Firm turf at Churchill Downs unlikely to change

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Breeders Cup 2010 Preview: The Churchill Downs Lowdown

Frankie Dettori on/off Ouija Board, BC '06 at Churchill

Breeders Cup 2010 will be held at one of the mainstays of American horse racing, Churchill Downs, for the seventh time in its 27 year history, on Friday and Saturday, November 5th and 6th.

There is, of course, a strong home team looking to wrest back its credibility after two years in Santa Anita where home advantage was somewhat nullified by the prevailing Pro-Ride surface, and the swashbuckling performances of the European buccaneers.

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Blackpool suffer early ups and downs

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The first two games of the season have taught Blackpool fans what the Premier League is all about – highs and lows.

After their unexpected 4-0 win over Wigan on the opening day, they themselves were the victims of a thrashing at the hands of Arsenal who managed six without reply.

Their second result was more widely predicted than the first, but taken together the two games mean it’s no easier to predict just how Blackpool will get on this season.

True, manager Ian Holloway would have seen any points picked up at the Emirates as a bonus, but the comprehensive manner of the defeat raised question marks.

However, Wigan are the kind of team they need to beat if they want to stay in the division and they clearly have what it takes to get one over on their fellow strugglers.

There are a lot of poor teams around this season – West Ham look unlikely to set the world alight, while a number of other teams will struggle. So if Blackpool can keep up the kind of form that saw them tonk Wigan, and don’t mind taking the occasional tonking themselves, they could hang on for a second season. You can follow their season with Bets Player.

However, they will still face a tough task in staying up and they would do well to learn from what happened with Hull City. They spent far too heavily in an attempt to remain in the Premier League and although they managed to stay up first time around, their eventual relegation plunged them into a financial crisis.

Blackpool then should concentrate on ensuring that if they do go down, they are able to make a swift return to the top flight.