Dick Jerardi

It is impossible to top the epic 2010 Breeders' Cup storyline with Zenyatta going for her 20th straight win and consecutive Classic wins in her final race. But BC 28, with its $26 million in purses spread across 15 races set for Friday and Saturday at Churchill Downs, has another brilliant filly in the Classic. If Havre de Grace, who was based at Delaware Park all summer, wins, she will be the third consecutive female Horse of the Year after Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta.

BELMONT, N.Y. -- The Belmont Stakes was a fitting conclusion to this most bizarre of Triple Crown seasons. Horses that paid $52.40, $40.20, $19.40, $12.60 and $29.80 won the final five major Kentucky Derby preps. The favorite did not win any of the last 10 graded Derby preps. So why would the Derby, Preakness and Belmont be different?

BALTIMORE -- In a Triple Crown era when most of the connections with good horses run away from participating in all three races unless there is an actual Triple Crown on the line, the best news from an exciting Preakness is that we may see the winners of the first two legs both come back to meet the challenge of the Belmont Stakes.

So what exactly is the First Four?

Remember that is the name the NCAA came up with when it announced in April that the NCAA Tournament would be expanded from 65 to 68 teams, that there would be 37 at-large teams instead of 34, that Turner Sports would partner with CBS on a $10.8 billion, 14-year deal that would televise every game live on CBS, TNT, TBS or truTV.

After following college basketball forever and covering it professionally for two decades, I have come to the following conclusion: Throw away the manual covering the sport.