William Hill is dangling a carrot out there and is just daring American punters to go for it. And if you don’t like carrots, just think of Game On Dude’s 7-1 odds for the Breeders’ Cup Classic as chocolate cake or a slice of pizza. It is understandable to look at this year’s Classic as a wide-open affair...

So, how crazy is this year’s Horse of the Year picture? It’s obvious no one is stepping up to claim the title that is totally up for grabs and no doubt won’t be decided until the free for all that will be the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Not only is the confusion regarding Horse of the Year reflected in the...

Let’s be honest, this year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic (gr. I) needs a boost, especially with Zenyattamania and even a double dose of Curlin still fresh in everyone’s mind. The most obvious boost would be the inclusion of Havre de Grace. Even better would be a showdown between Havre de Grace and Blind Luck...

Over the course of the next week, we'll have several wrapups, going over different aspects of Breeders' Cup 2009, such as one of the greatest, if not the greatest, losing efforts in Breeders' Cup history, the rash of oddball winners, the much-discussed synthetic issue, holding the event at Santa Anita...

The day after the 1987 Preakness Stakes, I stopped at a service area on I-95 in Maryland on my way back home from the Preakness and called Jack Van Berg, asking if I could do a feature on him for the Thoroughbred Times, which had only been in existence for about a year. I had never met Van Berg, who...

How does one even begin to comment on this year’s wild and crazy Breeders’ Cup? Pro-Ride form, the absence of any injuries, the filly phenomena, the European butt-whipping, Santa Anita, Horse of the Year, ESPN’s new camera shots? That’s just for starters. Before anything, I must say I cannot recall a...

With the unfortunate retirement of Big Brown , the Breeders’ Cup pre-entries, a weekly column to write, and preparation for the Breeders' Cup Classic occupying most of my time this week, I thought, because of the interest shown in Invasor on my last blog and in several recent e-mails, I would reprint...