Race 2傍he $2 million Breeders' Cup Distaff
In a race severely weakened by the defection of Azeri and Sightseek's retirement, ISLAND FASHION may be able to score what would be a mild upset here. Her race against males in the Santa Anita Handicap, where she was second behind Southern Image, jumps off the page. Since, she didn't run a step in Japan, which is understandable, and won the Grade II Lady's Secret while earning a slow speed figure. Since that was her first race in four months, there's every reason to believe she will improve significantly off the effort. If she can run back to her Big 'Cap performance, she's a winner. NEBRASKA TORNADO is another who might have a chance at a good price. She's been chasing some tough Group I horses in Europe and figures to love the dirt since she is by Storm Cat. Trainer Andre Fabre certainly knows what he is doing when it comes to the Breeders' Cup, so expect him to have this filly primed for a big effort. ASHADO, the morning line favorite, is solid and consistent. There's no reason to believe she won't run well.

Picks Summary: 1. Island Fashion 2. Nebraska Tornado 3. Ashado

Race 3傍he $1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies
CULINARY will be overlooked here because of the low-profile connections of trainer Michael Stidham and jockey C.H. Marquez Jr. She romped in her two career starts and her Beyer figure when winning the Arlington-Washington Lassie puts her in the same league as many of the more highly regarded horses in this field. Also note that she beat Runway Model in her last start and Runway Model came back to beat several of these in the Alcibiades. BALLETTO is a classy filly coming off a Grade I win and seems to be improving. Drawing the one post is a big plus. SENSE OF STYLE probably deserves another chance after losing as the heavy favorite when she had a rough trip in the Alcibiades. On the other hand, she may not want to go this far. Note that once she got running room that day at Keeneland, she showed little late in the stretch.

Picks Summary: 1. Culinary 2. Balletto 3. Sense of Style

Race 4傍he $1.5 million Breeders' Cup Mile
The obvious knock on SPECIAL RING is that he's run just once this year and hasn't started since July 25. Nonetheless, underrated trainer Julio Canani has won this race twice and obviously knows what he's doing when it comes to the Mile. When right, Special Ring has the talent to handle this field. He earned a 110 Beyer, tied for the best last-race figure in this field with Nothing to Lose, in the Eddie Read and drew well (post 3). WHIPPER defeated 2003 Mile winner Six Perfections when winning the Group I Prix Jacques le Marois. Would prefer soft or yielding turf. May represent better value than Six Perfections, who is winless this year. ARTIE SCHILLER has yet to be tested at this level, but has done little wrong this year. His only defeat on the grass came against Kitten's Joy, who will be heavily favored in the Turf.

Picks Summary: 1. Special Ring 2. Whipper 3. Artie Schiller

Race 5傍he $1 million Breeders' Cup Sprint
As usual, a terribly difficult race to handicap. KELA emerged as the top sprinter in the West when scoring consecutive wins in the Bing Crosby and the Pat O'Brien, where he whipped the ultra-talented Pico Central. He's probably better at a slightly longer distance, but his win in the 6-furlong Bing Crosby is reason for encouragement. Note that he ran one of the best races of his life when winning the Texas Mile over this course. MIDAS EYES is classy and fast and has a big chance. Bobby Frankel's struggles (2-for-57) in the Breeders' Cup remain a legitimate cause for concern. The fact he's never won at six furlongs could be another problem. Which SPEIGHTSTOWN will show up, the one who ripped through four straight impressive sprint wins or the one who was so dull when third as the 4-5 favorite in the Vosburgh?

Picks Summary: 1. Kela 2. Midas Eyes 3. Speightstown

Race 6傍he $1 million Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf
On paper, this looks like one of the easier races of the day. OUIJA BOARD was all the rage in Europe when winning the English and Irish Oaks. She then ran a huge race when third in the Arc de Triomphe, finishing ahead of some of the best males in the world. Horses out of the Arc often bounce in the Breeders' Cup (remember Dancing Brave), but she's lightly raced this year with just four starts and should still be fresh. WONDER AGAIN threw in an inexplicable clinker in the Flower Bowl. She's a much better mare than that and will be tough if running back to her giant win in the Diana Handicap. One worry is that her only two starts outside of New York have been big disappointments. The Bobby Frankel-trained LIGHT JIG has won three of her last four and certainly looks tough after a dominant win in the Yellow Ribbon.

Picks Summary: 1. Ouija Board 2. Wonder Again 3. Light Jig

Race 7傍he $1.5 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile
Though he doesn't seem to be bred to go long, PROUD ACCOLADE really put it together when trying a route for the first time. The result was a win over the previously undefeated Afleet Alex in the Champagne. Lightly raced, Proud Accolade has yet to show his best stuff. ROMAN RULER is a deserving favorite here. His only career loss came when he was beaten by Declan's Moon in the Del Mar Futurity, a race that earned a huge Beyer figure. He's in good hands in Bob Baffert and will be hard to beat. SUN KING, considering he had only broken his maiden, ran well when third in the Champagne. Trainer Nick Zito, who hates this race, must think a lot of him to start him in this spot. Looks like another horse who will only get better.

Picks Summary: 1. Proud Accolade 2. Roman Ruler 3. Sun King

Race 8傍he $2 million Breeders' Cup Turf
Don't try to beat this favorite. KITTEN'S JOY has clearly developed into the best turf horse in America and was awesome when winning the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic in his first start versus older horses. Normally, there are some very tough Europeans in this race that would be hard to handle, but the Euro contingent amounts to only Powerscourt. This field really is no tougher than what Kitten's Joy beat last time out. POWERSCOURT is the main danger. After crossing the wire first in the Arlington Million only to be disqualified, he ran a creditable third in the Group I Irish Champion Stakes. European horses have won the last five runnings of this race. MAGISTRETTI was no match for Kitten's Joy in the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic, but still ran well to finish second. With a win in the Grade I Man o'War, he's a proven commodity.

Picks Summary: 1. Kitten's Joy 2. Powerscourt 3. Magistretti

Race 9傍he $4 million Breeders' Cup Classic
If this race were at a mile and an eighth, GHOSTZAPPER would be a cinch. He's still a bit of an unknown at 10 furlongs. But his win in the Iselin was one of the most brilliant performances turned in by a horse in a long, long time. That 128 Beyer figure is giant. His Woodward is better than it looks on paper. He ran into a horse who was revved up for the race of his life in St. Liam and was coming back with just three weeks rest off his Iselin win. He figured to take a step backward. There are no knocks on 2003 Classic winner PLEASANTLY PERFECT, though the long layoff since the Aug. 22 Pacific Classic is a bit worrisome. He's just a very good, very solid horse trained by a quality trainer in Dick Mandella. BIRDSTONE made a lot of believers out of the skeptics when he won the Travers. Aiming to unseat Smarty Jones for the 3-year-old title, he's not out of this.

Picks Summary: 1. Ghostzapper 2. Pleasantly Perfect 3. Birdstone