Sporting Life Tips

SATURDAY'S SELECTIONS:

DUNDALK: 6.30 One Set, 7.00 Red Humour, 7.30 Maybe Grace, 8.00 Indian St Jovite, 8.30 Qadar, 9.00 Windsor Palace, 9.25 Dactik.

SANTA ANITA: 6.45 Pounced, 7.23 Lord Shanakill, 8.10 GAYEGO (NAP), 8.49 Alfred Nobel, 9.28 Goldikova, 10.12 Mastercraftsman, 10.57 Conduit, 11.45 Zenyatta.

Breeders' Cup history can be made with the unbeaten Californian star Zenyatta taken to become the first mare to land the

$5million Classic at Santa Anita.

Only three fillies or mares have tested their mettle in the 10-furlong contest and each has endured abject failure.

None of those squared up to their male rivals for the first time with 13 straight victories to their name though, and Zenyatta is carrying the support of America on her ample shoulders.

John Shirreffs' five-year-old employed her usual hold-up tactics to swoop late off the bend last year in the Ladies' Classic and she has collected on all four of her outings on the Pro-Ride surface.

She faces some tough opponents, including Aidan O'Brien's Rip Van Winkle, but looked a picture when stretching her legs on the track on Thursday morning and can chalk up win number 14 in the shadow of the San Gabriel mountains.

Bob Baffert is talking as though Zensational has the Sprint already won, but the super-fast three-year-old can be picked off late on by Godolphin's Gayego.

The colt has been a different proposition since being transferred to Saeed bin Suroor this year and his Grade One win over the course-and-distance last month will have left him cherry ripe.

Sir Michael Stoute's Conduit blitzed his rivals with a killer burst of speed in the Turf last year and can repeat the dose under champion jockey Ryan Moore.

The chestnut has been gleaming under the early-morning sun this week and his turn of foot should prove too much for stablemate Spanish Moon and fellow British raider Dar Ri Me.

Goldikova has been on the slide since drawing 11 of 11 in the Mile, but Freddie Head's brilliant filly has more than a touch of class and is another defending champion who is fancied to follow up.

Fellow French filly Six Perfections defied stall 13 to score in this race here in California in 2003 and with Head predicting an improved performance, expect Goldikova to take her Group One-winning haul to seven.

You have to trawl back to 2003 to find Aidan O'Brien's last Breeders' Cup winner but team Ballydoyle can return to Ireland buoyed by the successes of Alfred Nobel and Mastercraftsman.

The latter could run below his Royal Ascot-winning form to still wipe the board in an average renewal of Dirt Mile and he stands out after proving his effectiveness on an artificial surface at Dundalk recently.

Alfred Nobel has been favourably compared by O'Brien to his 2001 juvenile winner Johannesburg and the Group One-winning individual appeals as an each-way play against Baffert's talented Lookin At Lucky.

Frankie Dettori and John Gosden teamed up to strike with Donativum in the Juvenile Turf in 2008 and they can pull off the same feat this time around with Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere runner-up Pounced.

Gosden revealed this week that the Breeders' Cup has been on the solidly-built two-year-old's agenda since his maiden win in August and the booking of Dettori on the tight turf track only increases confidence further.

The Turf Sprint is the one race on Breeders' Cup night without a serious European challenge but the former Karl Burke inmate Lord Shanakill has reportedly been thriving for new trainer Richard Mandella and has solid credentials.

SUNDAY'S SELECTIONS:

FFOS LAS: 1.10 Get Me Out Of Here, 1.40 House Of Bourbon, 2.15 Sambulando, 2.45 Dev, 3.15 Sir Tantallus Hawk, 3.50 Foxesbow, 4.20 Astracad.

HEREFORD: 1.00 Auberge, 1.30 Cartier Opera, 2.00 Little Firecracker, 2.35 Nawow, 3.05 Quideo De Touzaine, 3.35 The Jigsaw Man, 4.10 Hear My Song.

LIMERICK: 1.05 Magners Hill, 1.35 A New Story, 2.10 Horseguard, 2.40 Morning Supreme, 3.10 Raven's Run, 3.45 Taradoun, 4.15 Gleanntan.

MARKET RASEN: 1.40 Comprimario, 1.50 King O'The Gypsies, 2.25 Shut The Bar, 2.55 BENCH WARRENT (NAP), 3.25 Shrewd Investor, 4.00 Pagan Sword.

NAVAN: 12.25 Long Strand, 12.55 Ninetieth Minute, 1.25 Judge Roy Bean, 1.55 King Vic, 2.30 Big Zeb, 3.00 Osana, 3.30 Caim Hill, 4.05 Definite All Star.

DOUBLE: Bench Warrent and Sir Tantallus Hawk.

Bench Warrent always looked the type to come into his own over fences and can get his chase career off to a winning start at Market Rasen.

Charlie Mann's charge was far from disgraced over hurdles but just looked to lack the necessary edge required for that speedy sphere.

The six-year-old was a debut point-to-point winner in Ireland but failed to build on that effort when placed in three of his first four starts on these shores.

However, he finally got his head in front at the Lincolnshire venue last February, although he made hard work of beating the useful Wychwoods Legend by half a length.

Stepped up to three miles for his last two starts, Bench Warrent did not win but certainly proved he has the stamina for a trip and that should stand him in good stead for the Victor Lucas Memorial Novices' Chase.

Much has been written about King O'The Gypsies since his 120,000 guineas sale last October.

Although he failed to make it to the track for owner Graham Wylie and trainer Howard Johnston last term, he is certainly one to not oppose as he finally reappears in the Enjoy Raceday Hospitality At Market Rasen Races Novices' Hurdle.

Sir Tantallus Hawk won three on the bounce last season before coming unstuck when upped in company at the Grand National meeting.

Alan Swinbank's five-year-old impressed in wins at Catterick, Kelso and Newcastle before being sent for a Grade Two event at Aintree.

Sir Tantallus Hawk raced prominently in the early stages of the Mersey Novices' Hurdle but was found wanting when the pace upped a notch and eventually pulled up.

A win in the Felinfoel Brewery Handicap Hurdle at Ffos Las can help him get back on track.

Sambulando is another on a retrieval mission in the Barry Walters Catering Novices' Chase at the same track.

Twice a winner over hurdles, he was sent off odds on to make a winning chase debut here last month.

He was still going well three from home that day before he clattered the fence and gave his rider no chance of maintaining their partnership.

Hopefully Sambulando will have gleaned plenty from that experience and Tom George is sure to have put in adequate work on his jumping.

The Paul Nicholls bandwagon is already rolling along nicely and Quideo De Touzaine can keep up the momentum in Hereford's freebets.co.uk Maiden Hurdle.

A seven-length winner of a Stratford bumper on his only start last season, this French-bred looks another promising prospect.