The first two races are in the books at sunny but still chilly Churchill Downs on this Breeders' Cup Saturday and with the Breeders' Cup events about to get started with the Filly & Mare Sprint, let's talk for a moment about the main track and turf course.

At the end of the day yesterday, I came away feeling that the rail on the main track really wasn't the place to be. I know that Jaywalk won the Juvenile Fillies racing near the inside, but not necessarily right on the rail. But the fact that she still won, and won laughing, in my mind speaks to just how well she ran. Other than her, though, almost all of the best running done on the main track Friday occurred on the outside.

Well, after seeing Saturday's first two races, both on dirt, I'd say that at least so far, we have a different and fair main track. First race winner Tiz Mischief was right on the rail all the way around the far turn and into the stretch. And while Audible swamped his field as the 6-5 favorite in the second race, the Cherokee Run Stakes, with an outside rally, runner up Honorable Treasure literally scraped paint, and Principe Guilherme finished third at 43-1 after racing on or very near the inside.

As for the turf, it was obviously much softer, deeper and slower yesterday than its on-the-board designation of good. The Equibase chartcallers, to their credit, caught on to that right away and had the course as yielding.

Once again, Churchill is currently calling the course condition "good." But as Marcus Hersh reported earlier, there is little reason to think the course will be any different than it was yesterday. Patchy frost overnight will see to that, as will the fact that a lower sun angle this time of year means it will take much longer for wet turf to dry out. It's best to handicap the Breeders' Cup turf races today with a yielding or soft course in mind.