NEWS
Breeders' Cup 2000: What they promised, we got
Posted: Saturday, November 11, 2000
Competitive races, records, upsets, and fairy tales were part of Breeders' Cup 2000
They promised us competitive races; we got them. They promised records, and those were writ, too. As usual, the upsets and the fairy tales happened all by themselves.
About the only thing the folks at Breeders' Cup and Churchill Downs did not promise for the 17th running of the Breeders' Cup races on November 4 was sunshine. Just as well, since we had to make do with a gray, November sky and temperatures warm enough for, oh, say the first Saturday in May.
Where to begin?
With the upsets of Fusaichi Pegasus and Riboletta (Brz)? The longshot victories of Spain, Caressing, and Tiznow? The touching stories of jockeys Gary Stevens and Victor Espinoza? The latest chapter of the Legend of D. Wayne Lukas? The dominating performance by Team Stronach?
It is probably best to start at the beginning of the wildly entertaining card, but first, we will deal with the records.
Fourth-highest attendance
This was a record fifth time Churchill Downs was host to the Breeders' Cup. The track hoped for a record attendance but grudgingly settled for 71,181 on-track-fourth-highest in history behind the 80,452 at Churchill in 1998(see page 50).
Meanwhile, there were a record 135 pre-entries, a record 104 horses who went to post, and a record ten-race aggregate purse of $15.5-million. Total wagering worldwide was $107,692,932 (for all ten races on the card) and still rising on November 5 as various outlets continued to check in. Churchill, meanwhile, was thrilled with an average per capita on-track of $188.88.
The above number might have been larger but for the Breeders' Cup-opening daily double of the $2,161,760 Distaff (G1) and $1,025,920 Juvenile Fillies (G1).
Spain came in with Espinoza at 55.90-to-1 for Lukas and Ahmed bin Salman's The Thoroughbred Corp. Riboletta, a $400,000 supplement by owners Aaron and Marie Jones, finished off the board at 2-to-5, as did Beautiful Pleasure at 5.10-to-1. That meant an exacta of $664.60.
"You really sent a lot of people packing with that one," Churchill Downs President Alex Waldrop told Lukas at the Sunday press breakfast.
In the Juvenile Fillies, Churchill-based Caressing, with John Velazquez up, was sent off the longest shot on the board at 47-to-1 and won for trainer David Vance and owner Carl Pollard. Second was 11.20-to-1 Platinum Tiara for a $940.60 exacta.
The Spain-Caressing double paid $3,935.80.
Espinoza's Distaff victory was the first in just two tries for the young, up-and-coming Southern California rider, and his quotes revealed both his excitement and humility.
"Today is very special for me," Espinoza said. "I'm very excited for me and for the Prince, too. I wanted to win as much as I can for him because he's a nice guy."
Espinoza, too.
Stevens wins
The next good story came in the very next race, as Racing Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens brought 3.50-to-1 favorite War Chant from last place to win the $1,071,720 Mile (G1) for trainer Neil Drysdale and Marjorie and Irving Cowan.
The triumph had all kinds of angles: Stevens is just one month into a comeback following a near-11-month retirement due to bad knees; War Chant was making just his second start in a comeback from a fractured shoulder suffered in the Kentucky Derby (G1); and War Chant also is the son of the Cowans' 1993 Distaff winner, Hollywood Wildcat.
The victory by 17-to-10 favorite Kona Gold also was one for the record books. In charging from fifth to first under jockey Alex Solis, Kona Gold covered the six furlongs in 1:07.77. That broke both the Churchill mark (1:08.60, Big Pistol, 1986) and the Breeders' Cup (1:07.89, Artax, 1999) record.
Amazingly, Solis's win was his first in 32 Breeders' Cup starts. "Thank God I got the monkey off my back," he said. "It has been aggravating but, like my family always reminds me, you never quit, and keep trying until you accomplish your goals."
The Stronach Stables show comprised the Filly and Mare Turf (G1) and Juvenile (G1). In the Filly and Mare Turf, trainer Joe Orseno and Jerry Bailey combined to get the victory in the second running of the race with 5-to-1 Perfect Sting. In the Juvenile, Stronach's Macho Uno nosed out Bob Baffert-trainee Point Given, while favored A P Valentine finished last of 14.
The wins were the tenth and 11th for Bailey, who now is tied with Pat Day for most wins in Breeders' Cup history; the second and third for Stronach; and the first and second for Orseno, who had just four starters previously. "Joe has done a great job," Stronach said. "We have won many races this year. I give Joe the horses and Joe does the job."
In the $2,271,680 Turf, favored Montjeu, winner of the 1999 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (Fr-G1), was a disappointing seventh but trainer Sir Michael Stoute and jockey John Murtagh came through for Europe with Kalanisi (Ire), who is owned by the Aga Khan. "This horse is one of the very best in the world," Stoute said.
"He confirmed that today."
And then we came to the $4,296,040 Classic (G1), in which 6-to-5 favorite Fusaichi Pegasus was supposed to become the first Kentucky Derby winner since Unbridled (1990)to annex the Breeders' Cup finale in the same year.
It did not happen, though he made one brief late run to give his backers hopes. Instead Tiznow, a $360,000 supplemental nomination, scored a near gate-to-wire triumph by a neck over English shipper Giant's Causeway. Tiznow, ridden by Chris McCarron and trained by Jay Robbins, became one of the greenest horses in history to win the big race-he did not break his maiden until May 31. He also became the first California-bred to win a Breeders' Cup race.
"This is the most exciting thing that has happened to me since my daughter was born 24 years ago," co-owner Michael Cooper said.
Fusaichi Pegasus was bumped around early, and Kent Desormeaux said he probably had him too far back. But there were no real excuses.
"He didn't settle as well as he should have," trainer Drysdale said. "He finally relaxed at the wrong point. It's been a long campaign."
Pohla Smith is a free-lance writer based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
