Breeders' Cup 2013 Results: Top Winners Before Classic
The Breeders' Cup Classic from Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif. may be the crown jewel of the weekend with a $5 million prize, but plenty of quality races went down beforehand with some shocking results and big purses of their own.
Of course no race can match the prestige of the Classic, but a win in the races beforehand in various conditions with certain restrictions still nets jockeys, trainers and others involved with upward of $2 million in earnings per race.
Here are a few of the Breeders' Cup's biggest winners outside of the Classic. Enjoy.
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Note: All pertinent info courtesy of via Equibase and the Breeders' Cup official website.
Mizdirection Wins GEICO Turf Sprint
The champ took care of business in the $1 million GEICO Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint.
Mizdirection, winner of the sprint of the same name a year ago, entered with 5-2 odds and put together a jaw-dropping second half of the sprint to surpass both Reneesgotzip and Tightend Touchdown for the major victory.
The 6.5-furlong race was no problem for Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith, who led Mizdirection to a win by a half-length.
The big win marked the final race of Mizdirection's career, as the five-year-old mare finishes her career on a high note with a 11-4-1 record.
| 12 MIZDIRECTION | $7.40 | $4.40 | $3.40 |
| 4 RENEESGOTZIP - DH | $3.60 | $4.80 | |
| 7 TIGHTEND TOUCHDOWN - DH | $8.60 |
Magician Wins Turf Sprint
This one was a blowout.
Irish-based Magician took an early lead and never looked back en route to the $3 million Breeders' Cup Turf, with the closest competitors behind being The Fugue and Indy Point.
Magician is trained by Aidan O'Brien of the famed O'Brien family, and the three-year-old colt was aggressive in what is his fourth victory in eight starts. He had found recent success in the Tattersalls Irish Two Thousand Guineas, so momentum certainly played a part for Magician.
Perhaps most impressive, Magician's win came over legendary jockey Gary Stevens, who rode Indy Point.
| 11 Magician | $27.00 | $11.80 | $7.00 |
| 7 The Fugue | $4.40 | $3.00 | |
| 9 Indy Point | $5.40 |
Secret Circle Wins Xpressbet Sprint
It was a victory by just a neck, but the impressive rally from Secret Circle in the $1.5 million Xpressbet Breeders' Cup Sprint was one of the top performances on Saturday as the four-year-old battled back and won in a tense race.
Secret Circle had a major layover from his last race, which was the 2012 Arkansas Derby. The 18-month break seemed to do Secret Circle well for trainer Bob Baffert.
The major victory came at the expense of Laugh Track and Gentlemen's Bet, who had little shot of overcoming Secret Circle once he took the lead.
Secret Circle's major comeback win was Baffert's second winner of the day in what turned out to be a huge day for both.
| 9 Secret Circle | $7.00 | $4.80 | $3.60 |
| 12 Laugh Track | $13.40 | $8.60 | |
| 3 Gentlemen's Bet | $7.00 |
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