy’s Bar was disqualified and she was awarded the race. She’d previously beaten that opponent by more than six lengths in a Saratoga Group 1 (7f, Dirt) and that looks a very good piece of form. There looks to be more improvement to come from Todd Pletcher’s filly and there looks to be some value in the 4/1 on offer at the time of writing. We’ll play to win but if that price eases on betting apps at all, I’d not put you off having an each-way interest for some insurance, given we have an unexposed field. Breeders’ Cup Tip 2: Tommy Jo (Del Mar, 22.25) – 1pt win @ 4/1 (Unibet) It’s not easy to look beyond PRECISE in this contest and Aidan O’Brien’s filly gets the vote. She’s battle hardened going into it and, while others have less experience and, therefore, you could argue more potential for improvement, the daughter of Starspangledbanner has done nothing wrong. She’s already proven in elite company, having won back-to-back Group 1 races in the Moyglare and the Fillies’ Mile and she should prove very tough to be for a trainer who has won two of the last three renewals. Time To Dream was unlucky when a strong finishing third after meeting with traffic problems behind Imaginationthelady last time, while Ground Support is another who could improve to take a hand again. Breeders’ Cup Tip 3: Precise (Del Mar, 23.05) – 2pts win @ 6/5 (Unibet) Always a big pointer to the following season’s Kentucky Derby, this extended mile contest has drawn a field of eight, with just half of them holding any realistic chance based on what we’ve seen. Neither Intrepido nor Blackout Time is ruled out, as both has some good form on the board but the two to concentrate on look to be Brant and TED NOFFEY. The latter gets the vote because he is already proven at around this trip and his eight length Group 1 win at Saratoga last month is the pick of the form on offer. That was over 7f but he then followed up in Keeneland’s Group 1 Futurity at the beginning of this month, when upped to an extended mile. While Brant may be capable of improving again, he’s likely to need to find another seven or eight pounds with the selection, who himself may be capable of better. He may be a short price on horse racing betting apps but I’m with Todd Pletcher’s colt to win this. Breeders’ Cup Tip 4: Ted Noffey (Del Mar, 23.45) – 2pts win @ 10/11 (Ladbrokes) G’staad starts as the favourite and, as one who backed him when he won the Group 2 Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot, I’m a fan. He’s acquitted himself very well at this elite level, with three successive close second in the Prix Morny (6f, good); the National Stakes (7f, yielding) and most recently, the Dewhurst (7f, good to firm). His form is the best and most consistent in the race but he’s clearly not bombproof and he feels like he’s a skinny price at around 5/4. The one I prefer at the prices is HEY NAY NAY. John Sadler’s No Nay Never colt is unbeaten in three starts, stepping up to win a Grade 3 here over a mile decisively last time. The 14/1 on offer about his chance looks too big to miss in what is effectively a one horse market and we can back him each-way with a field of 14 giving us three places. Breeders’ Cup Tip 5: Hey Nay Nay (Del Mar, 00.25) – 0.5pts each-way @ 14/1 (BetVictor) If you plan to have a bet on the Breeders' Cup, make sure to gamble responsibly. It’s vital that bettors take steps to remain in control of their time and budget when using gambling sites. The same applies whether you’re using the best betting sites, slot sites, casino sites, casino apps, or any other gambling medium. Even the most knowledgeable punter can lose a bet, so always stick to a budget and never chase your losses. It’s particularly important not to get carried away by any betting sign up offers or casino offers you might receive, both of which are available in abundance on gambling sites, but must be approached with caution. You can stay in control by making use of the responsible gambling tools offered, such as deposit limits, loss limits, self-exclusion and time-outs. You may also want to visit the following free organisations to discuss any issues with gambling you might be having: We may earn commission from some of the links in this article, but we never allow this to influence our content. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.
