The Breeders’ Cup runs for the 20th time this year at Lone Star Park, in Grand Prairie Texas, just outside of Dallas. It’s the biggest day of the year, rendered even more exciting now that all the lazy, autumnal afternoons of big racing at Belmont, Keeneland, and Oak Tree have been turned into Breeders’ Cup preps.

While we always lose the superstars early in the year – you won’t see Smarty Jones on this track anywhere – there’s still plenty of real horseflesh to fill the gate. All of the races are wildly contentious and exorbitantly rich.

As a result, the Breeders’ Cup is a tough day for gamblers. It’s full of hyped horses, mysterious imports, and first-time matchups. None of the 3-year-olds in the $4 Million Classic has ever run against an older horse, and there’s always a great collision of East and West Coast horses.

It’s a great day to play exotics, because there are wonderful long shots running around. It’s also a great day for long prices on good horses; 12-1 on Artie Schiller, for example, seems like a gift. But there’s a lot of pretty deserving chalk going out this year as well. Kitten’s Joy? Speightstown? These are the best horses running.

The races will be shown on NBC from 1-6 p.m. on Saturday. If you’d rather watch it near a betting window you can go out to Aqueduct or hang around an OTB. The Playwright is getting things rolling early with a preview party tonight. They’ll even be accepting advance wagering: Good Luck!

Here’s a look at the top contenders running in each of the races:

THE DISTAFF

The desertion of Azeri and the retiring of Sightseek opens this field up a bit and puts the divisional title back on the table.

Favored Ashado (7-2) will be popping out of gate no. 1 and will probably get stuck out there with the rabbit Tamweel (15-1), who can certainly hang on. Ashado has won three of her last five, but the two she lost to, Society Selection and Stellar Jayne, are in this race. I wouldn’t worry too much about Stellar (6-1), but Society Selection (4-1) has turned in three very good Grade I races in a row.

This is the last shot for Storm Flag Flying (9-2). After this, she goes out to pasture. She has not been off the board all year. She was a stubborn third in that Sightseek/Society Selection race at Belmont. Before that, she hit the wire with incredible determination at Saratoga to beat Azeri. If she runs like she did there, she’ll take her last race.

JUVENILE FILLIES

This was last year’s best race, but like the 2-year-old colts, it’s wildly unpredictable. Put a bunch of young horses together while they’re still figuring out how to run, and offer enough money to make sure they’re the best running: The result is a mess.

Earning the slot of favorite is Sweet Catomine at 5-2. She’s praised on the virtues of two very good races, the Oak Leaf at Santa Anita and the Del Mar Debutante over 7 furlongs. Her ability to go four or five wide and her closing kick make her a strong favorite.

I like the looks of Balletto at 5-1, who beat a few of these girls, including Sis City (10-1) at the Grade I Frizette at Belmont. She broke from the first slot in that race, too, stayed back off a brisk pace, then hugged the rail and got it done.

THE MILE

A 1-mile turf race for $1.5 million doesn’t come around often. When it does, the horses show up. We’ve got 14 of them gunning for it tomorrow.

Nothing to Lose, the 7-2 favorite, has turned in some great races this summer. His move in the Fourstardave at Saratoga was gutsy, and his last out at Keeneland was impressive. He gets better with every trip.

Last year’s winner, Six Perfections, goes off at 5-1. The 4-year-old filly from France has only been out three times since her win at Santa Anita, and she hasn’t won any of them.

Stack that up against Blackdoun (20-1), who has notched three in a row out at Del Mar. Or consider Artie Schiller (12-1), who looks great for this race after five wins for his last six outs. Or go out on a limb with Soaring Free (20-1), who just might jump out front, never see the horses chasing him, and never know that he’s outclassed until he runs away with the whole thing.

THE SPRINT

Even without Pico Central – who would win this race if he were here – this is a big fast field setting up for a very exciting race.

Speightstown has been installed as the 3-1 favorite. If he hadn’t had such a hard time getting out of the gate in the Vosburgh at Belmont his last out he’d be even shorter. That was his only loss of the year, and even there, he still ran a triple-digit Beyer.

Kela (8-1) is getting a lot of attention as the horse that might beat Speightstown. His one run at this distance was impressive, and he’s won once at Lone Star. I look at these recent wins, the climbing Beyers, and I see a bounce coming.

Gold Storm (15-1), who’s won three of four on this track, might also be capable of pulling off an upset. Champali (12-1), starting from gate no. 3, beat him last out. Midas Eyes (7-2) is on the far outside, and he’ll have the backstretch to overcome the fact that he’s 13 lanes out. His last out was his lifetime-high Beyer.

FILLE AND MARE TURF

English import Ouija Board (8-5) is drawing all the action. She’s an impressive runner who’s notched several big wins this year, and Kieren Fallon has made the trip to ride her. But she’s going up against some real horse.

Many of these horses ran in the Flower Bowl Invitational. They set an incredibly pokey pace then sprinted for the wire, and Riskaverse (12-1) battled to the front of a tight group. Looking over her recent runnings, she looks like a horse coming into something.

Even more interesting is Bobby Frankel’s 1-2 punch of Light Jig (7-2) and Megahertz (10-1). Both horses have had very good years, and Frankel has something to prove in the Breeders’ Cup – he never seems to get anything done on this day.

THE JUVENILE

This is the hardest race of the day to call. Two-year-olds are ridiculous betting prospects. Last year, Action This Day came home at 26-1. He had only just broken his maiden.

Roman Ruler has been installed as the 8-5 favorite, but these baby colts will not hand him the race. Proud Accolade (5-2) and Afleet Alex (7-2) recently put on a marvelous show on the stretch at Belmont, running the Champagne. Consolidator (8-1) just did two turns at Keeneland, running very near the pace and then slipping by to close speedily.

THE TURF

This race is all about the even-money favorite, 3-year-old rocket horse Kitten’s Joy. He’s won eight of nine races on the grass. Last out he took 1 1 /2 miles in stride, and he’ll go that distance again tomorrow.

Usually, foreigners overrun the Breeders’ Cup Turf, but this time we’ve only got one import, Aidan Obrien’s Powerscourt. He was here last in the Arlington Million, when he got to the wire first, but was disqualified for interfering on the stretch. He’s the second favorite, at 3-1.

Interesting in this race is Mustanfar at 20-1. He starts out of the far side, slot 8, and he’s a heavy closer. Front-running Star Over the Bay (10-1) will no doubt try to steal the race, and that could set up for Mustanfar to make a big late move. Still: It’s very hard to bet against Kitten’s Joy.

THE CLASSIC

To understand this race you have to understand that fifth place in a race for $4 million is worth $120,000. Some horses are in this race because a) you never know, and b) $120,000 pays for the trip.

This race should play out as follows: Roses in May goes for the lead, Funny Cide gets up there, as does Azeri. Pleasantly Perfect will drop all the way back before the first turn, and he’ll use his big muscle stride to close. Birdstone, at post 7, will try to settle into a good trip just behind the leaders.

Ghostzapper’s best-race scenario is that the front-runners get past him, and he can tuck in next to Birdstone right behind them. But he’ll probably be forced out front with the speed.

The stretch at Lone Star is 930 feet long (Belmont’s is 1,097).The late charges are going to be harrowing and quick, what with all those jocks struggling to get their horses up to fifth.