In its 40 years, the Breeders’ Cup World Championships has produced many stretch duels which have develop into a part of racing’s lore, from the very first Traditional in 1984 to Tiznow’s back-to-back Traditional wins in 2000 and 2001, and on via Blame’s defeat of Zenyatta within the 2010 Traditional and Beholder’s valiant win over Songbird within the 2016 Distaff.
However there’s solely been one useless warmth end for first place in Breeders’ Cup historical past, and that got here 21 years in the past in a renewal of the Breeders’ Cup Turf that may generally be discovered on the High 10 checklist of all-time favourite races for followers sufficiently old to recollect it.
The 20th Breeders’ Cup was held at Santa Anita Park underneath typical Southern California climate – sunny and dry – and one of many main attracts heading into the World Championships was a renewal of the Turf, sponsored by John Deere, that introduced collectively a stellar worldwide solid.
Main the sphere was Excessive Chaparral, the defending Turf winner, who scored by 1 ¼ lengths at Arlington Park in 2002. The Irish-bred son of legendary sire Sadler’s Wells, owned by Coolmore-affiliated Michael Tabor and Susan Magnier and educated by that steady’s maestro Aidan O’Brien, had already been honored as a European champion for his 3-year-old season a 12 months prior, when he additionally received each the English and Irish Derbys.
Because it turned out, nonetheless, Excessive Chaparral was solely the fourth betting selection at submit time, carrying 4.90-1 odds. British-bred Storming Dwelling, the 2-1 favourite, had crossed the end line first within the Aug. 16 Arlington Million however was disqualified to fourth after ducking out late and tossing jockey Gary Stevens in a horrific accident (one way or the other, Stevens, who suffered a collapsed lung, was wholesome and again within the saddle to trip Storming Dwelling to a win within the Clement Hirsch Stakes six weeks later). Irish-bred Sulamani, elevated to first within the Million, had received the French Derby in 2002, the profitable Dubai Sheema Traditional earlier in ’03, and the Turf Traditional at Belmont Park heading into the Breeders’ Cup, and was thusly despatched off at 3.10-1 odds. And Falbrav, one other Irish-bred who started his profession racing in Italy earlier than going worldwide, had received the celebrated Japan Cup in 2002 as a 4-year-old and brought 4 Group 1 races in Europe at age 5 previous to his journey stateside – but nonetheless went off as an overlaid 3.60-1.
Such was the standard of the ’03 Turf subject that U.S.-based Grade 1 winners Johar and The Tin Man, each educated by Richard Mandella, had been relegated to middle-tier longshots by the betting public, going off at almost an identical 14.20-1 and 14.30-1 odds, respectively. The previous was a 4-year-old son of Gone West bred in Kentucky and owned by The Thoroughbred Corp., a Saudi Arabian group based by Prince Ahmed Salman, who died in July 2002 shortly after successful the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes with Conflict Emblem. Johar had blossomed throughout 2002-’03 right into a high California-based grass horse, successful the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby and two Grade 2 races and ending second by a half-length to Storming Dwelling within the Clement Hirsch previous to his Breeders’ Cup begin. His coach had already visited the Santa Anita winner’s circle twice on the cardboard, taking the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies with Halfbridled and the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile with Motion This Day. Because it turned out, even larger issues had been imminent.
Balto Star, winner of the Arkansas Derby on filth in 2001 and the United Nations Stakes on turf in 2003, set the early tempo with The Tin Man stalking in second, Excessive Chaparral and Falbrav shut behind, and Johar final within the nine-horse subject. The true working kicked in, because it usually does in long-distance turf races, as the sphere entered the ultimate flip. The Tin Man assumed the lead and Falbrav and Excessive Chaparral quickened within the chase, whereas Storming Dwelling and Sulamani moved up and Johar began his rally underneath Alex Solis. When the sphere wheeled into the homestretch, Falbrav assumed a short lead, however he was quickly joined by Excessive Chaparral to his outdoors – after which Johar made an explosive stretch run outdoors of that pair. Tom Durkin’s basic race name captured all the pleasure because the trio hit the end in a line, with Excessive Chaparral and Johar barely forward and the winner between them anybody’s guess.
Anticipation was on full blast whereas the stewards examined the picture end, Excessive Chaparral’s jockey Mick Kinane telling BloodHorse, “I assumed the choose was on a tea break, however I knew it was very shut. After which the longer it went, nicely I mentioned, ‘Half a loaf is best than no fish, you already know.’ ”
Certainly it was, because the picture confirmed no house between Excessive Chaparral and Johar, and solely a head separating that pair and a dead-game Falbrav who needed to accept third.
“I’m having an excellent day,” Mandella joked after the Turf, his third Breeders’ Cup win on the day … however because it turned out, he was not fairly performed. Pleasantly Excellent received the ultimate Breeders’ Cup race roughly 45 minutes later, upsetting Medaglia d’Oro by 1 ½ lengths within the Traditional, to provide Mandella a report 4 Breeders’ Cup wins in a single occasion.
This text was initially revealed on Sept. 25, 2020, and has been up to date.
