Let's take a quick break from the Triple Crown Trial and zero in on the fall. Don't look now, but the Breeders' Cup extravaganza is growing quicker than a recent failure from the Jenny Craig program. This year there will be 14, yep, 14, BC races and the ladies will have their own forum on October 24 as all 5 events will be for the gentler sex. A total of $25.5 million will be up for grabs.

I was privileged to be in attendance for the inaugural Breeders' Cup at Hollywood Park and there were exactly half the number of BC races carded that day.

Less can be more, and more can be too much, but before anybody jumps the gun let's see how things take hold.

Sure Santa Anita has had a ton of problems with the track this winter and it couldn't happen to a nicer guy than the President of Santa Anita Ron Charles, but here's hoping that they re-install a new track at the end of the meeting that will stand the test of time.

The powers that be at Anita have not even ruled out a conventional dirt track as they have already invested a small fortune into the failed experiment that is going on right now.

But October is a long time away, they have plenty of time to get the track down and test it fully, and on that first day of the Cup the distaff set will be running for purses totally $8 million.

Cup officials have also played the name game with the former BC Distaff, renaming it the Ladies' Classic. The breakdown is that the Juvenile Fillies turf and the Filly and Mare Sprint will offer $1 million pots, while the other 3 races for females will go with $2 million purses.

The males will have more at stake. Juvenile Turf, Dirt Mile and Turf Sprint runners will be shooting for a million, Juvenile, Sprint and Mile candidates will vie for $2 million purses, Turf marathoners will gun for the $3 million pot and Classic contenders have a $5 million payday to look forward to this year.

Okay, the Cup is over 8 months away but it's never too early to start storing information about the possible candidates.

With the Cup falling at the end of the Oak Tree meeting, even if there is a problem with the surface early on, the officials will likely have time to remedy the situation.

A win over the Cushion, either at Anita or at Hollywood Park, will also likely be a major plus factor for any horses entertaining designs on winning.

Remember that Steve Asmussen was well aware of a race over the track as he had Curlin prep for the Classic during the summer in the Haskell at Monmouth Park.

Players will also have to pay special attention to the styles of the runners as they come to the Cup the next two years. Both of the Cups, 2008 and 2009, will be in Arcadia so runners that showed an affinity for either the turf course of the ever-changing Cushion must be circled early on.

Lastly, forward looking players will pay attention to the shape of winners at the current meeting just in case the powers that be put in another Cushion oval and they will also monitor results from Golden Gate, so that if Anita officials decide on a Tapeta surface, they won't be left out on the cold.