Sports

Countdown to the Cup

The Post continues its profiles of each of the eight Breeders’ Cup races to be run today at Santa Anita. The Countdown to the Cup spotlights potential nice-price winners as handicapped by reporter Ed Fountaine and columnist Ray Kerrison. Good luck.

ANALYSIS: With 10 Grade 1 or Group 1 winners from 13 starters (and the other three are coming off Grade 2 wins), this is the deepest field in Breeders’ Cup history.

Red Ransom, who’s been training like a tiger, should set the pace, but Girolamo (his stablemate), Quality Road and Summer Bird don’t figure to let him shake loose early. The pace should be legitimate.

Summer Bird and Quality Road are dirt horses that have never raced on a synthetic surface before, and East Coast horses have struggled over the years shipping to California.

Zenyatta, unbeaten in 13 starts with four wins at Santa Anita, faces males and tries a mile-and-a-quarter for the first time. She’ll be coming late but likely will go wide on the far turn.

LIVE LONGSHOTS: All of them. Derby winner Mine That Bird should appreciate the distance. Colonel John is 3-for-6 on this track. Gio Ponti, America’s top turf horse, should take to the synthetic. Twice Over comes off three straight wins in Europe at 10 furlongs.

THE BET: Rip Van Winkle almost beat European champ Sea The Stars, who is rated as the world’s best horse. Euro-invaders ran 1-2 in last year’s Classic here, so key on Rip in exotics. Einstein won the Santa Anita Derby this year, has tactical speed and could be the spoiler. Zenyatta might take it all, and Red Ransom could sneak in at a price.

Use Midshipman, last year’s Juvenile winner, here in exotics.