Breeders' Cup Classic 2014 Winner: Bayern Pedigree and Prize Money

From the very beginning, Bayern controlled the pace at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California, and he won the $5 million 2014 Breeders' Cup Classic. At the outset, Bayern looked to break left, a move that impeded the favorite, Shared Belief, but it was ruled incidental contact.

Had stewards ruled the initial move to be illegal, Bayern could have been disqualified. At the tape, Bayern edged out Toast of New York by a little over a nose. Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner California Chrome was third.

Here's a look at the race results.

Finish	Horse	Jockey	Prize Money
Win	Bayern	Martin Garcia	$2.75 million
Place	Toast of New York	Jamie Spencer	$900,000
Show	California Chrome	Victor Espinoza	$500,000

Bayern's Year, Payout and Lineage

Inconsistency had been an issue for Bayern this year, but he put it all together on Saturday.

Coming into the Breeders' Cup, Bayern's 2014 earnings totaled $1.6 million. It's safe to say trainer Bob Baffert's horse had a profitable day in relation to the rest of the year.

Bayern won his first two starts by a combined 18.25 lengths. A third-place finish at the Arkansas Derby and a win in the Derby Trial Stakes had Baffert thinking big for the horse. However, he failed to capture any of the Triple Crown races this year.

It seemed he hit his stride after the Triple Crown season.

A whopping 7.5-length win in the Grade 2 Woody Stephens Stakes and an equally impressive victory at the Haskell Invitational raised the buzz on the horse's chances in the sport's richest race.

A disappointing last-place showing at the Travers Stakes dulled experts on Bayern, but he rebounded to win the Pennsylvania Derby over a field that included California Chrome. Bayern broke a 40-year-old track record in the process, per America's Best Racing.

Jamie Squire/Getty Images

Sired by Offlee Wild, a descendant of Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew, Bayern has greatness in his blood. Offlee Wild never quite reached the heights of Bayern, but he did defeat 2005 Preakness Stakes and Kentucky Derby winner Funny Cide during his racing career.

Bayern's dam Alittlebitearly didn't produce much of a list of racing accomplishments. Still, the combination of her and Offlee Wild turned out an awfully good race horse.

Pedigree and results info per Horse Racing Nation