Today's Breeders' Cup Races

Well, I didn't do too poorly in today's 6 Breeders' Cup races - I chose 3 winners, 1 second-place finisher, and 5 third-place runners. Today's races at Churchill Downs were different from past years: there was a fight between jockeys in the Winner's Circle after the Marathon - and it was between jockeys on horses that ran under the finish line in the second and fourth positions. There was a claim of gross interference, which was upheld by the stewards, and the horse who actually finished in second was placed last, with the other horses being moved up one place in the finish order. And a betting favorite ran in a race when both the trainer and jockey were afraid there was "something" wrong with her, although the track veterinarians OK'd her. And the last two races of the day were run under the lights at Churchill - a very big first-time event.
In the Marathon, 5-year-old Eldaafer, a son of A.P. Indy, won the race. Prince Will I Am crossed under the line second, but was disqualified to last place for interfering with Romp and A U Miner. My picks, Gabriel's Hill and A U Miner were placed into the second and third spots. The next race was the Juvenile Filly Turf: my friend's pick, More Than Real, owned by chef Bobby Flay, won the race easily. Winter Memories finished second, and one of my picks, Kathmanblu, was placed third. Rightly So was scratched from the Filly & Mare Sprint, which was won by one of my picks, Dubai Majesty. A $2 win bet returned $19.20. The second and third place horses were Switch and Evening Jewel. In the Juvenile Fillies, Indian Gracey was scratched. Awesome Feather, one of my picks, won the race; R. Heat Lightning was second; and another of my picks, Delightful Mary, ran third. A $2 win bet returned $10.40. In the Filly & Mare Turf, Shared Account was the long-shot winner, paying $94 for a $2 win bet. My friend's pick, Midday, finished second, and Keertana, one of my picks, was third. (Red Desire, the grand daughter of Sunday Silence, was fourth.) The last race of today was the Ladies Classic, and Life at Ten was the heavy favorite in the betting. In the saddling paddock, Todd Pletcher, the trainer of Life at Ten, was concerned because she was "not acting like herself. ... It almost seemed like she'd been sedated." John Velazquez, her normal jockey, stated that she didn't "feel normal" after warming her up before the race. - To me, it looked as if she were moving very stiffly, without the usual fluidity that a thoroughbred has. - In any event, the track vets cleared her to run. She finished last, far back on the track. The winner and third place finishers were my picks, Unrivaled Belle and Havre de Grace. Blind Luck finished second. These three fillies were 10 lengths in front of the rest of their rivals - Wow! A $2 win ticket for Unrivaled Belle paid $17.
If someone had had the foresight (or fore-knowledge) of the results, and they made 6 $2 bets (which chose the correct first and second place finishers in each race), that someone would have turned $12 into $1127.40. -I wish it had been me!