Best Breeder's Cup?
 

What year would you rank as having the best Breeder's Cup?

I've only been to one, in 1999 at the old Gulfstream, and it was awesome. Great racing, Artax's performance sticks out. And Hugh Hefner and his girlfriends didnt hurt.


I liked the one at Woodbine a lot also.

On that biased track, cmon.

I like 1994 at Churchill, look at the list of winners.

2008

That speed bias sure helped Anees.

I dont know. I made money last year. Doubt that happens again.

I like 2008...only because it was my first one in person.

I think I actually enjoyed the races top to bottom the best the last time it was at Churchill, what 2006?

On that biased track, cmon. ;)

I can't tell if your wink is sarcastic about the track being biased or about me liking it....so I won't touch that :D

Churchill 2000.

Personally. Belmont 2005

The first one may have been the best one. From a desperate Wild Again holding on in a great finish, Chiefs Crown beating the future Preakness winner in Tanks Prospect and Derby and HOY Spend a Buck in the juvy, the DQ in the juvy filly, Eillo won a pretty weak sprint, Royale Heroine blitzing the mile in TR time and defeating among others Cozzene, Princess Rooneys dominating Distaff romp, Lashkari beating All Along in the turf for the Aga Khan, it was a unbelievable day of racing. That was before tracks stacked stakes races on their big days outside of the supporting races on TC days, there wasnt nearly the amount of shipping cross country, there were no super trainers outside of Wayne Lukas and people were a whole lot less cynical about horse racing.

But I didn't attend it with Scav, therefore it cannot be a finalist.











crinkle crinkle



trash can

This chart alone should make it 2000. An amazing chart of horses who matter....of sires who matter....

Stakes - For Thoroughbred Two Year Old Colts and Geldings One And One Sixteenth Miles on the Dirt
Purse: $1,000,000 Guaranteed
Value of Race: $980,120 1st $556,400, 2nd $214,000, 3rd $128,400, 4th $59,920,
5th $21,400
Weather: Cloudy Track: Fast
Off at: 4:02 Start: Good for all

Pgm HorseName (Jockey) Wgt M/E PP SP 1/4 1/2 3/4 Str Fin Odds
4 Macho Uno (Bailey, J.D.) 122 L 4 3 4-Head 5-1 4-Head 2-2 1/2 1-Nose 6.30
1 Point Given (Stevens, G.L.) 122 L b 1 10 10-Head 12-Head 14 6-1 1/2 2-1 1/2 8.10
9 Street Cry (IRE) (Flores, D.R.) 122 L 9 7 8-Head 9-2 6-1/2 3-2 3-1/2 5.60
14 Burning Roma (McCarron, C.J.) 122 L 14 14 14 13-1/2 9-2 5-1 4-Neck 41.70
10 Arabian Light (Sellers, S.J.) 122 L 10 4 1-1 1/2 1-1/2 1-1/2 1-1 5-3/4 9.70
7 Turnberry Isle (IRE) (Kinane, M.J 122 L 7 13 13-2 14 10-Head 8-2 1/2 6-1 48.40
8 City Zip (Santos, J.A.) 122 L 8 2 3-1/2 4-Head 5-1 1/2 4-1/2 7-2 3/4 32.80
12 Flame Thrower (Espinoza, V.) 122 L 12 5 2-Head 2-1/2 2-1 7-1/2 8-1 1/4 5.40
2 Scorpion (Gomez, G.K.) 122 L s 2 1 7-1 7-1 8-1/2 9-5 9-3 1/2 46.80
3 Dollar Bill (Migliore, R.) 122 L 3 12 12-Head 11-1 13-1/2 10-1/2 10-2 1/4 33.20
5 Noverre (Dettori, L.) 122 L 5 6 6-Head 6-Head 7-1/2 11-1 11-2 1/2 35.80
11 Yonaguska (Day, P.) 122 L bs 11 8 5-1/2 3-Head 3-Head 12-1 12-1 1/2 9.80
13 Trailthefox (Prado, E.S.) 122 L 13 11 11-1 10-Head 12-3 13-6 13-5 64.60
6 A P Valentine (Chavez, J.F.) 122 L c 6 9 9-2 1/2 8-1/2 11-1/2 14 14 2.40*
Fractional Times: 23.40, 46.98, 1:11.21, 1:35.71, 1:42.05

I'd vote for that. Other than Invasor it was a great day. Plus we had the benefit of Byk running down to tell us to pound Street Sense as the bias was obvious. Red Rocks was especially nice though was a bit chilly for the FL and Irish human-shippers. Speaking of that Hooves call me!

2004 at Lone Star was my fave! as to the best, probably one from before i really watched

Toss up between Woodbine in 96 and CD in 98 for me.

Maybe because I was there but go with 1989 at Gulfstream. Just to name a few Bayakoa, Go For Wand, and of course Sunday Silence over Easy Goer

For the best turf Mile I've ever seen(impressive wise) was this one from 2001.

Belmont Park - October 27th, 2001 - Race 5
Race name: Breeders' Cup Mile
Stakes - For ThoroughbredThree Year Old and UpwardOne Mile On The Turf
Purse: $1,000,000
Value of Race: $1,044,240 1st $592,800, 2nd $228,000, 3rd $136,800, 4th $63,840, 5th $22,800
Weather: Clear Track: Firm
Off at: 2:43Start: Good for all

Pgm HorseName (Jockey) Wgt M/E PP SP 1/4 1/2 3/4 Str Fin Odds
12 Val Royal (FR) (Valdivia, Jr., J.) 126 L 11 11 11-2 1/2 11-2 11-1/2 3-Head 1-1 3/4 5.10
1 Forbidden Apple (Nakatani, C.) 126 L 1 2 4-1/2 4-1/2 2-1 1-1 1/2 2-3/4 8.20
4 Bach (IRE) (Kinane, M.) 126 L 4 6 6-1 6-Head 5-Head 4-1 1/2 3-1 1/2 33.50
13 Irish Prize (Stevens, G.) 126 L 12 10 10-2 1/2 10-1 1/2 9-1/2 5-Head 4-Neck 5.00
2 Navesink (Prado, E.) 123 L 2 7 7-1/2 8-2 8-1/2 7-Head 5-Neck 17.00
10 Brahms (Solis, A.) 126 L b 10 9 9-1 9-1/2 10-1/2 11-Head 6-Neck 12.40
3 Noverre (Dettori, L.) 123 L 3 8 8-2 1/2 7-Head 7-Head 8-1/2 7-1 4.10*
9 Sarafan (Espinoza, V.) 126 L b 9 12 12 12 12 10-1 8-Neck 26.75
6 City Zip (Chavez, J.) 123 L b 6 1 1-1/2 1-Head 1-1/2 2-1/2 9-2 1/4 32.25
7 Express Tour (Velazquez, J.) 123 L 7 4 3-1 3-Head 3-1 1/2 6-Head 10-2 1/4 21.40
8 Affirmed Success (Bailey, J.) 126 L 8 5 5-1/2 5-1 1/2 6-1 1/2 12 11-1 3/4 5.40
5 Balto Star (Day, P.) 123 L 5 3 2-1 2-1 1/2 4-Head 9-1 1/2 12 8.10
Fractional Times:22.79,45.49,1:08.65,1:32.05

Really? I thought that mile was one of the weakest editions.

I think Val Royal got a 116 Beyer for this and looked every bit the part doing it incredibly wide and virtually under a hand ride....Not saying anything about the field.

He did come from a long ways back

How can anyone forget the BC Mile where Domedriver won at 25-1, Rock Of Gibralter finishing second, and Landseer breaking down. The good, the bad and the ugly all in one...

BTW I bet DD that day and was obviously happy, but not happy when you saw Prado's interview of Landseer after the race.

Bias? really? It was the 4th race of the day, and logical horses had won the first 3 races. How would anyone have surmised there was a bias by that point? Steve was all over Street Sense weeks before that after his premature move in the Keeneland race. (even though I disagree there was a bias anyways, if you do believe there was a bias that day then Invasor was even more impressive. In retrospect there wasn't an oddball dirt result at all.)

Me too... One of the 3 BC's I've actually attended, however it was a great day overall with it being one of the first major sports events in NYC after 9/11 and the great Classic.

It's very hard to seperate a great number of them. I'd give a slight edge to 1989 though.

Agreed, Domedriver splitting hoprses at 25-1, and the Rock making a furious charge form dead last

I thought Round Pond romping in any field was an oddball result.

Either way, I liked 2005 a bunch, but that was the only BC in which I had some success.

That was a fcuking range of emotions, I was yelling one moment that I caught a flyer and the next moment you couldn't help yourself from feeling like crap, Prado was genuinely sincere about the loss of Landseer. A range of emotions that I doubt I will ever feel again after a race.

I got published in the NY Daily News because I wrote to complain about the picture of Landseer splashed across the coverage with his leg literally hanging off on the horse.

Good for you to bring that up, that was ridiculous, I don't know if anyone noticed but I caught Tabor I think smiling after that race on the TV. I'm not sure what was said but that really peed me off, I know the guy had Hawk Wing and High Chaparral in the same yr but that was too cold for words.

In the early years of the BC, one of the criticisms was that it offered too much good racing at one place on one day. Supporters pointed out that that format was needed to attract NBC. My how things have changed. The Cup has runneth over to be spread over two days, and mega stakes days have become the norm around the country.

I knew that one would come up. Maybe I'm biased because I bet a LOT of money on her that day, but she won the Acorn, Fantasy, Azeri, and finished 2nd in the Molly Pitcher and a bad-trip 3rd in the Beldame and absolutely fit with that group. Keep in mind the two favorites also DNF'd (sadly). The very good Happy Ticket ran 2nd via DQ producing a very overlaid $446 exacta.

Trust me, I know Happy Ticket finished 2nd. I pounded that horse WP and and in exactas with just about every horse but Round Pond. Apparently, the prep race for RP was just too bad to be true.

most memorable for me, hands down. I touted Domedriver for weeks going into that race, had w/p and the exacta a couple times, never forget the way Domedriver split horses to get home, and how fast the rock was closing as well :)

http://www.breederscup.com/greatestm...isionname=mile

the one that will live with me until the day i die, Arcangues in 1993. My first BC and i was a HUGE Bertrando fan, tough to watch

http://www.breederscup.com/greatestm...onname=classic

-bt-

From what I remember
2000 Churchill - Good but would have been better had Giants Causeway won the BC
2001 Belmont - Loved this one. Johannesburg, Fantastic Light and Tiznow winning again
2002 Arlington - Should have been there but for a mishap, not one of my favourites
2003 Santa Anita - Yeah loved this one, Had Cajun Beat..the turf is still one of the most exciting races ive ever seen
2004 Lone Star - all i remember from this was Ghostzapper and Ouija and Jamie Spencer
2005 Belmont - , was cold, Shirocco saved my day.
2006 Churchill - was freezing, had a great laugh and some cracking races
2007 Monmouth - a nightmare
2008 Santa Anita - 1st day OK, 2nd day from Muhannak to Ravens Pass via Conduit was brilliant!!

I'm a trainer so obviously I have no clue how to handicap or bet. I doubt I will have any 35-1 shots who I absolutely love again though.

The 1985 edition was pretty good. Precisionist, Cozzene, and Pebbles were noteworthy winners. Some very nice horses hit the board including Lady's Secret, Smile, Turkoman, and Gate Dancer. Then there was the Overbrook owned/Jonathan Sheppard trained colt who was nailed at the wire in the Juvy and who would make quite a splash as a sire.

Lone Star 2004 for me.

1992, 1989, 1985.

1993 was pretty good too. Kotashaan and the Phone Chatter, Sardula, Heavenly Prize race.