Tick-tock. Only two months to go until the Breeders’ Cup at Monmouth Park. The top horses of 2007 will be in action; you may have already become familiar with some of these thoroughbreds on the Triple Crown Trail, but with 11 races on the docket, you’ll need to stretch that knowledge out considerably.

Following this year’s Breeders’ Cup Challenge is an excellent way to start. The new format sees 24 races run across several divisions, with the winners gaining automatic entry into the Cup itself. Lawyer Ron and Student Council, for example, are already eligible to run in the Classic.

Student Council certainly knows how to crash a party. He won the Pacific Classic last Sunday at Del Mar at 23-1 odds, beating a field that included Lava Man. The Polytrack surface at Del Mar is being “blamed,” but Student Council is one fine-looking horse. Let’s hope the skeptics continue to scoff.