The 2008 Breeders' Cup will be run at Santa Anita on October 24th and 25th over a new synthetic surface. The surface is a Pro-Ride surface that was installed over the summer and replaces the mess of a surface that Santa Anita had last year that wouldn't drain and cost the track millions of dollars.

Training on the new surface has been going on for weeks and the reviews have been positive but the true tests begin when the meet begins on Wednesday. If the track continues to get positive reviews it could be huge because the owners of Curlin might be persuaded to race in the Breeders' Cup Classic against Big Brown. If that race occurs it would be the biggest horse betting race in a long, long time.

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Curlin is set to run this weekend in the Jockey Club Gold Cup as he attempts to pass Cigar and become the all-time money winner in horse racing betting history. The key for getting Curlin to race at Santa Anita will be a positive review of the new surface. "I hate to go out on a limb, because we haven't raced on it yet - no one's lost a race on it yet - but I'm very happy with it right now," Ron Charles, Santa Anita's president, said, "I'm excited about having a track that will perform well."

The surface at Del Mar is Polytrack which has not received great reviews. The difference with Pro-Ride is that most of the surface is natural dirt. "Everything so far I like," trainer Eoin Harty said. "It's a very kind, forgiving surface, with a lot of bounce to it. When a horse puts his foot down, you wait 10 to 15 seconds, and the surface comes back."

Horsemen definitely seem to like the Pro-Ride surface better than Polytrack.

"It takes a little getting used to, but I haven't had any problems with it," trainer Jim Cassidy said. "I lost a ton of shoes at Del Mar. This has been very consistent. One thing I've noticed is early in the morning, with the dew, it's tight. The sun makes it a little kinder, a little softer."

There is definitely a lot riding on the new surface. The 2008 Breeders' Cup is the highlight of the horse betting season. The most exciting two days of horse racing betting occurs in late October and if the new synthetic at Santa Anita is as good as advertised, the racing could be great.

Curlin Still Possible for Breeders' Cup

The possibility of Curlin facing Big Brown in the horse betting Breeders' Cup Classic is not dead just yet. Curlin will be racing this Saturday in the Jockey Club Gold Cup as he attempts to top the $10 million dollar mark in career earnings, topping the all-time record of Cigar. After Saturday's race, the connections of Curlin will decide where the horse will run next. Still a possibility is the Breeders' Cup Classic at Santa Anita on October 25th. Owner Jess Jackson is not ruling anything out at the moment. "I hate to repeat the mantra, but right now it's one race at a time," Jackson said, "After he tells us if he's fit and ready, we'll consider all options, including the Breeders' Cup."

The horse betting Breeders' Cup Classic will be run on the Pro-Ride synthetic surface at Santa Anita Park. The question will be how well the surface does as the Santa Anita meet opens. Jackson lives in Northern California and has visited Santa Anita to look at the track. "It looks resilient and the times of the horses just working out are faster," he said. "I think we're going to see some records broken on this Pro-Ride. It may prove to be a great surface."

It is possible that Curlin will ship to Santa Anita just to see if he likes the surface. "I really want to see Curlin race here (California) and the horse will tell us if he can take it," Jackson said. "As a fan of racing, I'd love to run against the competition."

Two other possibilities for Curlin are the Clark Handicap at Churchill Downs on Nov. 28 and the Japan Cup on Dec. 7th. "We may be in two of them," Jackson said. "We'd invite Big Brown to join us in any race we show up in. I'm not trying to avoid Big Brown." The question will be whether or not the two horses meet in the Breeders' Cup Classic. Jackson has said he will make the decision on the Breeders' Cup within 10 days after Saturday's Jockey Club Gold Cup. "Anybody that is overconfident about winning the Breeders' Cup on an untested surface this year has to be concerned about their own horse," he said.

The Breeders' Cup Classic is probably the last chance for Big Brown and Curlin to meet. Rumors have it that both horses will be retired at the end of the year although Jackson has said that if Big Brown continues to run he would consider letting Curlin continue. "If Big Brown would continue to run as a 4-year-old, I would be very tempted to run Curlin as a 5-year-old," said Jackson.

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