Cup drops head-to-head bets

The Breeders Cup has scrapped its head-to-head wagers for this years event on Nov. 4 at Churchill Downs and will guarantee the two pick four pools for $1 million and $1.5 million, Breeders Cup officials said Tuesday.

The elimination of the head-to-head wagers, which allowed bettors to select one horse to beat either one or two others to the finish line, and the guaranteed pick four pools are the only changes this year to the wagering menu, according to Ken Kirchner, the Breeders Cup official in charge of betting for the event. The head-to-head pools averaged approximately $75,000 each in 2005, Kirchner said.

The post times of the eight Breeders Cup races will be: Juvenile Fillies, 12:30 p.m. Eastern; Juvenile, 1:10; Filly and Mare Turf, 1:55; Sprint, 2:35; Mile, 3:15; Distaff, 3:55; Turf, 4:35; and Classic, 5:20.

Win, place, show, exacta, trifecta, and superfecta wagers will be offered on every race. Rolling pick threes will begin with the first race of the day. The first pick four will link the first four Breeders Cup races, the second will link the last four, and the $3 million-guaranteed pick six will link the Filly and Mare Turf through the Classic.

* McDynamo and Hirapour, winners of the last three steeplechase horse of the year titles, head a field of six entered for Saturdays $250,000 Breeders Cup Grand National Steeplechase at the Far Hills Races in Far Hills, N.J. McDynamo, steeplechase horse of the year in 2003 and 2005 and the winner of this race the last three seasons has been installed as the 6-5 morning-line favorite. Hirapour, the 2004 champion, is the second choice at 2-1.