There is few more famous horse racing events on the schedule than the Breeders’ Cup. The two-day meet at the end of the flat season sees world’s collide, as European raiders take on the Americans on the turf and dirt every season.
The event has helped produce some of the defining moments in horse racing history, including iconic wins that helped shape the careers of Flightline and American Pharoah.
However, not every winner of the championship races at the Breeders’ Cup are as well remembered, as some are forgotten about with the more time that passes.
While we wait for the 2024 edition, find more information about the prep races here: https://www.twinspires.com/breeders-cup/prep-races/
But, who are some of the most underrated winners throughout Breeders’ Cup history?
Cash Run
It is often easy to forget about the action that is staged on the opening day of the Breeders’ Cup, as all eyes will be on the superstars taking to the track on the Saturday of the meet.
However, one of the biggest upsets in the history of the event came back in 1999 when Cash Run upset odds of 33/1 to score a shock victory over six-time winner Chilukki and Frizette Stakes victor Surfside. The Juvenile Fillies showdown in the 90s was expected to be a showdown between the two talented stars, but Cash Run upset the odds to win by over a length with Jerry Bailey aboard.
Caravel
The 2022 Breeders’ Cup will be remembered for the stunning performance from Flightline in the Classic. However, there were sensational races across the two days of action at Keeneland. One of the shock winners at the meet came in the form of Caravel for trainer Brad Cox. The filly started as a huge 44/1 outsider in the Sprint, but took up a great position behind market leader Golden Pal.
A battling performance saw the shock winner draw clear from the field to battle off the competition to win by a half-length. Further success would follow for the Cox runner in 2023, winning the G3 Shakertown and G1 Jaipur Stakes.
Adoration
The Breeders’ Cup Distaff typically throws up a shock winner, and that was no different in 2003, when Adoration defied odds of 40/1 to land victory under Pat Valenzuela. All the attention in the lead up to the race at Santa Anita was on Sightseek, who had won four straight Grade One races. However, she was a beaten odds-on shot in the Distaff, as trainer David Hofmans managed to get his horse to peak at the right time.
Adoration went straight to the front, and batted off the challengers one-by-one down the home straight to pull clear and claim victory by over four lengths. Shock winners in Breeders’ Cup races are nothing new for the trainer, as his other two victories with Alphabet Soup in the Classic and Desert Code in the Turf Sprint, were also sent off at massive odds.
Yibir
Charlie Appleby’s dominance at the Breeders’ Cup has been evident across recent memory, with the British trainer for Godolphin winning many of the major races on the turf at the event. However, the floodgates for their success were opened back in November 2021 when Yibir landed a dominant victory in the Breeders’ Cup Turf. The runner had proven ability on the turf in the States after winning the Jockey Club Derby, but he was still overlooked in favour of runners making their first starts in the country.
However, his experience looks to be a key factor, as he was rode brilliantly by William Buick to take up the running the closing stages to beat Broome by just under a length. Success after that win was hard to achieve, but he did add further stakes wins in the forms of the G2 Princess of Wales’s Close Brothers Stakes and Coral Marathon in the United Kingdom.
White Abarrio
It may seem strange including a well-backed Classic winner in a list of Breeders’ Cup unsung winners, but there is a sense that White Abarrio is already being overlooked as a credible champion of the Classic. The horse showed excellent character to get back to his very best after faltering as a three-year-old to deliver some excellent performances throughout 2024, which included a victory in the G1 Whitney, before landing the Classic from Derma Sotogake.
In truth, he has failed to reach the same heights this season, finishing tenth in the G1 Saudi Cup, before struggling to fifth in the G1 Metropolitan Handicap. But, it is very rare that we see returning champions of the Classic scale the same heights once again. Therefore, he is likely to overlooked in the history books with his name standing after fondly-remembered champions such as Flightline. But, his performance on a red-hot day at Santa Anita is likely to be a run that those who backed him will remember for a very long time.
