Sports, Ink

ARCADIA, Calif. --- After a disastrous first day, we're aiming for a financial turnaround on Saturday at the eight-race Breeders' Cup program (plus extra stakes races at the beginning and end of the Cup card.

Race 1: The Damascus Stakes: Favorites M One Rifle and Viscount look like logical ones to hook up in the daily double with Pounced and Becky's Kitten in the first Breeders' Cup race. I also bet $2 win and place on All Saint, touted by Daily Racing Form's Brad Free as the "upset special." That's an $12 investment.

Result: M One Rifle led for a long time before yielding to Smart Bid and finishing third.

Bankroll: Minus $168.60.

Race 2: Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf: My man Frankie Dettori rides Pounced, my $2 win-place wager. I'm also connecting him in the double with Lord Shanakill, a Richard Mandella trainee, in the next race. I'm also putting $2 to win on Becky's Kitten. And a $3 pick three on Pounced with Lord Shanakill, Diamondrella and Gotta HaveHer) with Zensational. Total investment, $11.

Result: After being trapped along the rail until the top of the stretch, Dettori gets Pounced free and runs down Bridgetown by three-quarters of a length. Dettori, of course, celebrates with his famous flying dismount. Pounced, the 2-1 favorite, and the first favorite to win here in 11 races, pays $6.80 to win and $4.80 to place. Hey, I made a 60 cent profit and I'm alive in the double and pick three.

Bankroll: Minus $168.00.

Race 3: Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint: I put $2 win and place on Lord Shanakill and another $2 to win on Gotta Have Her, Desert Code and Diamondrella and wheel my choice in second place with those three in the exacta. At the last minute I made a $2 win-place bet on Silver Timber, a 20-1 shot that's 8-1 on the morning line. That's a total of $17

Result: California Flag, the 3-1 favorite, led most of the way on the downhill 6 1/2 furlong course with Gotta Have Her getting up for a distant second. Joe Talamo rode the winner. He's a member of the "All Others" ticket, which leads the jockey bet standings over Julian Leparoux (two winners), Johnny Murtagh, Garrett Gomez and Dettori (one each).

Bankroll: Minus $185.

Race 4: Breeders' Cup Sprint: In the paper today, the Happy Handicapper recommended Triple Crown veterans Gayego (the second favorite) and Join in the Dance (a 40-1 long shot). So I bet $2 win and place on the long shot and boxed that pair in the exacta with Zensational, the Bob Baffert-trained favorite and Crown of Thorns, trained by Hall of Famer Richard Mandella. I also bet a $2 daily double combining Zensational and Gayego with Lookin At Lucky and Aikenite in the next race. That's a total of $24.

Result: Long shot Dancing In Silks won a four-horse photo by a nose and wiped out all my investments, even though Crown of Thorns was second and Gayego fourth.

Bankroll: Minus $209.

Race 5: Breeders' Cup Juvenile: In a desperate attempt to cash a ticket I bet $38 on various combinations that I won't even enumerate.


Result: Thanks to the first-time Lasix, big overlay angle --- my $4 win ticket on the surprise winner, Vale of York, returns $126.40. They say even a blind squirrel gets an acorn once in a while.

Bankroll: Minus $120.60.

Race 6: Breeders' Cup Mile: Flush with success, I put $30 on various combinations involving Court Vision, Cowboy Cal and Courageous Cat.

Result: Courageous Cat runs second to the favorite, Goldikova, who becomes the day's third winning favorite and, with Oliver Pselier aboard, the fifth winner for "All Others", and just about clinches that jockey bet thing. My place bet on Courageous Cat pays $12.80.

Bankroll: Minus $137.80.

Race 7: Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile: Mastercraftsman is a huge favorite. I wheeled him in the exacta over Mr. Sidney, Chocolate Candy and Ready's Echo. Then I bet the latter three to win and bought another win-place ticket on Chocolate Candy. And after looking at the post time odds, I bet more $2 win-place tickets on Ready's Echo and Chocolate Candy. Total bet is $21.

Result: Ready's Echo, sent off at 24-1, came flying at the end to finish second to 21-1 shot Furthest Land. Then the jockey Manoel Cruz, who finished far back on Mambo Meister claimed foul, but it was disallowed. Ready's Echo paid $18.20.

Race 8: Breeders' Cup Turf: Only seven horses in the field, headed by defending champion Conduit from Ireland. I boxed him with Dar Re Mi and Spanish Moon in the exacta. I also wheeled Conduit into the next race, the Classic, with Mine That Bird, Colonel John and Richard's Kid. Total investment $12.

Result: Conduit caught front-running Presious Passion in the last furlong. No ticket cashed, but I'm alive with three horses in the Classic. Ryan Moore rode the winner to clinch the jockey bet for the 9-5 favorite, All Others.

Bankroll: Minus $152.60.

Race 9: Breeders' Cup Classic: Like the Happy Handicapper wrote in the paper, it costs $12 for an exacta box combining Mine That Bird, Summer Bird, Colonel John and Regal Ransom. That's the final bet of Breeders' Cup XXVI.

Result: Zenyatta came from second last, weaved through the field and won in a race for the ages. I lost money, but watching that historic race live was worth the trip. Thanks for following along.

Bankroll: Minus $164.60.