With the fall horse racing season set to come to a dramatic and exciting close at the historic Churchill Downs on the first sports betting weekend in November, a new report has added to the hype of the event with the announcement that a record 226 entrants have been accepted for the Breeders Cup. With 193 individual runners, 33 of which have been entered in more than one event, a season that has been dominated by parity is likely to continue in similar fashion.
Of the 193 individual runners, there will be five intertops winners from last year’s event that will be on hand. The biggest name of that group is Uncle Mo, which won the Juvenile race but will now get a shot at the main event, the Breeders’ Cup Classic. With a total purse of $6 million, the Breeders Cup Classic holds more than 80-percent of that total with the $5 million prize the richest of the event’s races. While he is sure to be among the favorites, Uncle Mo will have to overcome a strong list of contenders that includes Belmont Stakes’ winner Drosselmeyer, Travers winner Stay Thirsty, and likely three-time Eclipse Award winner Gio Ponti, which was cross-entered in both the Classic and the Mile with the former as its first choice. With so many big names entered in to the main event, it seems as though a season burdened by parity will continue on the same pay head path.
