With the big race less than a few week away, the Breeders’ Cup Classic picks are beginning to roll in, as the excitement builds across the nation. As we take a look at some of the contenders of the Breeders’ Cup Classic, which is the anchor race for two action-packed days of racing and will be held on November 5th at 6:24pm ET on NBC, we will notice a few familiar names in the mix. With the usual invasion from abroad, the American-bred horses in this race will be looking to defend their home dirt. We’ll start with the horse who figures to be the favorite in the race and it is a familiar one, as Uncle Mo (2-1) is back in action after disappointing performances in a couple of legs of the 2011 Triple Crown. The defending juvenile champ has shown his award-winning ability has not left him after suffering from an internal illness that sidelined him during the middle of the year. His brash owner Mike Repole decided to go for broke and run him in the Classic, even with the less-than-normal campaign leading up to it. He devastated his foes in the Grade II Kelso going a mile over a wet surface at Belmont on Super Saturday, but many horse racing picks handicappers are questioning his ability to go the distance.

Uncle Mo has tremendous ability and if he can get that tenth furlong, the rest of the field will be running for second place, as he will run himself right into the Breeders’ Cup Classic picks winner’s circle. He will have some stiff competition from Havre De Grace (5-2), who is the leader of the older female division and will take on the males once again this year after her earlier win in the Woodward. She kept her winning ways going with a victory against her own sex in the Grade 1 Beldame at 9 furlongs on Super Saturday, about a half hour after Mo’s win. She has never won at ten furlongs, losing two close photo finishes to Blind Luck. Facing males at ten furlongs in a full field is the biggest test of her life. With a win or even a close second, she would become the third straight female to win Horse of the Year, so keep Havre De Grace in mind when betting your Breeders’ Cup futures wagering picks for this race.

One of the European invaders in this race is So You Think (9-1) and he will be looking to be the first Euro to hit the board since Raven’s Pass won the 2008 edition. He will try to bounce back after finishing 2nd in the British Championship Stakes, which followed a dull fourth in the Prix de l’Arc De Triomphe. The Classic would be the third race in three countries in five weeks for the Aidan O’Brien charge and it will also be his first race on dirt ever. His pedigree gives us no clue to whether or not he will handle the dirt properly, but O’Brien’s Giant’s Causeway ran a gallant second over the Churchill Downs strip when narrowly defeated by Tiznow in 2000. These are just a few participants, as there are others who will attempt to earn the brass ring such as the multiple Grade 1 winning Game On Dude, Travers winner Stay Thirsty and rising talent Headache. Perhaps one of these longshots can pull of a huge upset and create a big payday for all you horse racing fans, but we’ll just have to wait and see.

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