The longest race on Breeders' Cup weekend is the $500,000 Breeders' Cup Marathon (G2), a 1 3/4 mile test around 3 turns of the Santa Anita Park oval. Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) fourth place finisher Atigun was sent off as the 3-1 favorite in the field of 13, over 7-2 second choice Fame and Glory, fifth in the QIPCO Jockey Club Cup (G3) last out, and 6-1 Commander, winner of the Premier Handicap (G3) at Hastings Park.
Calidoscopio rallies down the center in the stretch
10-1 Jaycito, Commander, and Atigun contested the early lead through fractions of 23.89, 47.85, 1:12.00, and 1:38.25, with the field running over a loose black garbage bag at the finish line first time by, without incident. Atigun took over the lead second time down the backstretch, through fractions of 2:04.53 and 2:30.55. Entering the stretch, Calidoscopio, 12th early, came out six wide for room and powered by the tiring pacesetters to win by 4 1/4 lengths over 14-1 Grassy in 2:57.25. It was just 1/2 a length back to favorite Atigun third.
Left: Calidoscopio gets some water on his head as he parades after the race. Jockey Aaron Gryder, celebrating his first Breeders' Cup win, said, "After the first mile he started getting stronger as we went along and by the time we got to the 1/4 pole he was advancing so quickly I felt if he gave that same turn of foot that I had seen on the DVD he was going to be able to run 'em down, and I thank the connections. I don't speak any Spanish and they don't speak any English and it came together in a nice way and we have had a lot of laughs and I've had some great translators."
Right: Calidoscopio in the post parade. Translator John Fulton, speaking on behalf of trainer Guillermo Frankel, said, "To begin with, he started as a veterinarian and is known to be one of the best care taking trainers in our industry in Argentina. He always gives them the time they need and kept the horse sound by his knowledge as a veterinarian and in trying to prevent injuries coming up. If he needs time, he gives it, and he has allowed this horse to stay strong and mature and get better, he has been good for a long time he didn't have to get better and he says the main thing that makes him good is his heart."
Left: Second place finisher Grassy returns after the race. Jockey Garrett Gomez said, “I rode him several times on the turf when he was with (trainer Christophe) Clement in New York. The question was would he handle the dirt. I thought he would get the 1 3/4 and get over the dirt OK, but didn’t know how he would handle the dirt coming back and hitting him in the face. He handled it fine and this gives him some new options."
Right: Third place finisher and beaten favorite Atigun in the post parade. Jockey Mike Smith said, “I was in good shape on the backside the second time around; I thought I was going to be doing well. My horse ran a big race, but (Calidoscopio and Grassy) got me on the outside, The winner was so far out I saw him, but had he been in a little closer, it would have given my a horse a little bit more fight.” Trainer Ken McPeek added, “He tried real hard. Mike said he hung in the last 1/8 mile.”
Breeders' Cup Saturday Results - There were 9 races Saturday highlighted by the $5 million Classic where Fort Larned won by a half length over Mucho Macho Man. Also on the card, favorites Wise Dan won the Mile and Shanghai Bobby won the Juvenile. Get the results, charts, and photos for all 9 races here.
Breeders' Cup Friday Results - There were 6 races Friday highlighted by the Ladies' Classic where favorite Royal Delta held off My Miss Aurelia to win for the second year in a row and the Filly and Mare Turf where Zagora was an upset winner. Get the results, charts, and photos for all 6 races here.
2012 Breeders' Cup Entries - Lots of info about the Breeders' Cup, each race, links to profiles for all the horses entered, and info about each race. Free Past Performances - for all the races
Thursday Breeders' Cup Workout Photos - Photos and comments for 49 of the Breeders' Cup horses out on Thursday morning at Santa Anita. The Europeans were out of quarantine and the east coasters delayed by Hurricane Sandy finally arrived, so it was a very busy morning.
Wednesday Breeders' Cup Workout Photos - Photos and comments for 34 of the Breeders' Cup horses out in the fog on Wednesday morning at Santa Anita. The sun didn't make it out until 8:30am and visibility was quite poor at times.
Tuesday Breeders' Cup Workout Photos - Photos and comments for 69 of the Breeders' Cup horses out on the track Tuesday morning at Santa Anita, including Classic favorite Game On Dude and 7 more of the Classic horses.
Breeders' Cup Weather - What will the weather be like at Santa Anita Park on November 2 and 3? Here are lots of places to find out!
2011 Breeders' Cup Saturday Results - The feature race was the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic where Drosselmeyer was an upset winner. Get the results, charts, and photos for all 9 races here.
2011 Breeders' Cup Friday Results - Friday was headlined by the $2 million Ladies Classic (formerly the Distaff) won by Royal Delta. Get the results, charts, and photos for all 6 races here.
Review: Crushing the Cup 2012 - by Jim Mazur and Peter Mallett. An invaluable tool for trying to unlock the mysteries of handicapping the Breeders' Cup races at Santa Anita updated for 2012.
Breeders' Cup History - Historical info, past results, and photos from previous runnings
The Breeders' Cup Championship Day - The official page for the Breeders' Cup championship races. Just about anything you need to know about it: results, video clips, and race calls for past years, and eventually nominations, entries, and results.
Free Prep Replays - for major prep races in the Breeders' Cup Challenge. The ones with camera logos have video available.
Blazing Silks, Breeders' Cup Edition- an interactive social network game that allows horse racing fans and social gamers to train and care for Thoroughbred horses.
Left: Calidoscopio gets some water on his head as he parades after the race. Jockey Aaron Gryder, celebrating his first Breeders' Cup win, said, "After the first mile he started getting stronger as we went along and by the time we got to the 1/4 pole he was advancing so quickly I felt if he gave that same turn of foot that I had seen on the DVD he was going to be able to run 'em down, and I thank the connections. I don't speak any Spanish and they don't speak any English and it came together in a nice way and we have had a lot of laughs and I've had some great translators."
Left: Second place finisher Grassy returns after the race. Jockey Garrett Gomez said, “I rode him several times on the turf when he was with (trainer Christophe) Clement in New York. The question was would he handle the dirt. I thought he would get the 1 3/4 and get over the dirt OK, but didn’t know how he would handle the dirt coming back and hitting him in the face. He handled it fine and this gives him some new options."
