It’s Curlin and Street Sense all over again. The two current horses at the top of the Triple Crown fray are War Pass and Pyro; they’re tied at –120 on the futures market to be named the post favorite for this May’s Kentucky Derby.

Whoa, Nellie. These two horses are absolutely magnificent genetic specimens, but this year’s early results (and the early Kentucky Derby pool odds) suggest the field of contenders will be tough to beat. Cool Coal Man, for one, has won four of his last five races and is coming off last week’s first-place finish at the Grade II Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream Park.

Keep in mind before betting the farm on Cool Coal Man that he came off the rail at Gulfstream, in a field that didn’t include War Pass (he raced and won an allowance instead), and is also making his final Derby prep at Gulfstream, on Mar. 29 at the Florida Derby.

These are heady times in the world of horse racing. We’re coming off a year that saw one of the best collections of 3-year-olds ever assembled; if you want in on the action in 2008, keep these five simple tips in mind:

Tracks matter: The switch to synthetic surfaces marches on. As always, see which horses run best on which tracks (and in which conditions).

No long shots: Good genetics, as proven on the track, point to continued success during a horse’s peak months.

Don’t forget this year’s horses: Most of the top 3-year-olds from 2007 will go to stud. Don’t assume that those who fail in the sack won’t do well on the track as 4-year-olds.

Stay away from the superfecta: The more horses you pick, the more you’re turning your betting ticket into a lottery ticket.

Better living through Lasix: Expect a bump in performance when a horse is on Lasix (a diuretic) for the first time.

The Grade I Hollywood Turf Cup Stakes is considered the wrap-up event of the season, usually pulling in a solid field of Breeders’ Cup entrants. This past Saturday’s $250,000 event was a little different. The 17-10 favorite, Champs Elysees, was making his first start in the United States. And the winner, 4-year-old Sunriver, was not part of the festivities at Monmouth Park.

You may recall Sunriver as one of the longer shots on the 2006 Triple Crown trail. The Todd Pletcher-trained colt finished third at the Belmont before making the switch to turf this spring. The move has paid off; Sunriver now has three wins in six attempts, including July’s Bowling Green Handicap. He paid $6.00 to win the Turf Cup.

Champs Elysees ($3.20) was 2-3/4 lengths behind Sunriver in second, followed by Spring House ($2.40) in third. Rounding out the field were Obrigado, Tissy Fit, Chief Running Bear and Heroi Do Bafra. Sudan was a scratch.

Don’t put away your tail combs just yet. The horse racing season doesn’t end with the Breeders’ Cup; there are still plenty of graded stakes races left in the winter session, including the $1-million Delta Jackpot Stakes at Delta Downs on Dec. 7.

This is a Grade III Juvenile event, but the seven-figure purse ensures the highest level of competition. Nineteen pre-entries were taken in November; they’ll be whittled down to 10 on Tuesday. We do know that Golden Yank has qualified. This 2-year-old burst on the scene in October by winning his debut over six furlongs, then claiming the MEC Mile before his impressive showing at the Jean Lafitte – thus qualifying for Dec. 7.

Other viable favorites for the Delta Jackpot include Slew’s Tiznow, Old Man Buck and Z Humor, all with podium finishes at the Breeders’ Cup. Sky Cape, St. Joe and Briarwood Circle are also in position to make the field.

The Triple Crown races attract the most media attention compared to any other horse racing events. The first jewel in the Triple Crown is the Kentucky Derby, and is the most well-known horse race in the world. The Japan Cup, which is run every November at Tokyo Race Course, will have purses as big as $4.3 million. The Australian Melbourne Cup attracts international entries and continues to grow.

But the biggest race in the world is in the United Arab Emirates. The Dubai World Cup is a race with a purse of $6 million, and the country is currently building an entire horse racing city. The catch is that there is no paramutuel betting in the country.

The Dubai World Cup will continue to be the biggest race in the world because of the love of horse racing held the Arab aristocracy and the huge financial backing the industry has in the United Arab Emirates.

New-Zealand bred horse, Efficient, came with a huge late run to down Purple Moon and Irish-trained Mahler to win the coveted 2007 Spring Melbourne Cup.

Ridden by Michael Rodd, Efficient will enter the history books as the first galloper since Phar Lap to win the VRC Derby and then follow-up with the Melbourne Cup the next year.
This no doubt makes Sir Patrick Hogan a very happy man. Efficient’s win marks the third time Hogan’s sire Zabeel has produced a Melbourne Cup winner.
But more remarkably for Hogan, Zabeel has outdone his own father, super sire Sir Tristram who produced two Melbourne Cup winners.

The best horse won. There were many deserving candidates at last week’s Breeders’ Cup Classic, but Curlin’s 4 1/2-length victory over Hard Spun wrapped up a wonderful 2007 for the expected Eclipse Award and Horse of the Year winner.

Curlin nearly broke the 45-year old Monmouth Park record over 1 1/4 miles, clocking a 119 Beyer figure on a sloppy track to finish at 2:00.59. Yet the phenomenal chestnut stallion was the fourth favorite at the Cup, despite racking up four wins, a second and two thirds in his previous seven races this year, including victory at the Preakness.

Now that Curlin is sitting on top of the horse-racing world, the real measure of his star power is in the anguish that will come should his owners decide to retire Curlin to stud. That already seems like a fait accompli – Curlin could easily double his 2007 earnings of $5.1 million, and his stud fee should only go up.

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.