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In an effort to increase the profile of the Breeders' Cup, and to allow more top horses to participate, the event has been extended to two days, and three new races have been added. Though the new events, which will be run Friday, are ungraded this year because they are new, they will all eventually be grade one stakes like the other eight races.

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Filly and Mare Sprint

This is an excellent chance for an unrepresented division to show their stuff at the Breeders' Cup. The first year of the event is shaping up to be an epic showdown between two incredible fillies - Dream Rush and La Traviata. Dream Rush, the morning line favorite, has four wins and a second over her last five starts, and the only time she hasn't been in the lead over that time was when she was passed deep in the stretch in the Acorn, and that race was two furlongs longer than this spot. She's been off since August, though, and she has been dealing with a throat problem over that time, so she is not without flaws. Though she's clearly the class of the field of the three year old competition she has met, she will be stepping up against older horses here for the first time. She absolutely has the potential to win, but she isn't a lock by any means.

La Traviata may be her biggest challenge. That filly was originally pointed towards the Sprint, but she'll face her own gender instead. She's a challenging horse to handicap because she only broke her maiden in June and has just three career starts. Each has been an impressive win, though, and her Victory Ride win last time was among the most incredible efforts of the year. What she lacks in experience she more than makes up for in potential. This race brings the two titans of the division head-to-head for supremacy.

They won't be alone, though. There are other potential winners in the field. Miss Macy Sue doesn't have the eye-opening record at glamorous tracks that her opponents do, but she is a distance specialist, she has traveled all over the country, and she knows how to win. Oprah Winney has five wins in nine tries at the distance, and has posted 100+ Beyers twice. She'll likely be bet down, though, as she is being profiled this week on her near-namesakes show. Jazzy and Maryfield are two intriguing longshots I have my eye on.

Juvenile Turf

The addition of this race caught many off-guard, but it has proven to be hugely popular among horsemen. Eighteen horses pre-entered for the 12 available spots in the starting gate. The favorite is Bill Mott's Prussian. He has just two starts, but won impressively at Woodbine last time out. The concern with him, if there is one, is that he's a speed horse who will be challenged by more closing speed than he's seen before. Achill Island, an Irish horse, is one who will be trying to chase him down. His last race, the Royal Lodge at Ascot, is the same race Wilko used to prepare for his Juvenile win in 2004. Domestic Fund is another Irish horse with serious game. He will stalk the pace and will be one of the first to make a move on the pacesetters.

Strike The Deal is yet another Euro worth a look. He's the most seasoned runner in the field with seven career starts. The distance of this race, a mile, is two furlongs further than he has run before, but he's handled past challenges well, and could earn a piece here. Gio Ponti is a good choice for someone looking for a domestic horse that will go off at a solid price - he's 8/1 in the morning line. He's a turf specialist who is unbeaten in two starts, and his off-the-pace running style should suit this pace well. He'll be able to settle off the pace while the less measured runners burn themselves out up front. The Leopard will get more than his share of betting attention because he's trained by Todd Pletcher, but he was moved to the turf after a disappointing stakes debut on dirt, and he has shown little to make us think he is up to this level of competition.

Dirt Mile

The other two new races are being eagerly anticipated and well regarded, but the Dirt Mile seems to be getting a fair bit of skepticism. It has become the race where horses who aren't good enough for one of the other races to end up. As a case in point, Discreet Cat is the favorite. He was heavily hyped going into a Dubai World Cup showdown with Invasor, but he was far from good enough. The problems there were blamed on a throat abscess, and he was off until returning to get a third in the Vosburgh at the end of September. He'll get plenty of attention thanks to the inside post he drew, his two-for-two record at a mile in the U.S., and his blistering workout this week. He certainly could win, but he won't pay much if he does.

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If he doesn't win the there are several others who could. Corinthian is the second choice in the field. His only stakes race at a mile was an impressive victory over Lawyer Ron in the Metropolitan at Belmont. The three races surrounding that, though, were disappointing efforts at longer distances. The Metropolitan effort would likely be good enough to win here, but nothing else he has done would be. Xchanger has faltered every time he has gone against top competition, but he has a graded win, and he is well-seasoned by a year of traveling all over the country. Gottcha Gold comes in with a two-race winning streak in graded events at Monmouth, so he will certainly like the surface. Overall he has won five times in eight tries at Monmouth. He should be close to the lead rounding the final turn. Lewis Michael has reeled off five straight 100+ Beyer races, but none have been on dirt. He's proven he likes the synthetic, but it remains to be seen how he transitions back to dirt. Over his career he has just one dirt win in five tries. If you like High Finance then you have to decide which horse will show up - the one who won the Tom Fool impressively this summer with a 111 Beyer, or the one who was eighth as favorite in the Forego last time out. He a frontrunner who doesn't much like being pressed, so he could be in trouble here.