The biggest shocks at the Breeders' Cup World Championships
Four Of The Biggest Shocks In Breeders’ Cup History
The Breeders’ Cup World Championships is one of the most illustrious meetings of the season in the United States, with all races gaining international attention.
There has also been a global attraction to the event over the past couple of years, with famous European horses such as Enable competing during the two-day event.
The event is typically seen as the ending point of the season, which means that it is typically the final opportunity for the biggest names in the sport to show what they can do on the track. However, down the years there have been some huge surprises during the Breeders’ Cup. These are four surprise winners that stand out.
Arcangues - 1993
If you’re assessing the biggest shocks in Breeders’ Cup history, then it is difficult to look past the stunning display by Arcangues in 1993. The horse arrived as an unknown quantity when he arrived in the United States, with many predicting that the Classic would end with a comfortable success for Bertrando.
However, the 133/1 shot wasn’t about to waste this huge opportunity. The French-trained horse didn’t have any kind of consistency coming into the race, but his performance at Santa Anita on this day was explosive.
Arcangues was in seventh coming down the final stretch before he turned on the afterburners to steam to the front of the field. It was a stunning success and one that will never be forgotten.
Court Vision - 2011
One of the most recent standout surprise winners was Court Vision in the 2011 Breeders’ Cup Mile. There was an expectancy coming into the race that this was the opportunity for Goldikova to win a fourth consecutive running of this race.
The Irish trained horse was the heavy favourite in the betting at 13/10, and it seemed like those odds were going to ring true.
However, it seemed to go wring once the F Head-trained horse got in front, with Turalllure and Court Vision both tracking the leader. They both overtook the leader, with Court Vision snatching the win at odds of 50/1. It was one of the tightest margins in Breeders’ Cup history, and was the final race of Court Vision’s career.
Court Vision wins the 2011 Breeders Cup Mile
Spain - 2000
Spain was the winner of the Breeders’ Cup Distaff in November 2000 at a price of 56/1, as she was able to hold off stiff competition from Surfside and Heritage of Gold. She managed to take the lead with two furlongs left in the race, before then going onto win by a length and a half from Surfside.
It was the biggest win of Spain’s career, and just the second race that she won in that season. She would only go on to win one more race in 12 starts before retiring after a fourth-place finish in the Apple Blossom Handicap in April 2002.
Volponi - 2002
The Breeders’ Cup Classic is the biggest race of the meeting, and even that race hasn’t been prone to a shock winner throughout its history. One of the standout successes was Volponi in the 2002 instalment, as he won from odds of 44/1 at Arlington Park.
To say that Volponi came into the race with unproven form would be an understatement, as he had won just once in six starts leading up to the race.
Nevertheless, Volponi went on to win by six and a half lengths from Medaglia d’Oro. This success in the Breeders’ Cup Classic would be the final win of his career, as he would return a year later having failed to win another race.
Final Thoughts on the Breeders Cup in 2020
There you have, the top 4 biggest shocking winners of the Breeders Cup. Check out our horse racing tips to find out how you can generally try and beat the shocks more often than not!
For more quality horse racing content, stick with The Sporting Blog! Lead photo courtesy of the Breeders’ Cup.
