The Breeder’s Cup is right around the bend and it’s time to get your picks together. Most guys will charge you $25 for sweet Breeders’ Cup picks like these. Here’s my win/place/show picks for all the races.

Classic – Street Sense / Curlin / Lawyer Ron

Turf – Dylan Thomas / English Channel / Red Rocks

If you’re new to horse racing, you might be wondering what the all fuss is about over the Breeders’ Cup, especially when many casual fans only pay attention to the Triple Crown or even just the Kentucky Derby.

These are the World Championships of North American thoroughbred racing. Horses from around the world come to compete for big money in the 11 Cup races; the turf events are especially welcoming for the contenders coming in from Europe, Asia and Australia, where grass is the norm.

As for the top race on the card, this Saturday’s $5-million Classic, check out the nine-horse field. Six of them have been hyped as potential winners; they’ve been joined by Irish-bred George Washington, a grass specialist who nonetheless finished sixth last year and was retired to stud, but is back on the track because of fertility problems. Experience counts – the top favorite is 4-year-old Lawyer Ron at 5-2.

Trainer Todd Pletcher is bringing a cavalry with him to Monmouth Park. Eleven of Pletcher’s horses will be running at this week’s Breeders’ Cup. At least one of them figures to cash in once the dust has cleared.

Pletcher has two favorites this week, including Lawyer Ron (5-2) at the Classic. It’s a tough field to conquer, but Pletcher also has Any Given Saturday (4-1) in the vaunted Top Six. Pletcher’s chances should be even better in the Distaff with Indian Vale (3-1), in large part because two more of his horses are in the field of 12: Unbridled Belle (9-2) and Octave (10-1).

If those horses don’t pan out, there’s always the potent combo of Wait a While (4-1) and Honey Ryder (9-2) in the Filly & Mare Turf, or English Channel (5-2) at the Turf. Let’s hope Pletcher brings a big shovel with him – to scoop up his winnings, that is.

The long wait is nearly over. The most anticipated event on the horse racing calendar, the Breeders’ Cup, goes this Friday and Saturday at Monmouth Park in New Jersey. The field and post positions for each race will be determined on Tuesday.

Sunday was a busy day of prep work, as several Cup contenders wrapped up their final workouts at nearby Belmont Park. Among the horses who looked especially good were , Discreet Cat (Dirt Mile), Indian Blessing (Juvenile Fillies) and In Summation (Sprint).

The Belmont Park turf appeared a bit soft, which didn’t suit Wait a While (Filly and Mare Turf) nearly as much as it did English Channel. Water may be the running theme at this year’s Cup; the weather forecast for the Jersey shore calls for a chance of showers almost all through the week and into the weekend. The turf conditions at Monmouth Park should be part of every horseplayer’s homework.

This was Rags to Riches’ year. She became the first filly to win the Belmont Stakes in over a century. But she came up short to Lear’s Princess at last month’s Gazelle Stakes and will miss the Breeders’ Cup with a hairline fracture.

Despite her victory, Lear’s Princess is in the second tier of favorites at 8-1 for the Breeders’ Cup Distaff at Monmouth Park. The top chalk goes to Ginger Punch at 7-2. You won’t find too many arguments there – Ginger Punch won three straight races before finishing third at last month’s Beldame Stakes. The top two fillies from that event are tied at 9-2: Unbridled Belle and Indian Vale, both trained by Todd Pletcher.

The hottest filly out there, though, might be another member of Pletcher’s army: uddmonte Spinster Stakes Panty Raid. But what Cup race will she run? Panty Raid is currently 10-1 to win the Distaff and 15-1 for the Filly and Mare Turf.

New Jersey’s Monmouth Park hosts its first-ever Breeders’ Cup later this month. Any Given Saturday won the Grade I Haskell Invitational there in August, proving that he has what it takes to win on that track.

But what does it take? The Monmouth tracks don’t have any obvious quirks that should affect the Cup races. The turf track, although only a year old, is reportedly in excellent running condition after the summer session, thanks in part to the portable rail that can be brought out 12, 24 or 36 feet. That spreads out the wear and tear.

The dirt might be more of a question mark by the time the Classic is run on Oct. 27. Having all those other races run in such a short period of time this late in the year will probably produce a slow track. That’s bad news for frontrunners, so Hard Spun trainer J. Larry Jones might want to tailor his strategy accordingly.

Many of this month’s Breeders’ Cup races are open to horses older than three. That gives us a chance to see 4-year-old Lawyer Ron matched up against the likes of Curlin and Street Sense at the Classic.

Do the ladies age as gracefully? Sometimes. Check out last year’s World Thoroughbred Racehorse Rankings, where the top three females were all mares: Pride (age 6), Ouija Board (age 5) and Alexander Goldrun (age 5). Ouija Board won the Breeders Cup’ Filly & Mare Turf in 2004, placed second in 2005, and won again last year in her first season as a mare.

But two years ago, the top four females were fillies, led by Divine Proportions. And this year’s top lady is almost certainly going to be Belmont Stakes winner Rags to Riches, another 3-year-old. But she’s off the circuit with a hairline fracture, leaving the Distaff field wide open for fillies and mares alike.

When it comes to the Breeder’s Cup, one man stands alone atop the stats. D. Wayne Lukas has had more success than any other trainer in the 13-year history of the Cup. He has more than doubled the success of his nearest competitors.

Here’s a list of the top five trainers and their records.

1. D.Wayne Lukas - 146 starters / 18 wins / 20 places / 15 shows / $19,645,520 in winnings

2. Robert Frankel - 68 starters / 4 wins / 9 places / 8 shows / $10,853,020 in winnings

3. Claude R. (Shug) McGaughey - 49 starters / 9 wins / 9 places / 1show / $8,693,560 in winnings.

4. William I. Mott - 48 starters / 5 wins / 6 places / 4 shows / $8,542,960 in winnings

5. Andre Fabre - 39 starters / 4 wins / 4 places / 7 shows / $7,621,000 in winnings

There are plenty of longshots for the Breeders’ Cup this year, but the longest of all come in at 125/1 odds. Super Frolic, EZ Warrior and Principle Secret are all coming in at that number.

Not far behind on the odds sheet are Arson Squad, Cowtown Cat, First Defense, Forty Licks, Latent Heat, McCanns Mojave, Perfect Drift, Point Determined and Tytus, all coming in at 100/1. There are 20 other horses that come in at 70/1 or more at this point in time.

There are a small number of horses this year that are getting good odds because of the way the season transpired. Most horses are longshots against fields that include Any Given Sunday, Tiago, Street Sense, Lawyer Ron and Hard Spun. The experts all say these horses will dominate the $5 million Classic race. The rest are coming in as longshots, so there may be an opportunity to cash in at the Breeders’ Cup this year.

Hastings Park in Vancouver is adding 150 slot machines – the first of an eventual total of 600 – to local racetracks. This move was done despite a pending court date over a zoning law in the British Columbia Court of Appeal in January.

Great Canadian Gaming Corp. is looking to boost racetrack revenues, which are showing a decline in most parts of the world. The goal of GCGC is to boost the horse racing industry so that the tradition of the sport is not lost.

The company still requires a casino permit from the city, but it may well be a formality considering that GCGC will be closing its casino on West Broadway. Plans for 90 slot machines to go into Fraser Downs Racetrack are in the works, and that race track will also have 12 table games. Improvements will eventually cost over $40 million and will include food, beverage and entertainment amenities.