Breeders' Cup Classic

Grade I race
Breeders' Cup Classic
The first turn in the 2007 Classic
Location	North America
Inaugurated	1984
Race type	Thoroughbred
Website	www.breederscup.com
Race information
Distance	1¼ miles
Record	1:59.02, Ghostzapper (2004)
Track	Dirt, Left-handed
Qualification	3-year-olds and up
Weight	4-year-olds and up: 126 lb (57.2 kg); Northern Hemisphere 3-year-olds: 122 lb (55 kg); Southern Hemisphere 3-year-olds: 117 lb (53 kg); fillies and mares allowed 3 pounds.
Purse	US$5 million

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 l'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 alloted automatic qualifying bids to winners of defined races. Each of the fourteen divisions has between three and six of these "Win and You're In" qualifiers. In the Breeders' Cup Classic Division there are four automatic berths. In 2009, the Win and You're In races were: the Whitney Handicap, a Grade I race at Saratoga Race Course; the Washington Park Handicap, a Grade III race at Arlington Park; the Pacific Classic Stakes, a Grade I race at Del Mar; and the Goodwood Stakes, a Grade I race at Santa Anita Park.

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 of the Breeders' Cup Classic

Yr	Winner	Age	Jockey	Trainer	Owner	Time	Purse	Gr
2012	Fort Larned	4	Brian Hernandez, Jr.	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 Albarado	Steve Asmussen	Stonestreet Stables et al.	2:00.59	$5,000,000	I
2006	Invasor (ARG)	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	Volponi	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 Lukas	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	3	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

† Indicates filly/mare
+ Race record

See also

• Breeders' Cup Classic "top three finishers" and starters
• Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic (sister race)
• American Thoroughbred Racing top Attended Events

External links

• Official Breeders' Cup website