Breeders’ Cup Betting Tips: Taking On Sun Goddess In The Juvenile Fillies Turf

2 hours ago

| BY Nick Luck

William Hill ambassador Nick Luck runs through the card at Keeneland on Friday night, providing his horse racing betting tips for day one of the Breeders’ Cup.

Friday, Keeneland

The Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (6:55pm) is the first of fourteen Championship over two days and MUSSAB is my pick here, and at a big price. He did well to win in very soft ground at Ayr and then seemed to handle much quicker conditions at Newmarket.

In the circumstances, he did exceptionally well to win from a bad draw, racing away from the action, and making up an enormous amount of ground inside the final furlongs.

He also impressed me with the way he travelled that day, suggesting that 5½ furlongs around Keeneland wont inconvenience him too notably. He wont mind if there is a little bit of rain around, he’s well-drawn, and he’ll have plenty of pace to aim at.

The Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (7:35pm) is on the dirt, and the horse I like here is MANUKA HONEY who has been really impressing me out on the training track in the mornings.

She’s undefeated in three starts, including at odds-on last time, and couldn’t have been more impressive. She didn’t record a particularly good time of that occasion, but she looks a strong stayer, and with plenty of pace guaranteed it could easily bring her into calculations at a bit of a price.

I take AMUSINGLY to win a terrific edition of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (8:15pm). Clearly Sun Goddess is a formidable opponent, but Amusingly has been raced more sparingly, so she should come here a little bit fresher.

She showed a devastating turn of speed to run down talented colts in the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere. While, I can question whether she’ll be effective going back over a mile, I think Colin Keane knows what his instructions are, and that will be to wait.

If he can maintain that sort of composure, then her single-furlong pace could be too much even for a brilliant talent like Sun Goddess.

COACH POPE gets my vote in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (8:55pm). Clearly, this is a race that Bob Baffert is going to be extremely hard to beat with Hughes and Salahudin at the top of the market.

I think Coach Pope would be significantly shorter had he not got involved in a ridiculous war for the lead in his prep race for this, which allowed American History in through the side door.

The selection was extremely well touted in the build up to that race, and whilst his trainer tends to call some of his geese swans, his enthusiasm for this horse is pretty infectious.

The Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (9:35pm) could go the way of a home-trained horse. Aidan O’Brien has won pretty much every edition of this, but with Man’s Best Friend out of contention and a few doubts surrounding his leading contenders, there’s a case to look elsewhere.

While he’s not necessarily a superstar, the best of the Europeans ends up being Folsom Blues, but there is a little bit of a doubt that he wants all of a mile, and a little bit of a doubt that he wants this ground.

Therefore, I am taking a chance with HOW’S AL TODAY, who I think should be a shorter price than he is. He’s been very impressive at Kentucky Downs twice, leaving a deep impression on the latter occasion. He’s got a sharp turn of speed, I think the track will suit him, he’s trained by an exciting young trainer, and he’s got a good draw.