For the first time in it’s history, racing’s biggest day is now more than just one day.

The Breeders’ Cup World Thoroughbred Championships will be contested at Monmouth Park, and has been expanded to 11 races carded over two days. The trio of races held Friday are the three additions to the traditional program, and with the fields they have attracted, are certainly worthy of inclusion to the championship program.

Kicking off the festivities will be the Filly & Mare Sprint, which has gathered a sensationally fast and deep group of 10. Morning-line favorite Dream Rush tallied back-to-back Grade 1 scores in advance of this, but missed an anticipated start in the Gallant Bloom due to a minor illness and is seemingly a need-the-lead type. The fact she drew inside from post 3 with several speedy ladies to her outside could prove troublesome.

The filly to beat is La Traviata, who is undefeated from three prior starts, most recently a devastating performance in the Victory Ride on Travers Day. Initial inclinations were to run her versus the boys in the Sprint, but the decision was wisely made earlier this week to run here instead.

Working against La Traviata is her relative inexperience, and that her trainer – Patrick Biancone – is winless from 19 prior Breeders’ Cup starters. While La Traviata will run in the name of Biancone’s assistant Francois Parisel as part of the deal pertaining to Biancone’s pending suspension, she is awfully tough to ignore, but will offer a short price.

Rather, Wild Gams will be the play here. The Ben Perkins trainee is proven over this Monmouth strip, and arrives fresh with just four races under her belt this season.

Miss Macy Sue is another that should give a good showing, and will be used with La Traviata in the exotics.

F&M SPRINT: 1st - Wild Gams; 2nd - La Traviata; 3rd - Miss Macy Sue; 4th - Baroness Thatcher.

The Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf is perhaps the most challenging race on the program to handicap due to the lack of past performance substance. Thus, Strike the Deal, a European import, gets top billing in part because his seven career races are most amongst this cast.

Trainer Jeremy Noseda upset the Juvenile with Wilko a few years back, and jockey Frankie Dettori certainly knows his way to Cup success, so capable connections are involved.

Prussian broke his maiden at the Spa for Mott and Desormeaux, who were lethal this past summer. But Mott has since cooled, and Desormeaux is just 2-for-52 with Cup mounts, thus tempering the enthusiasm surrounding the likely favorite.

Gio Ponti took the Bourbon Stakes at Keeneland in his latest, although he tossed his head around several times early on. This will be just his third career start, so he has every right to act more mature this time around, but his antics remain a concern. Your Round is a long shot to consider in the mix, and should receive a great trip beneath Castro from the rail.

JUVENILE TURF: 1st - Strike the Deal; 2nd - Prussian; 3rd - Gio Ponti; 4th - Your Round.

The Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile – which will be run at one mile and 70 yards – has drawn an intriguing bunch, and shouldering the bulk of the intrigue is Discreet Cat.

The Godolphin-phenom has lost two consecutive starts following six dazzling wins to begin his career, yet has had excuses in each. Most recently, he struggled home a tired third in the Vosburgh. That was his first outing since the end of March, and his camp reports he his back to the form he carried when he cruised in the 2006 Cigar Mile.

Behind Discreet Cat could be some combination of Park Avenue Ball, High Finance and Corinthian.

DIRT MILE: 1st - Discreet Cat; 2nd - Park Avenue Ball; 3rd - High Finance; 4th - Corinthian.