(see all of our 2010 Breeders Cup articles)

Assuming I have some money left after Friday's races, here are my picks for THE BEST SATURDAY EVER!

Juvenile Turf: I know that, in theory, I should probably pick some European horses in these turf races, but honestly, I think that the two best closers are probably the Americans Air Support & Banned. Fans of Ruffian will be interested to know that her connections own Air Support. I like Banned just a bit better, but I honestly don't have a strong opinion about this race at all.

Sprint: This year's Sprint perplexes me. I think Atta Boy Roy and Cash Refund are the speed of the speed, but I don't think one is clearly faster than the other, so I don't think they can clear the field. I think there will be a fast & contenious pace that should set things up for a closer. Unfortunately, there's no closer like a Lit de Justice in the field. I think the likely favorite Giralomo will probably be further back, but I just don't really like him. In general, I like California sprinters, so I guess I'm going to go with the best of the west, Smiling Tiger.

Turf Sprint: This race is absolutely loaded with speed so the logical pick is the confirmed closer Silver Timber. However, I think that Central City can clear the field from the advantageous #2 post.

Juvenile: Boys At Tosconova and Jaycito are nice colts, but I truly believe that Uncle Mo is something special. His last race was simply a masterpiece. He was tested early, fought off that challenge and pulled away to win, all in only his second start. Let's go Uncle Mo!

Mile: This is the best race on the card. You've got Goldikova looking for her third Mile win in a row. There are three world class closers in Proviso, Gio Ponti & Paco Boy. And then there's the freak, Sidney's Candy. The setup of the race is simply fascinating. Sidney's Candy will simply wing it from the front - and catch him if you can. He's going to go too fast for the other contenders to run with him without compromising their chances. While Goldikova can lay close to the lead, the pace will be similar or faster to last year's race in which she came from well off of the pace. Proviso, Gio Ponti & Paco Boy are going to wait for Goldikova to make her run before they make theirs. What I think is going to happen is that those four horses are going to be playing cat & mouse games while Sidney's Candy is lengths and lengths in front of them and I don't think they're going to be able to catch him. Sidney's Candy in a smashing performance.

Dirt Mile: After the epic battle of the turf, the Dirt Mile seems like a letdown to me. My strategy here is simply to pick the classiest horse in the race, who I think is Crown Of Thorns. He's done well at 9 and 7 furlongs, so it's probably logical to think he'll excel at 8 furlongs, right?

UPDATE: Crown of Thorns has been scratched. Uh...for lack of any other thoughts, I'll go with Dakota Phone who finished behind him in his last race.

Turf: Looking at the field, I think this is one of those races where everyone is going to lope along and then gun it at the top of the stretch. Everyone is all over the European horses, but I think the Arc winner Workforce looks more like a grinder than a horse with an explosive kick. And while Bekhabad might have had some trouble in that race, it wasn't like he was flying at the end. Likewise, Dangerous Midge just looks like another stalker to me. I know this is probably crazy, but I think the most explosive closer is the American Winchester. USA!

UPDATE: The favorite Workforce has been scratched because his connections are whiny little bitches about the track. I'm a tad bitter because I hated him in this race and his defection will just lower the odds on everyone else.

Classic: So clearly, I'm picking Zenyatta. I know it's an emotional pick, so I dug a little deeper in the Form and tried to find a reason not to back her. I don't have one. Saturday she's actually going to get a decent pace to run at. She has the fastest closing kick of any horse in the race and she's going to have that long Churchill Downs stretch to gobble up the field with her giant strides. I believe.

So, my picks, my the morning line in parentheses:

Juvenile Turf: Banned (10-1)
Sprint: Smiling Tiger (6-1)
Turf Sprint: Central City (12-1)
Juvenile: Uncle Mo (7-5)
Mile: Sidney's Candy (10-1)
Dirt Mile: Crown Of Thorns (4-1) Dakota Phone (30-1)
Turf: Winchester (8-1)
Classic: Zenyatta (8-5)

(follow my results here)