BREEDERS' CUP 2011: Post Times and Wagering Menu

UPDATED: The chart below is updated with the current post times and wagering menu for the 2011 Breeders' Cup.

ORIGINAL POST: The Breeders' Cup released the scheduled post times and wagering menu for the 2011 championships at Churchill Downs on November 4th and 5th.   From the Breeders' Cup Ltd. press release:

LEXINGTON, Ky.  (September 22, 2011) - The Breeders' Cup announced today the wagering menu and post times for the 28th Breeders' Cup World Championships, to be held on Friday, November 4 and Saturday, November 5 at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. This year's wagering menu on the 15 Breeders' Cup races features an abundance of wagering opportunities including two all Breeders' Cup Ultra Pick Sixes, 10-cent Superfectas, 50-cent Pick 4’s, rolling Pick 3's, a Ladies' Classic - Breeders' Cup Classic daily double and a new Pick 5 wager.

2011 Breeders' Cup Post Times Press Release

Below is a chart of the post times and wagering menu, along with some personal thoughts on the format:

ALL POST-TIMES ARE EASTERN TIME

• Friday’s Pick 6 and Super Hi 5 may carryover to Saturday
• Saturday’s Ultra Pick 6 and Super Hi 5 have a mandatory payout
• The Pick 5 is a mandatory payout each day
• Superfectas are a $0.10 minimum wager
• Trifectas, Pick 3, Pick 4 and Pick 5 are $0.50 minimum wager
• Win, Place, Show, Exacta and Pick 6 are $2 minimum wager
• Daily Double and Super Hi 5 are $1 minimum bet
• The Post Position Draw will take place on Monday, October 31
  
• The Official race order will be set on October 26

Some personal thoughts on the race order and wagering menu:

-The new Pick-5 wagers will be similar to the ones in California in that they will encompass the first five races of the card, which on Breeders' Cup Friday and Saturday will include four and two non-BC races, respectively. I'm guessing the reason for the placement was to separate the wager from the Pick 6, but I'm not sure that is really necessary.

The Pick-5, given it's low minimum bet amount, is essentially the bankroll-limited player's Pick 6.  In other words, I don't think it's a direct competitor to the Pick 6, but an ancillary bet that attracts a different player. I've never played a BC Pick 6 (and only a few Pick 6s ever), but I would be much more likely to take a shot at the Pick 5 (depending on how the race sequence shakes out).  In short, I think the P5 probably would work in an "All BC" sequence, but I suppose we'll have to wait and see how the pools turn out during the first year.

-While the official race order won't be set until October 26th, it's unlikely we'll see a major change.

-The new Juvenile Sprint will go into "Filly Friday", which pushes the Marathon to Saturday for the first time.

-Given how strong the Ladies' Classic looks this year, it's a shame to see that race somewhat buried on the Friday card.  The 7:30 post time is 4:30 on the West Coast, not exactly a time when casual eyes will be watching a horse race.  While it's probably too difficult to put all 15 races on the same day (at least if they were to all take place at the same track), the two-day format still seems a bit too segregated for races like the Filly and Mare Turf, Juvenile Fillies, and Ladies' Classic. 

I'm not sure the "Filly Friday" thing has really worked at the Breeders' Cup; it's not the same as Oaks Day.  I think the Breeders' Cup would work as a one-day event, but one of two things would have to happen: reduce the post times to 25-30 minute intervals, or split the races between two tracks (perhaps one dirt and one turf).

Just looking at the post time intervals, if you went 30 minutes between each race, and started with no non-BC races, here's how Saturday would look.

To me, that works better.  It's one day, which eliminates the fragmenting of the races (and the filler of non-BC races at the start of the card), and it eliminates running six championship races on a weekday afternoon when people are at work.  It builds the day better and offers an opportunity to put Pick 3s, 4s, 5s and 6s all within the Breeders' Cup format. The first race of the day is early on the West Coast (9:30am), but that is no different than some Breeders' Cups in the past, and you could always move the first race back another half-hour or hour and push the Classic into the 8-8:30pm range, giving it a prime time television audience.  I know some people frown on night racing, but we live in a TV world.

There are clearly factors I'm not privy to that play into the decision of the Breeders' Cup to split the event, but as a fan, I wish the event would return to one, super-sized day of top-class racing.