The curtain is beginning to close on the flat season, but the big autumn Derby trial that is the Racing Post Trophy will keep the spread betting public fully ensconced in flat racing for a few more days.

Crowded House was a most impressive winner of this race 12 months ago and was immediately installed the ante-post favourite for both the 2,000 Guineas and Derby after his 3 ½ length romp. Spread bettors buying Sporting Index’s winning distance market will hope for every bit as comprehensive a victory this year, as that was the biggest winning margin since Commander Collins’ 7-length victory in 1998. That said, sellers won’t be overjoyed that there hasn’t been a winning distance shorter than ¾ of a length in the past 10 renewals.

There have been four winners in this race since 1986 who have gone on to win the Derby at Epsom the following June – the most recent being Authorized in 2006. Aidan O’Brien bossed this contest in the late 1990’s, winning four of the six between 1997-2002, but he hasn’t won in the past six years. Those patriotic spread punters who like to follow English-trained horses will be encouraged that all of the last five victors have been trained on these shores, by five different handlers. Crowded House wasn’t a shock winner last year, but he was a 7/1 shot and spread sellers of SP’s will be more encouraged from four of the last seven favourites taking this prize. It isn’t that rare for a shock though and punters playing the outsiders in the Sporting Index race index will take heart from the other two winners during that seven-year period returning at 20/1 and 25/1. 

It’s a long way from Doncaster to Santa Anita in California, but spread bettors won’t mind the top quality racing that runs into the early hours of Sunday morning. The Breeders’ Cup is the last hurrah of the flat racing season and the Europeans were certainly shouting ‘hurrah’ last year, winning an incredible five of the nine Grade 1 races on the Saturday at Santa Anita. Those who take part in horse racing spread betting know exactly how important the surface can be to a horse’s chance and it is no coincidence that the Europeans improved massively last year thanks to the recent installation of the ‘Cushion Track’ synthetic surface at the Californian track.

The highlight of the two-day meeting is always the finale – the Breeders’ Cup Classic, won 12 months ago by John Gosden’s Raven’s Pass; the first time an English-trained horse has ever won this race. Racing fans and spread betting enthusiasts alike will undoubtedly be hugely disappointed that Sea The Stars won’t be appearing, but Aidan O’Brien’s Rip Van Winkle looks likely to go off favourite in his mission to give Ireland its first ever ‘Classic’. Prior to 2007, those following ‘Rip’ on the spreads would have been concerned that no three-year-old had won the race since Tiznow in 2000, but Curlin and Raven’s Pass have now made it two-in-a-row for the younger generation.

Fans can follow all the breaking news in the build up to the Breeders' Cup Classic with Breeders-Cup-Live.