2009 Breeders Cup Favorites: Zenyatta Takes Over

Rip Van Winkle and Zenyatta have been listed among the 2009 Breeders Cup favorites all week long but with Rip Van Winkle suffering from a foot injury, we have seen his odds dip from +150 to +335 at SBG Global for a payout potential of $33.50 on every $10 bet.

Zenyatta is not a favorite at all online sportsbooks but she is at SBG Global (now with payout odds of $30 for every $10 bet).

On Tuesday afternoon, Zenyatta drew post 4 in a field of 13 when post positions were drawn for the 26th Breeders' Cup

Jon White, the morning-line maker at Santa Anita, made Zenyatta the 5-2 favorite in the 1 1/4-mile Classic, with European star Rip Van Winkle next at 7-2 and Summer Bird, the nation's leading 3-year-old, at 9-2. Befitting the evenly matched nature of the Classic field, White has six of the 13 runners posted at 12-1.

Mike Watchmaker, Daily Racing Form's national handicapper, had Rip Van Winkle favored at 7-2, with Zenyatta at 4-1 and Summer Bird at 6-1.

Rip Van Winkle, the favorite in the Classic on Watchmaker's line, is seeking to emulate Raven's Pass, a European who won the 2008 Classic in his first start on a synthetic surface.

Don Shapiro, Gambling911.com