Breeders' Cup 2014 Payouts: Full Prize Money Purse for Saturday Races
It truly is all about the Benjamins at the Breeders’ Cup Classic, considering it is the richest purse in North America for horse racing at $5 million.
Bayern took home the crown, although his narrow victory was not without controversy. There was bumping between nearly the entire field right out of the gate, and Bayern in particular seemed to knock off the favorite, Shared Belief, from his planned route of attack.
Here is a look at the full prize money purse and winner for the nail-biter of a Classic, as well as the rest of the races on Saturday.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
| 14 Hands Winery Juvenile Fillies | TAKE CHARGE BRANDI | $2 million |
| Filly & Mare Turf | DAYATTHESPA | $2 million |
| DraftKings Filly & Mare Sprint | JUDY THE BEAUTY | $1 million |
| Turf Sprint | BOBBY'S KITTEN | $1 million |
| Sentient Jet Juvenile | TEXAS RED | $2 million |
| Longines Turf | MAIN SEQUENCE | $3 million |
| Xpressbet Sprint | WORK ALL WEEK | $1.5 million |
| Mile | KARAKONTIE | $2 million |
| Breeders' Cup Classic | BAYERN | $5 million |
Recapping the Breeders’ Cup Classic
Bayern may have been a significant part of the bumping that inspired the stewards to review whether he should be disqualified, but the record books will forever say that he was the 2014 Breeders’ Cup Classic champion.
It wasn’t just the fact that Bayern won by a nose after such a dramatic start and wire-to-wire run that made the result noteworthy. It was Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert’s first Breeders’ Cup Classic win after 12 failed tries.
Regardless of the feel-good story of Baffert, the stewards’ collective decision to allow the title to stand was controversial at best.
They likely assumed that the bumping and jockeying for position occurred early enough in the race that the top competitors all had the opportunity to win, but it threw off the entire dynamic of the run. That really should come as no surprise, since there were 14 horses essentially banging into each other out of the gates.
Bayern’s jockey, Martin Garcia, discussed his horse’s bump of favorite Shared Belief out of the starting gate, according to Beth Harris of The Associated Press, via Yahoo Sports: “There was nothing I could do. I corrected right away.”
That may be the case, but it was a difficult loss to swallow for Shared Belief after winning the first seven races of his career.
Toast of New York and Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner California Chrome finished in second and third place respectively.
With the Breeders’ Cup Classic and its $5 million purse in the rear-view mirror, it is time for the horse-racing world to turn its collective attention toward the Horse of the Year race.
This is a competition that absolutely looked over after California Chrome captured the attention and affection of the nation with a win at the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes. However, he struggled in the Belmont Stakes and never really had the opportunity to win and followed that up with a disappointing sixth-place finish at the Pennsylvania Derby.
Bayern had the opposite type of season after missing the Kentucky Derby and stumbling to a ninth-place finish at the Preakness Stakes.
He then ripped off four stakes wins in his five starts and looked more than impressive in victories in the Haskell Invitational, Woody Stephens on the Belmont Stakes undercard and the Pennsylvania Derby. Throw in Saturday's Breeders' Cup Classic victory and his resume looks rather solid
Writer Bill Finley shared why he thought Bayern is the obvious choice for Horse of the Year, despite the controversial win at the Breeders’ Cup, in a column for ESPN.com:
"This might be the first time in history that stewards decided the Horse of he Year title. Even if you disagree with their call, you have to give it to Bayern. Coming into this, he had won two $1 million races (the Haskell and the Pennsylvania Derby) and then defeated the best field of dirt runners assembled all year to capture the Classic over Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner California Chrome, Belmont winner Tonalist and the undefeated Shared Belief.
"
Regardless of who actually wins the Horse of the Year, racing fans could not have asked for a better season. Between Triple Crown challenges and a controversial grand finale at the Breeders’ Cup, there was no shortage of excitement.
Follow me on Twitter: Follow @ScottPolacek
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
