2011 Breeders Cup: Drosselmeyer Pulls off Epic Upset on Home-Stretch

Chantal Sutherland and Game On Dude looked set to bring home the 2011 Breeders' Cup with just a few strides left in the Classic, but ex-boyfriend Mike Smith and Belmont Stakes winner Drosselmeyer came up clutch on the homestretch to take first place.

In the end it was the storyline that no one expected, but it turned out to be the best one out of the bunch.

Melissa Hoppert of the New York Times' Horse Racing Blog reports on the race:

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"Mike Smith and Drosselmeyer rallied in the homestretch to overtake Chantal Sutherland and Game On Dude to win the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic on Saturday at Churchill Downs.

It was the 15th career Breeders’ Cup win for Smith, a Hall of Famer. Sutherland, looking to become the first female jockey to win the Classic, appeared to be on the verge of history. But in a cruel twist, it was her ex-boyfriend Smith who rode off with the victory.

Drosselmeyer, who won the 2010 Belmont Stakes, gave trainer Bill Mott his second marquee victory of the weekend. Mott’s Royal Delta won the Ladies’ Classic on Friday."

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With heavyweight contenders Uncle Mo and Havre de Grace taking up much of the headlines leading up to the Classic, Drosselmeyer seemed to slip under the radar.

That seemed to be the way Smith and his horse operated all throughout this race, though.

Drosselmeyer seemed to be in the middle of the pack for most of the race, but Smith and  his horse turned it on late, and at the last second just inched out Game On Dude, who was in the lead for most of the race.

Nobody saw him coming, and that's including Sutherland and Game on Dude.

The horse and jockey seemed content to ride out first place and hold on to the lead, but apparently she didn't see Drosselmeyer sprinting from behind on the outside of her.

In the end  it was Drosselmeyer and Smith that captured the win, followed by Game on Dude, and topped off by Ruler on Ice. Filly Havre de Grace, who got a ton of press attention coming into the race, finished third.