ARCADIA, Calif. — Nereid, a 15-1 shot, was scratched Wednesday from Friday’s Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf.
“She is off in her right hind,” trainer John Shirreffs said. “She had already come over [from Hollywood Park]. She must have kicked the wall or something. The injury is very minor but came at the worst possible time.”
* Before the 2008 Breeders’ Cup at Santa Anita, jockey agent Ron Anderson, who was handling Garrett Gomez at the time, told The Post he was “live” on most of his mounts. Gomez responded by winning four races.
Anderson, an astute handicapper who has represented such stars as Chris Antley, Gary Stevens and Jerry Bailey, also gave us Raven’s Pass ($29 win payoff) in that year’s Classic. So we thought it would be a good idea to talk to Anderson again about his chances this year with jockey Joel Rosario.
“Flat Out (5-1) is going to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic,” Anderson said, with this proviso: “If the track is fair, not speedy, but playing for both speed and closers.”
He next tabbed Capo Bastone (15-1) in the Juvenile; again, “if the track is fair. In the Frontrunner, he made a sweeping move like a harness horse on the far turn, but the track was not playing for closers.”
Capo Bastone settled for third. His third best chance, Anderson said, is “Hamazing Destiny (12-1 in the Sprint). He drew absolutely perfect (post 12), the race sets up absolutely perfect, and he looks tremendous on the racetrack.”
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Here are some Breeders’ Cup prop bets provided by the Bovada casino and racebook in Las Vegas:
Will there be a dead heat for first in any race? Yes, 25-1.
What will be the largest margin of victory? Over/under, 4 1/2 lengths.
What will the winner of the Classic pay to win? Over/under $14.
What will be the total attendance at Santa Anita on Friday and Saturday? Over/under 86,500.
What will be the aggregate winning margin of all 15 Breeders’ Cup races? Over/under, 23.5 lengths.
Which trainer will win the most Breeders’ Cup races? Bob Baffert, 2-1; Todd Pletcher, 3-1; Aiden O’Brien, 7-2; Steve Asmussen, 8-1; Bill Mott, 10-1; Chad Brown, 11-1; Kiaran McLaughlin, 14-1; Dale Romans, 14-1; Dick Mandella, 20-1; Doug O’Neill, 22-1; John Sadler, 25-1.
Which jockey will win the most purse money? Rafael Bejarano, 3-2; John Velazquez, 7-4; Mike Smith, 5-1; Joel Rosario, 6-1; Garrett Gomez, 7-1; Ramon Dominguez, 16-1; Julien Leparoux, 25-1.