Breeders Cup 2011 Results: Longshots Still Coming Up Big at Churchill Downs

If there's anything we've learned at the 2011 Breeders' Cup so far, it's that  "longshot" means anything but "no shot" in the world of horse racing.

The trend begun by Stephanie's Kitten, Musical Romance and Perfect Shirl on Day 1 continued on Saturday, with Wrote, Amazombie and Caleb's Posse picking up where their Friday forebears left off.

The Saturday of surprises started when Wrote, an 11-to-1 Irish shipper trained by Aidan O'Brien and jockeyed by Ryan Moore, separated himself from the pack down the stretch to win the Grade 1, $1 million Juvenile Turf. The win was the third of Wrote's career and his first in a graded event. 

He wasn't the biggest shocker of the race, though. That distinction belonged to Excaper, a 33-to-1 longshot, who placed second in the scamper.

Amazombie was the next horse to awaken the attendant crowd at Churchill Downs. The Bill Spawr entry edged Force Freeze for the top spot in the Grade 1, $1.5 million Sprint to earn his second consecutive win in a Grade 1 race.

Caleb's Possie followed up that thriller with a dominant victory in the Grade 1, $1 million Dirt Mile, outpacing Shackleford, the 2011 Preakness winner, by three-and-a-half lengths across the finish line. Those two were followed by 30-to-1 longshot Tres Barrachos, who followed up Shackleford for show in the event.

Whether the upset spirit floating between the Twin Spires at Churchill Downs will have any effect on the $5 million Classic is anyone's guess. The field for the big race is so loaded, between favorite Uncle Mo, Horse of the Year candidate Havre de Grace, Chantal Sutherland-saddled Game On Dude and 2010 Belmont Stakes champion Drosselmeyer (to name a few), that there are really only a handful of horses who would shock the world if they won. Only Headache (42-to-1) and Ice box (36-to-1) would truly leave people scratching their heads. Even Ruler On Ice, at 21-to-1, has plenty of cache after winning the 2011 Belmont Stakes with just 24-to-1 odds.

The real takeaway? Expect the unexpected at the Breeders' Cup.