Breeders Cup Turf winners 1999-2008

[RolloTomasi]

Originally Posted by King Glorious

One thing that should be considered when judging the European runners is that the BC Turf is often not their goal but often an afterthought. For a lot of them, the Arc is their main goal and then they come over here for one more race after they've been primed for their best effort. For most American runners, the BC is their goal race and the one they are trained to be at their best for. I think that makes a big difference.

That may have been a more significant issue in the early years of the BC. Nowadays, with $2 million dollars on the line, and even richer races further down the road in Japan and Hong Kong, I don't think European trainers are viewing these races as mere "afterthoughts".