Breeders’ Cup Buzz: The Rides Of A Lifetime

Behind every winning race is a winning ride, and the Breeders' Cup has produced some of the most impressive piloting efforts the sport has seen.

When considering those winning trips, a share of the credit must, of course, go to the jockey's agents who booked the mounts for their riders. An agent knows a good ride when they see it.

With 37 years of Breeders' Cup races to draw from, we polled six jockey's agents to get their picks for the greatest riding effort in Breeders' Cup history. The answers cast a wide net from personal victories, to betting scores, to rooting for childhood heroes.

Doug Bredar

“For obvious reasons, it would be Gun Runner in the Breeders' Cup Classic at Del Mar. I'm still surprised that Arrogate went off as the favorite. The bettors thought that Gun Runner would have issues going a mile and a quarter, but the connections felt otherwise. Arrogate had beaten him a couple of times, and it was not only an incredible thrill watching Florent Geroux win the race, but redemption for the way he did it. The fractions were 22.4, 46.1, 1:10.2 and 1:35. He went wire-to-wire and I thought it was an exceptional ride. Very fond memories of a special race.”

John Herbstreit

“Arazi and Zenyatta are the most impressive horse races I've seen. Even when Zenyatta ran second, she was impressive. Alysheba and Personal Ensign are my favorite wins. My favorite ride was Pat Day on Wild Again in the 1984 Classic.”

Ron Ebanks

“Randy Romero on Personal Ensign in the mud getting up the last jump to nail Gary Stevens on Winning Colors (1988 Distaff). He was my idol as a kid and I couldn't have been more happy and proud of him.”

Jimmy McNerney

“Pat Valenzuela aboard Fraise in the 1992 Turf stands out the most. It was the first Breeders' Cup that I was old enough to 'legally' bet and I put $100 across the board on him. He came from last and P-Val made every right move weaving his way through the pack through the turn. When they straightened, he dove down and snuck through along the fence and nipped Sky Classic right on the money. There's no other path that he could've taken and had the same result.”

Mike Luider

“Gulch in the 1988 Sprint. Angel Cordero Jr. was masterful!”

Brian Beach

“Julie Krone's ride on Halfbridled in the 2003 Juvenile Fillies was one of the best I've seen. It's not always about weaving though traffic and getting up at the wire. It's sometimes about getting your horse to perform its best under adverse circumstances, and that's what happened in this race. They broke from the 14 post and Julie was able to get her filly to relax while going wide and still not expending too much energy until she could get a better position down the backstretch. By the time they turned for home Julie had Halfbridled in a perfect winning position with something left in the tank for the run to the wire.”

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Breeders’ Cup Buzz: Remembering The Previous Del Mar Breeders’ Cup

The Breeders' Cup will be held at Del Mar for the second time in the event's history this year, which makes it the ideal time to look back on the first time the track hosted the races in 2017.

As one of North America's elite racing venues, hosting the Breeders' Cup at Del Mar made perfect sense, and the on-track product lived up to expectations, with plenty of strong winners and exciting finishes.

Ahead of this year's return to Del Mar, we asked some participants in this year's Breeders' Cup to recall what memory stuck out to them the most from the last time the event was held where the turf meets the surf.

Nick Hines – Jockey Agent, Bloodstock Agent, TVG Host

“In regards to the gambling, it really came down to Good Magic (in the Juvenile). He pretty much saved the day for me, because he came in heralded enough, but still considered under the radar, which is kind of surprising for a Chad Brown horse, but it was the turning point for me cashing a pretty sizable return. All the money was in on Bolt d'Oro, Good Magic was a maiden coming in for Chad Brown, and it made me wonder why he'd take a chance with a maiden in the Breeders' Cup. With his pedigree, and coming out of the Breeders' Cup, I thought this horse was going to adore two turns.”

Kate Hunter – Breeders' Cup Japanese Field Representative

“Back in 2017, I unfortunately had the recruit fall through, but I attended anyway for the experience. What I remember most, though, is walking around the grandstand gawking at the photos of Bing Crosby, my all-time favorite singer. Walking in his shoes and being at his track felt really special. It was a feeling I was able to linger in since I was just there as a spectator. I wallowed in it.”

David Meah – Meah/Lloyd Bloodstock, Anna Meah Racing Stables

“My memory of that Breeders' Cup was being there with Anna, who I had recently married back in August that year, and sharing the weekend with good friends from around the globe. Breeders' Cup for me is a fantastic occasion, being from England and living in America for such a long time (16 years at that time). It's fantastic when lots of my old friends come into town and we all catch up.

“Beyond that, I remember the weather being perfect, especially for the horses. I think It was around 69 degrees and it wasn't to hot at all. It was heavenly. We were spoiled, as per usual, with these world championship races and one horse that stood out to me was the amazingly handsome Talismanic (in the Turf). When he walked by me in the paddock, I knew where my $2 (maybe a little more) was going, and at 14-1, you'd better believe the drinks were flowing that evening.”

Walker Hancock – Claiborne Farm

“My cousin Lynn talking us out of including Talismanic in our Pick 6, costing us $388,423.”

Aron Wellman – Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners

“For me, it was a selfish memory of Eclipse's colt Destin winning the Marathon Stakes (on the Breeders' Cup undercard). It was on my home track, and Todd Pletcher's first ever win at Del Mar.”

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Breeders’ Cup Buzz: How Top Handicappers Approach The ‘Best Two Days Of Racing’

With horses coming from all around the world and many of them meeting each other for the first time, the two-day Breeders' Cup World Championships is a prodigious challenge for handicappers but also offers tremendous opportunity for big payoffs and even life-changing scores. Full fields, top-class horses and a vast wagering menu make Breeders' Cup an exhausting and exhilarating handicapping and money-management exercise.

In this latest edition of Breeders' Cup Buzz, we sought out the opinions of some top handicappers to share how they approach this event, whether they are participating in the Breeders' Cup Betting Challenge (BCBC) live money tournament or playing the races on their own.

Amy Brantley

So the best two days of racing are upon us!  At least, they are my favorite two days of racing. I have to prepare my plan of attack not just for betting the races but competing in the Breeders' Cup Betting Challenge. It may sound strange but I take two different approaches to my handicapping when preparing for betting and competing.

First, these two days provide the best value for making a life-changing score and that is the focus for how I handicap and structure my bets. There is a tremendous amount of information (data and video) that can be accessed from multiple sources; however, I have found too much information creates chaos. Therefore, once the pre-entries post, I begin researching the past performances and replays, trainer angles, European shipper statistics and value payouts from past Breeders' Cup races. I do want to give a positive experience shoutout to STATS Race Lens. I began using this program and creating my personal angles approximately a year ago and have realized positive returns.

My main focus for BC wagering is horizontal. The pick fours, fives and sixes get my full attention. I target two or three races in which I find two key horses per race. I then build my tickets around those races. The races I identify as ones with great value I go deep. Of course, I then pray for great racing luck!

Lastly, with respect to the BCBC, I focus more vertical in my wagering structure because of the rules of the tournament (win, place, show, daily doubles, exactas trifectas). Thus, my handicapping of a particular race goes into more detail to lay out how I see the race playing out to determine the exacta and trifecta outcomes. Even though I do use the same sources of data, my analysis of the race gets more granular. This differs from my approach of “covering” a race for horizontal wagers where I will go deep. Also, in tournament play I am focusing on the races that are distances and surfaces where I have had greater success and feel I have more confidence. It is hard to be an expert of every race condition so I definitely have my preferences from class, distance and surface that play heavily in my tournament play. Good luck to everyone during the two best days of racing!
– Amy Brantley is a 12-time NHC qualifier and member of the NHC Players Committee

R. Scott Coles

The Breeders' Cup can be one of the best betting opportunities of the year if you are willing to be patient. The fields are so competitive that strong opinions on logical horses can often overpay. I spend a lot of time with pool selection and building bets around the best pools for my opinions and bankroll. There is no reason to play every race, but it takes more discipline than I usually have on weekends like this. Some of my most profitable weekends have been where I hit a couple big pick 3's or doubles and didn't invest as much in the always tempting pick 6's.

I spend a lot of time with replays and trip notes throughout the year and key in on horses I have saved in my virtual stables. I do extensive work with back-testing angles specific to Del Mar in STATS Race Lens to help highlight horses that might have a sneaky edge in a certain race. STATS also helps with back-testing some breeding angles and in researching the overseas shippers. Finally, I try to put it all together and see who makes the most sense with the potential pace of each race.
R. Scott Coles was the 2019 Horseplayer of the Year and winner of the National Horseplayers Championship

Justin Mustari

I personally do not approach the Breeders' Cup from a handicapping standpoint much different than I would for any other day. I may start my process a couple days sooner but until entries and post positions are set, I would most likely not start handicapping. Other than the occasional emotional connection to a horse would be the only time I would be handicapping that specific race. That horse this year is One Timer running in the Juvenile Turf Sprint. My family and I are good friends with the connections of One Timer, so best of luck to them.

Once post positions are drawn, I use Brisnet PP's and Ragozin to do all my handicapping. My approach to the BCBC is a lot different than the NHC due to the format of “live money.” I plan around getting through day 1 with a minor increase in bankroll. Day 1 is not historically known for big scores. I like to position myself in a way that allows me to always have a chance on Day 2. By that I mean, a chance to reach the projected score I shoot for to win the contest. The hardest part of this contest Is being willing to go all in or close to it if needed. The winner will usually score over six figures in bankroll which most likely won't happen betting the race minimum.

When it comes to my live money betting style, I am not a player betting small chasing for a crazy outcome, kind of like I did in the NHC with the 19-1. I am not afraid to play huge exactas or trifectas because the pools during the Breeders' Cup allow it. When it's all said and done the guys who are at the top of the leaderboard are usually the ones who weren't afraid to bet. Good luck to everyone competing!
Justin Mustari is the 2021 NHC Champion and Horseplayer of the Year

Tom Quigley


The Breeders' Cup is the most intense period of handicapping for horseplayers at any point during the entire year. My advice is to do as much prep work in advance as humanly possible leading up to Day 1 on Friday, which includes watching race replays (and workout videos), researching pedigrees, and trying to predict the pace scenario for each individual race.

In addition to that, and perhaps most importantly, is to strategize on how you are going to attack the card from a wagering standpoint. Most of us will have the handicapping data needed to identify the main contenders, but you should spend just as much time thinking about what wagering pools you will be playing and how you will be extracting the most value from them!

Lastly, despite the hours of prep work you may (and should) have put in, don't be rigid once Championship Day arrives. Conditions often change. A speed (or anti-speed) bias may unexpectedly develop, a key contender may scratch, a horse you may love could get overbet and/or look worse than anticipated in the paddock, etc. Be alert to every handicapping factor at all times, providing yourself every opportunity to make a huge score!
Horseplayer Tom Quigley is VIP Player Concierge at Santa Anita, where he hosts pre-race handicapping seminars each racing day and Tweets out paddock observations at @Quigleys_Corner

Vic Stauffer

I tend to handicap the Breeders' Cup pretty much the same as any big day of racing, but the Breeders' Cup is a thousand-pound gorilla. One of the ways I've been successful as a handicapper is a work ethic that leaves literally no stone unturned, using all tools. I'll look at Daily Racing Form past performances, incorporate Thorograph and will do replays.

Replays are a laborious issue because of all the horses entered and the number of races. These two days are the only time I will look at replays of the last three races of every horse on the two cards, including the non-Breeders' Cup races that are part of the BCBC (Breeders' Cup Betting Challenge tournament). It's a lot of work, but it pays off. I'll say this is tedious, but then I'll remind myself that the next replay I watch will be the one that wins the BCBC for me.

My only betting is in the tournament, where you play dramatically different than you do at a regular day at the races with a bankroll. It's very much like the World Series of Poker. You have to look at the dollars in your bankroll as chips, not as actual dollars. If you didn't, you wouldn't be three races in and be $30,000 up and look to be all in with that $30,000. If you don't do that, you're not going to win.
Vic Stauffer is Oaklawn track announcer and an NHC regular who has won numerous handicapping tournaments around the country, including the 2021 Pacific Classic Betting Challenge at Del Mar

Michelle Yu

When I'm looking at Breeders' Cup it definitely makes it hard because there's quality top to bottom. I like to look for a horse who was able to overcome because in the Breeders' Cup you have to be good AND lucky. A horse that was able to win despite a troubled trip, or maybe with the pace not exactly to their liking, shows that they don't need everything to be perfect to bring an A race. Also, I think workouts leading up to BC are very important. Horses generally train to peak on a certain day and it can be pretty evident in the morning if that is not the case.

Overall I still try to keep to my same betting strategies as I do the rest of the year. Things that I like, I still like; things that I don't, I don't. I don't want to talk myself on to a horse if they don't fit those parameters. Because wagering is all about the numbers; you have to maintain consistency. Otherwise you don't know what works and what doesn't.

My favorite bets for Breeders' Cup weekend are always the pic fours. Especially if there's a race I like a price horse because then I feel like I can build my ticket around helping on that price.  I think that's probably backwards from a lot of people who like to try and build around a single!

I also love the doubles: the Juvenile Fillies to the Distaff and the Juvenile to the Classic. Doubles like that are super fun for me. Anytime they do head-to-heads as well, I'm always in on those.
– Michelle Yu is an on-air host and reporter based at Santa Anita who has covered racing around the world. She previously worked for trainers Ron Moquett and Steve Asmussen and is married to Santa Anita-based horseman Ryan Hanson.

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Breeders’ Cup Buzz: Trainers Discuss The Event’s Greatest Training Feats

It takes an incredible amount of work to get a horse to the starting gate in any race, much less the Breeders' Cup, but some efforts take a little something extra.

In this installment of Breeders' Cup Buzz, we asked current and former trainers for their opinions on the most impressive training feats in the event's history. For some, the answer lied in an individual horse's performance, while others looked at dominance over the course of a card.

Kenny McPeek

“Dick Mandella winning four in a day (at the 2003 Breeders' Cup). I was there that day, and I think even Dick was in shock.”

Mandella's quartet of winners during the 2003 Breeders' Cup at Santa Anita Park were Halfbridled in the Juvenile Fillies, Action This Day in the Juvenile, Johar in the turf, and Pleasantly Perfect in the Classic.

Elliott Walden

“Da Hoss and Michael Dickinson (in the 1998 Mile). He had a long, long time off, and it was a heck of a performance to come off that layoff.”

After winning the 1996 Breeders' Cup Mile at Woodbine, Da Hoss didn't race for 715 days, hampered by recurring injuries that kept halting his progress on the comeback trail. Dickinson finally got the horse right for a return start in a Colonial Downs allowance less than a month before the 1998 Mile at Churchill Downs. He won the race at Colonial Downs, then won by a head in the Breeders Cup; an effort billed by announcer Tom Durkin “the greatest comeback since Lazarus.”

Steve Asmussen

“Wild Again, because he was the first one (to win the Classic).”

Wild Again, trained by Vincent Timphony, made history as the first Breeders' Cup Classic winner in 1984 at Hollywood Park. He raced 16 times that season, winning six, including the G1 Meadowlands Cup, the G2 New Orleans Handicap, and the G2 Oaklawn Handicap.

Chad Summers

“Da Hoss. Training horses is always stressful – training good horses is many sleepless nights – to take a horse who won the Breeders' Cup and not make it back to the races for almost one year – prep in an allowance at Colonial Downs in his only start in a year, and have the confidence off that race to go on to the Breeders' Cup and win it again – I can't imagine what the day-to-day thoughts were and training job Michael Dickinson did to have him ready to go.

“All connections who have run well in Breeders' Cup should be commended but that was the most impressive one to me.”

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