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Bernardini, Lava Man top Classic field NEW YORK (AP) - There's little doubt the US$5-million Breeders' Cup Classic will be all about trying to beat Bernardini. Even Doug O'Neill says so, and he trains Lava Man - the West Coast star with perhaps the best chance to defeat the brilliant three-year-old colt. ''He's just done everything without any effort whatsoever,'' O'Neill said Wednesday after 121 horses were pre-entered for the eight Breeders' Cup races worth $20 million at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., on Nov. 4. ''On sheer numbers he just towers over the rest of the field that have run in the U.S. He's definitely the horse we're all trying to beat.'' Bernardini has cruised to six straight wins, including the Preakness, Travers and Jockey Club Gold Cup, and was made the early 8-5 favourite by Daily Racing Form oddsmaker Mike Watchmaker. Lava Man - 7-for-7 this year in California - was the 6-1 third choice behind unbeaten Discreet Cat, at 7-2 after surprisingly being pre-entered by owner Sheik Mohammed. Todd Pletcher, meanwhile, has a chance to make one of the biggest scores in racing with a record 18 horses pre-entered in seven Breeders' Cup races. He took a pass on the Mile. Pletcher has two early favourites in Circular Quay (4-1 in the Juvenile) and Fleet Indian (2-1 in the Distaff), and top contenders Wait a While in the Filly & Mare Turf and English Channel in the Turf. He also has Flower Alley, owned by Toronto businessman Eugene Melnyk, and Lawyer Ron for the Classic. ''We're fortunate enough to be in a position where we can take some multiple shots and hopefully a few of them step up for us,'' Pletcher said. As usual, the 1¼-mile Classic is the main attraction. O'Neill, who claimed Lava Man for $50,000 last year, says his five-year-old gelding might not stack up to Bernardini but does possess one key quality: ''He just wants to beat you,'' O'Neill said. Bernardini worked five furlongs in 1:02.40 at Belmont Park on Wednesday, and trainer Tom Albertani said his colt ''looks like he's on top of his game.'' There are plenty of other challengers, from South American sensation Invasor (8-for-9 lifetime) to Europe's dynamic duo of Group 1 winners David Junior and George Washington to Giacomo, who is part-owned by Stronach Stables of Aurora, Ont., and returns to the scene of his 2005 Kentucky Derby win at 50-1 odds. George Washington is the top-rated miler, but trainer Aidan O'Brien said his three-year-old colt earned a shot in the Classic - likely the final race of his career. It will be George Washington's first race on dirt. ''We felt George has proven all he can on the turf,'' O'Brien said. ''He's run against all the best milers. He has nothing else really to prove running at a mile on the turf again. Everybody knows we've always thought the world of him and we've never had a horse like him before.'' Discreet Cat handed Invasor his only loss - in the UAE Derby- and is coming off a 10¼-length romp in the Jerome Breeders' Cup Handicap. Still, Discreet Cat may still wind up skipping the Classic and run in the Cigar Mile at Aqueduct on Nov. 25. Five Classic starters from last year were pre-entered: Flower Alley, Perfect Drift, Super Frolic and Suave, the second-through-fifth place finishers, respectively - and trainer Nick Zito's Sun King. Brother Derek, owned by Calgary oilman Cecil Peacock, could also end up in the field. He would be the first horse added if one of the pre-entered horses drops outs. The Classic will be missing Derby winner Barbaro, who broke down at the start of the Preakness and remains on the road to recovery, and Belmont Stakes winner Jazil. Pletcher's former boss D. Wayne Lukas has the record with 14 starters in a Breeders' Cup - in 1987 and again in '88. Pletcher recently broke one of Lukas' records with his 93rd stakes win of the year. Fields are limited to 14 starters, with all but the Filly & Mare Turf and the Turf oversubscribed. The Juvenile Fillies had the most pre-entries with 24. The fields will be completed at next Wednesday's post position draw. The Juvenile usually determines the early favourite for the 2007 Kentucky Derby. While Pletcher has two of the best in Circular Quay and Scat Daddy, there are several other budding stars. Great Hunter could be one of them off his win in the Lane's End Breeder's Futurity at Keeneland. A trio of Derby-driven trainers have two-year-olds pre-entered: Bob Baffert with Malt Magic, Zito with C P West and Lukas with Pegasus Wind. In 22 runnings of the Juvenile, the winner has never gone on to capture the Derby. The Juveniles Fillies is wide open with a field that includes stakes winners Bel Air Beauty, Cash Included and Dreaming of Anna. In the Distaff, Fleet Indian is 6-for-6 this year. The five-year-old mare will be challenged by the likes of Healthy Addiction, Pine Island and Balletto. Henny Hughes, trained by Kiaran McLaughlin (who also handles Invasor), is unbeaten in three starts this year and the 2-1 favourite in the six-furlong Sprint. Bordonaro, Too Much Bling and Pomeroy also were pre-entered. Facing off against English Channel in the Turf are three horses bred in Ireland - Cacique, Hurricane Run and Scorpion. In the Filly & Mare Turf, Ouija Board returns for an attempt to duplicate her 2004 win. Wait a While has won four in a row on grass. In the Mile, Aragaon (bred in Ireland) has dominated the division on the West Coast with four straight wins.