The Breeders' Cup Classic is a Grade I Weight for Age thoroughbred horse race for 3-year-olds and older, run at a distance of 1-1/4 miles (2,000 m) on dirt. It is held annually at a different racetrack as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships. All of the races to date have been held in the United States except for the 1996 edition held at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Canada. The Classic is considered by many to be the premier thoroughbred horse race of the year in the U.S., and for 2008 only the Dubai World Cup, Japan Cup, Melbourne Cup, and Prix de I'Arc de Triomphe surpassed its $5 million purse. Often, the winner goes on to win U.S. Horse of the Year honors, as have the four winners of the race between 2004 and 2007 - respectively Ghostzapper, Saint Liam, Invasor, and Curlin. Due to the extremely high quality of horses in the event, the race is notoriously hard to predict. One notable example of an underdog winning the Classic is the victory of Arcangues in 1993. This was the biggest upset in Breeders' Cup history, and his $269.20 payoff for a $2 wager remains a Breeders' Cup record.
Automatic berths[]
Beginning in 2007, the Breeders' Cup developed the "Breeders' Cup Challenge" a series of races in each division that allotted automatic qualifying bids to winners of defined races. Each of the fourteen divisions has between three and ten of these "Win and You're In" qualifiers.
In the Breeders' Cup Classic Division the number of runners are limited to 14 and there are five automatic berths. The "Win and You're In" races for the Breeders' Cup Classic are:
- 1. The Stephen Foster Handicap, a Grade I race at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky;
- 2. The Whitney Handicap, a Grade I race at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga, New York;
- 3. The Pacific Classic, a Grade I race at Del Mar Racetrack in San Diego, California;
- 4. The Awesome Again Stakes, a Grade I race at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California; and
- 5. The Jockey Club Gold Cup, a Grade I race at Belmont Park, in Elmont, New York.
Records[]
Stakes record:
- 1:59.02 - Ghostzapper (2004)
Most wins:
- 2 - Tiznow (2000, 2001)
Most wins by a jockey:
- 5 - Chris McCarron (1988, 1989, 1996, 2000, 2001)
- 5 - Jerry Bailey (1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 2005)
Most wins by a trainer:
- 2 - Charlie Whittingham (1987, 1989)
- 2 - Jay M. Robbins (2000, 2001)
Most wins by an owner:
- 2 - Stronach Stables (1998, 2004)
Winners[]
- An * indicates a race record
- A ** indicates a filly/mare
| Year | Winner | Age | Jockey | Trainer | Owner | Time | Purse | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Mucho Macho Man | 5 | Gary L. Stevens | Katherine Ritvo | Reeves Thoroughbred Racing | 2.00.72 | $5,000,000 | I |
| 2012 | Fort Larned | 4 | Brian Hernandez | Ian Wilkes | Janis R. Whitham | 2.00.11 | $5,000,000 | I |
| 2011 | Drosselmeyer | 4 | Mike E. Smith | William I. Mott | WinStar Farm LLC | 2:04.27 | $5,000,000 | I |
| 2010 | Blame | 4 | Garrett Gomez | Albert M. Stall, Jr. | Claiborne Farm/Adele Dilschneider | 2:02.28 | $5,000,000 | I |
| 2009 | Zenyatta** | 5 | Mike E. Smith | John Shirreffs | Jerry & Ann Moss | 2:00.32 | $5,000,000 | I |
| 2008 | Raven's Pass | 3 | Frankie Dettori | John Gosden | Princess Haya/Darley Racing | 1:59.27 | $5,000,000 | I |
| 2007 | Curlin | 3 | Robby Alvarado | Steve Asmussen | Stonestreet Stables et al. | 2:00.59 | $5,000,000 | I |
| 2006 | Invasor | 4 | Fernando Jara | Kiaran McLaughlin | Shadwell Racing | 2:02.18 | $5,000,000 | I |
| 2005 | Saint Liam | 5 | Jerry Bailey | Richard Dutrow | M/M William K. Warren, Jr. | 2:01.49 | $5,000,000 | I |
| 2004 | Ghostzapper | 4 | Javier Castellano | Robert J. Frankel | Stronach Stables | 1:59.02 | $4,000,000 | I |
| 2003 | Pleasantly Perfect | 5 | Alex Solis | Richard Mandella | Diamond A. Racing Corp. | 1:59.88 | $4,000,000 | I |
| 2002 | Volpini | 4 | Jose Santos | Phillip G. Johnson | Amherst & Spruce Pond St. | 2:01.39 | $4,000,000 | I |
| 2001 | Tiznow | 4 | Chris McCarron | Jay M. Robbins | Cee's Stables | 2:00.62 | $4,000,000 | I |
| 2000 | Tiznow | 3 | Chris McCarron | Jay M. Robbins | Cooper & Straub-Rubens | 2:00.75 | $4,000,000 | I |
| 1999 | Cat Thief | 3 | Pat Day | D. Wayne Luckas | Overbrook Farm | 1:59.52 | $4,000,000 | I |
| 1998 | Awesome Again | 4 | Pat Day | Patrick B. Byrne | Stronach Stables | 2:02.16 | $4,000,000 | I |
| 1997 | Skip Away | 4 | Mike E. Smith | Sonny Hine | Carolyn Hine | 1:59.16 | $4,400,000 | I |
| 1996 | Alphabet Soup | 5 | Chris McCarron | David Hofmans | Ridder Thoroughbred Stable | 2:01.00 | $4,000,000 | I |
| 1995 | Cigar | 5 | Jerry Bailey | William I. Mott | Allen E. Paulson | 1:59.58 | $3,000,000 | I |
| 1994 | Concern | 5 | Jerry Bailey | Richard W. Small | Robert E. Meyerhoff | 2:02.41 | $3,000,000 | I |
| 1993 | Arcangues | 5 | Jerry Bailey | Andre Fabre | Daniel Wildenstein | 2:00.83 | $3,000,000 | I |
| 1992 | A.P. Indy | 3 | Ed Delahoussaye | Neil Drysdale | Tsurumaki/Farish/Kilroy | 2:00.20 | $3,000,000 | I |
| 1991 | Black Tie Affair | 5 | Jerry Bailey | Ernie T. Poulos | Jeffrey Sullivan | 2:02.95 | $3,000,000 | I |
| 1990 | Unbridled | 3 | Pat Day | Carl Nafzger | Frances A Genter | 2:02.20 | $3,000,000 | I |
| 1989 | Sunday Silence | 3 | Chris McCarron | Charlie Whittingham |
H-G-W Partners |
2:00.20 | $3,000,000 | I |
| 1988 | Alysheba | 4 | Chris McCarron | Jack Van Berg | Dorothy & Pam Scharbauer | 2:04.80 | $3,000,000 | I |
| 1987 | Ferdinand | 4 | Bill Shoemaker | Charlie Whittingham | Elizabeth A. Keck | 2:01.40 | $3,000,000 | I |
| 1986 | Skywalker | 4 |
Laffit Pincay, Jr. |
Michael Whittingham | Oak Cliff Stables | 2:00.40 | $3,000,000 | I |
| 1985 | Proud Truth | 3 | Jorge Velasquez | John M. Veitch | Darby Dan Farm | 2:00.80 | $3,000,000 | I |
| 1984 | Wild Again | 4 | Pat Day | Vincent Timphony | Black Chip Stable | 2:03.40 | $3,000,000 | I |