Breeders' Cup 2016 Results: Tracking Winners and Prize-Money Payouts on Saturday
Saturday at the Breeders' Cup is the pinnacle of horse racing. The event's second day includes nine championship races featuring some of the best horses in the world, and it's all headlined by the $6 million Classic to cap the marquee weekend.
California Chrome, the 2014 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner, entered as the favorite in the Classic after putting together an undefeated 2016 season. Along with keeping that unbeaten run intact, he's trying to lock down Horse of the Year honors for the second time.
Let's check out all of the important information from the day's action at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California, which will be updated through the completion of competition. That's followed by a recap of each race on Saturday's high-profile slate.
TOP NEWS
Kentucky Derby Odds and Dark Horses
Kentucky Derby Top Favorites ☝️
Full Kentucky Derby Lineup
Saturday's Race Schedule
| 3:05 p.m. | Juvenile Fillies | $2 million | Champagne Room |
| 3:45 p.m. | Filly and Mare Turf | $2 million | Queen's Trust |
| 4:21 p.m. | Sprint | $1.5 million | Drefong |
| 5:05 p.m. | Turf Sprint | $1 million | Obviously |
| 5:43 p.m. | Juvenile | $2 million | Classic Empire |
| 6:22 p.m. | Turf | $4 million | Highland Reel |
| 7:01 p.m. | Filly and Mare Sprint | $1 million | Finest City |
| 7:40 p.m. | Mile | $2 million | Tourist |
| 8:35 p.m. | Classic | $6 million | Arrogate |
Juvenile Fillies
| 1st | 6 - Champagne Room | $69.20 | $26.60 | $13.00 |
| 2nd | 3 - Valadorna | - | $9.80 | $6.60 |
| 3rd | 12 - American Gal | - | - | $4.80 |
Champagne Room provided a shocker to kick things off Saturday as the 20-1 morning-line long shot took advantage of a mundane pace to pull off the upset in the Juvenile Fillies.
Two-time Kentucky Derby-winning jockey Mario Gutierrez called for the Kentucky-bred filly to go as the field turned for home. His horse responded with a strong run down the stretch, and he was probably surprised nobody came with him, giving his horse a chance to pull away.
The Breeders' Cup highlighted the race's final furlongs:
It wasn't until the final furlong that Valadorna made things interesting with a late charge, but she didn't have enough time to make up the lost ground.
David Grening of the Daily Racing Form remains bullish on the second-place finisher:
American Gal started slow, which forced her to go seven wide around the first turn. And if there's one thing this course has shown over the past couple of days, it's that trying to rally from deep in the field is an even bigger uphill battle than usual, especially given the high-quality fields.
In turn, the Anoakia Stakes winner didn't have enough energy left for a surge at the end, but managing to earn third despite an unfavorable trip was a rock-solid result.
But Champagne Room's best race of her short career at the perfect time was the story. She arrived as an unheralded contender after finishing fourth in the Grade 1 Chandelier Stakes in October, and now she's a Breeders' Cup champion on the rise.
Filly & Mare Turf
| 1st | 11 - Queen's Trust | $18.00 | $8.40 | $5.80 |
| 2nd | 8 - Lady Eli | - | $3.20 | $2.80 |
| 3rd | 4 - Avenge | - | - | $7.40 |
Queen's Trust edged Lady Eli at the wire in a highly entertaining Filly and Mare Turf that set a new record for fastest time in the race.
Not only did Queen's Trust set the new standard, she did so by nearly a full second to crush the previous mark, according to My Racing Tips:
Full credit to jockey Frankie Dettori for not getting caught up in the early speed duel. He kept the British horse away from the initial crowd at the front, but never lost sight of the lead. He then bolted to the outside down the stretch to get a clean lane for his filly to seize the victory.
Meanwhile, it any other edition of the race favored Lady Eli would have done enough to get the win. Irad Ortiz Jr. guided her to a terrific race of her own, but it just wasn't enough as she had to navigate a little extra chaos around the turn.
Coming in second doesn't take anything away from her comeback journey, though. The Breeders' Cup provided a look at the back story:
Ultimately, the race embodied everything that's great about the Breeders' Cup. Two championship-level horse battling for the crown over the final quarter mile. And, at least on this day, Queen's Trust came up with the goods when it mattered most.
Sprint
| 1st | 2 - Drefong | $9.80 | $4.80 | $3.80 |
| 2nd | 7 - Masochistic | - | $4.00 | $2.80 |
| 3rd | 1 - Mind Your Biscuits | - | - | $4.60 |
Drefong continued to showcase impressive form as he pulled away from the field in the Sprint to secure his second consecutive Grade I victory and his fifth straight win overall.
Mike Welsch of the Daily Racing Form noted trainer Bob Baffert's success in this race:
Masochistic was the only real challenger, sticking with Drefong for a majority of the race. But it became clear over the final furlongs that he didn't have anything left to give. He managed to hold on second amid a hurried finish from Mind Your Biscuits, though.
Santa Anita Park spotlighted the winner's circle celebration:
Drefong wasn't an instant sensation. He finished fifth in his first career race and didn't enter the Graded Stakes spotlight until his last time out when he won the Grade I King's Bishop Stakes. Today's effort showed that victory was no fluke as his stock begins to skyrocket.
Turf Sprint
| 1st | 2 - Obviously | $9.60 | $5.20 | $3.60 |
| 2nd | 12 - Om | - | $6.00 | $4.40 |
| 3rd | 1 - Pure Sensation | - | - | $6.60 |
Obviously held off a heart-pumping final charge by Om to capture one the most unique race on the card, the Turf Sprint, which features a rare right turn and then a mad dash to the finish.
Om surged from the chase pack just as it started to look like Obviously might cruise to the finish line after taking a commanding lead during the stretch run. If he had another furlong, there's a good chance he would have been able to make the pass.
TVG passed along a snapshot of the close finish:
Steve Andersen of the Daily Racing Form provided an interesting note about Om's rally:
The victory represented a strong bounce-back performance from Obviously, who'd won just one of his last eight starts entering the Breeders' Cup. That included a third-place result in the Grade II City of Hope Mile in his final tuneup.
In contrast, Om maintained his enigmatic style by coming up just short. He's flashed brilliance similar to the final few furlongs Saturday during several of his races, but he's lacked consistency, which is why he's now winless in his last five outings.
Juvenile
| 1st | 5 - Classic Empire | $11.00 | $5.00 | $3.80 |
| 2nd | 10 - Not This Time | - | $4.60 | $3.40 |
| 3rd | 9 - Practical Joke | - | - | $4.60 |
Classic Empire added to the already exploding hype surrounding his future with a flawless performance to capture the Juvenile world championship.
A budding rivalry is beginning the develop between Classic Empire and Not This Time. So it came as no surprise when those two horses, who are filled with enormous potential, but Classic Empire proved he's still a step ahead of the pack for now.
The Breeders' Cup passed along post-race reaction from trainer Mark Casse:
In the bigger picture, the stage is getting set for what could be a great three-year-old group next year. While recent years have developed the likes of California Chrome and American Pharoah, the depth really wasn't there for Triple Crown season.
Jay Privman of the Daily Racing Form commented on the up-and-coming colts:
The victory will cause expectations to rise even further for Classic Empire. Last year's Breeders Cup' Juvenile winner, Nyquist, went on to win the Kentucky Derby. The first Saturday in May is still a long way away, but that's the target after Saturday's trademark win.
Turf
| 1st | 12 - Highland Reel | $9.60 | $5.20 | $3.40 |
| 2nd | 4 - Flintshire | - | $3.20 | $2.40 |
| 3rd | 10 - Found | - | - | $3.00 |
Highland Reel built a large lead early in the race and nobody could chase him down as he held off a late rally from Flintshire to win the Turf in supreme fashion.
Jockey Seamus Heffernan urged Highland Reel to make an early move and he responded by opening up an eight-length lead over the entire field. The surprise was how long it took anybody else to start trying to chase him down, which allowed Heffernan to set a reasonable pace out in front.
Joe Nevills of Daily Racing Form remarked on the decision to send the eventual champion early:
Flintshire, who's proven himself as a strong closer, made a strong push over the final furlongs. But there wasn't enough time to make up all the ground lost early on. It's fair to wonder if the six-year-old veteran could have pulled it off if he got the call to go from Javier Castellano a little sooner.
That said, it's also possible Highland Reel still had more left if he did get more seriously challenged. At The Races showcased the romp:
A type of effort like he put together Saturday is noteworthy, regardless of the race. But to do it against such a talented field is quite a statement from the Irish colt.
Filly and Mare Sprint
| 1st | Finest City | $19.40 | $10.00 | $6.60 |
| 2nd | Wavell Avenue | - | $13.80 | $8.80 |
| 3rd | Paulassilverlining | - | - | $9.20 |
The fastest females three years old and up took center stage for the Filly and Mare Sprint, and Finest City held off defending champion Wavell Avenue to capture her first win since April.
The Breeders' Cup's official Twitter account relayed a replay of the thrilling finish:
The victory also represented the first at the Breeders' Cup for trainer Ian Kruljac. According to Daily Racing Form's Marty McGee, Finest City has been remarkably consistent for Kruljac:
Furthermore, Daily Racing Form noted that jockey Mike Smith has a pedigree at the Breeders' Cup that's unrivaled:
Tara's Tango and Haveyougoneaway were considered favorites to run home with a victory at 6-1 and 3-1, respectively, per Daily Racing Form, but neither was able to keep pace with Smith's stellar horse during the conclusion of the seven-furlong sprint.
Breeders' Cup Mile
| 1st | Tourist | $26.80 | $9.40 | $6.20 |
| 2nd | Tepin | - | $4.60 | $3.80 |
| 3rd | Midnight Storm | - | - | $6.60 |
All eyes were on Tepin, and for good reason.
The five-year-old mare entered Saturday's Breeders' Cup Mile as the defending champion, but she experienced a slip-up on Oct. 8 at the First Lady Stakes when she recorded her first loss of the year at the hands of Photo Call.
However, Tepin couldn't make up enough ground on the back stretch to hold off Tourist—who went off as a 12-1 shot, according to Daily Racing Form.
My Racing Tips on Twitter provided a breakdown of the closing seconds:
Tourist had run twice at the Breeders' Cup before, but Saturday represented the five-year-old's first win thanks to a commanding run on the rail, as the race's official Twitter account documented:
Tourist has now won two of his last three races, with a title at the Fourstardave Handicap representing his other triumph in 2016.
Based on the strength of the 14-horse field, Tourist and trainer Bill Mott have to be thrilled with the outcome.
Not only did Tourist rattle off a Breeders' Cup record with a final time of 1:31.71, per NBC's Larry Collmus, but he held off heralded turf sprinters like Tepin, Limato, Ironicus and Alice Springs in doing so.
Breeders' Cup Classic
| 1st | Arrogate | $5.40 | $2.80 | $2.60 |
| 2nd | California Chrome | - | $2.60 | $2.40 |
| 3rd | Keen Ice | - | - | $5.80 |
The Breeders' Cup Classic was a two-horse race, and Arrogate came out on top.
California Chrome was gunning for glory after he toke the lead heading into the back stretch, but Arrogate burned past the 2014 Kentucky Derby winner and pulled off an upset that allowed youth to be served.
The three-year-old Colt wasn't run competitively for the first time until April, but he rattled off four straight wins entering Saturday evening's showcase and had the established late speed necessary to pull off the upset.
By holding on at the wire, Arrogate prevented California Chrome from becoming the first horse to win the Kentucky Derby, Dubai World Cup and Breeders' Cup Classic, according to CBS' Kevin Martin.
That said, California Chrome ran a sensational race. He displayed tremendous early speed and appeared destined for glory halfway down the back stretch, but Arrogate turned on the jets with the wire in sight and recorded a win for the history books.
.png?w=480)
.jpg?w=600 "A.J. Brown Deal Not 'Firm'")