2013 Breeders’ Cup Scoreboard

 

During the Breeders’ Cup I was tweeting out the 2013 Breeders’ Cup Scoreboard to emphasis the rivalry of the European horses and the Americans in a way that mimicked the Ryder Cup in golf.

 

It turned out to be a very close contest as you can see in the chart. The Euros won three of the five turf races and the Marathon. This year’s competition was much closer than in 2012 when the east coast dominated with 10 wins, followed by the Euros [3] and the west [2].

 

 

 

This year’s Breeders’ Cup was highlighted by competitors who doubled up. Jockeys Gary Stevens, Martin Garcia, and European Ryan Moore each won two of the races. Bob Baffert was the only trainer to be victorious in two Breeders’ Cup races with New Year's Day and Secret Circle.

 

There were also two horses that got their second BC win and became part of a very select group of horses to do that in two different races. Last year Secret Circle won the now defunct Juvenile Sprint and Beholder won the Juvenile Filly in 2012.

 

Then there were the horses that got their second Breeders’ Cup win when they defended their Breeders’ Cup championship from 2012.  Groupie Doll won the Filly and Mare Sprint to culminate a short 2013 campaign in which many people felt she had lost a step from her dazzling closing kick.  Pretty much the same things were being said about Mizdirection who managed to take down the Filly and Mare Turf Sprint again.

 

The old man Wise Dan showed why he is such a popular horse. He rallied from farther back than usual to win another turf Mile with a powerful and prolonged closing move down the length of the stretch. With that impressive win and the ninth place finish of Game On Dude, Wise Dan probably won himself a second consecutive Horse of the Year title.

 

Jockey Mike Smith did one better than all of those performers. His three wins in this year’s Breeders’ Cup allowed Smith to extend his all-time record for BC wins to 20.

 

One of the things that I enjoy most about attending the Breeders’ Cup is that when all of these great performers head to the winner’s circle the large crowd breaks out into a very heart felt round of applause. So many fans are willing to pay the hefty ticket prices to enjoy racing’s greatest weekend and take the opportunity to show their appreciation for racing’s stars, both equine and human.

 

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The final results of the HRN Staff Picks for the Breeders’ Cup are complete and posted [You can click on the link above to see all the details]. Eight of the Horse Racing Nation team posted a profit based on a two dollar win wager for all 14 of the Breeders’ Cup events. Nick Costa’s picks earned the most money [$41.60] closely followed by Jasen Mangrum [$40.60], Brian Zipse [$40.00], Matt Shifman [$39.40], and Bryan Brinkmeyer [$38.20]. I also led the way with the most picked winners [five] for the second time in the last three years.