Which 3 Breeders' Cup horses were most disappointing?

Many horses lose Breeders’ Cup races, but the frustrating part for bettors who supported them is when they throw in a clunker with no real pace or trip excuse. At that point, handicappers can only scratch their heads.

Here is a list of three horses with the most disappointing efforts from the Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar last weekend. Because it is easier to find disappointment with low odds, these three horses were also favorites.

[Related: 3 most impressive horses at the Breeders' Cup]

Jackie’s Warrior – Sprint

Many handicappers, including this one, expected nothing less than a dominating win from Jackie’s Warrior after his impressive campaign.

Jackie’s Warrior came into the race with a flashy three-race win streak, including a 7 1/4-length win in the Amsterdam Stakes (G2) over Drain the Clock, a neck win in the H. Allen Jerkens Stakes (G1) over Life Is Good and a 6 3/4-length win in the Gallant Bob Stakes (G2) for an easy final prep race.

Only a few races before the Sprint, Life Is Good dominated his opponents in the Dirt Mile with a fast and effortless gate-to-wire win, which flattered Jackie’s Warrior’s hard-fought victory against him at Saratoga in August.

Jackie’s Warrior failed to duplicate Life Is Good’s brilliance though. In fact, he did not even put up a fight after a fast, but reasonable, pace.

Watch as Jackie’s Warrior loses control on the turn.

He offers no resistance to Dr. Schivel and Special Reserve passing him.

A crowd of horses goes by Jackie’s Warrior in midstretch, and he finishes a disappointing sixth and only beats three horses in the nine-horse field.

Jackie's Warrior was a different horse in the Sprint compared to the one who outdueled Life Is Good in the H. Allen Jerkens. Instead of responding to the challenge in the stretch against weaker opponents than Life Is Good, he faded.

At 2/5, Jackie’s Warrior burned a ton of money and disappointed many fans’ hearts. His effort shows again that anything can happen in horse racing.

Gamine – Filly & Mare Sprint

Gamine had already shown signs of declining form before the Breeders’ Cup. Regardless, expectations were high following a perfect 4-for-4 record this year before the Filly & Mare Sprint. Those four wins included the Derby City Distaff Stakes (G1) back in May and the Ballerina Handicap (G1) in August.

Perhaps Gamine had become a “smart winner” and only won races with minimum effort. Her 2021 races were also mostly slow-paced affairs, and those types of races result in slower speed figures more often than not.

But, it turns out Gamine was a step slower all along.

In the Filly & Mare Sprint, Gamine took a narrow lead over Bella Sofia through reasonable fractions of 22.31 and 44.92 for the half-mile.

Three lengths behind, Ce Ce traveled in a stalking position in fourth.

On the turn, Gamine became surrounded by Bella Sofia and Edgeway on both sides, and it became clear she was about to experience a rare loss.

Ce Ce tipped out at the top of the stretch for a clear run, and Gamine offered little resistance other than holding off Bella Sofia for third. Ce Ce widened the advantage for a 2 ½-length win over Edgeway, with Gamine finishing third at the same 2/5 odds as Jackie’s Warrior later in the card.

Gamine disappointed many people with the flat effort, especially win bettors and those who singled her in multi-race wagers. She finished 3 1/4 lengths behind Ce Ce. In addition, she failed to outfinish Edgeway.

Even with Gamine’s declining speed figures and winning margins, she had beaten Edgeway by 11 1/4 lengths in the Great Lady M Stakes (G2) at Los Alamitos in July. She had also won the Las Flores Stakes (G3) at Santa Anita by five lengths to start off the campaign. Her small-margin wins came when traveling to Churchill Downs and Saratoga for those two Grade 1 races.

Why did she perform close to her 2020 form in her two California races before the Breeders’ Cup, but not run well at Del Mar in the Breeders’ Cup? Baffert indicated Gamine may have benefitted with an additional prep, having not raced since late August. 

In any case, Gamine’s Breeders’ Cup performance was terrible. She did not suffer from a fast pace or bad trip. She just did not fire.

Tarnawa – Turf

As a 4-year-old filly, Tarnawa made a successful closing bid to capture the Breeders’ Cup Turf by one length over fellow European Magical.

Although Tarnawa lost two of three starts this year, she still gave the impression of a mare in sharp form. Because she still fired good races in Europe, Tarnawa’s 11th in this year’s Turf came as a disappointment.

Two starts ago, Tarnawa only lost the Irish Champion Stakes (G1) at Leopardstown by 3/4 of a length to St. Mark’s Basilica, while beating Poetic Flare for second. Then in October, she lost the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (G1), Europe’s most important race, by 3/4 of a length to Torquator Tasso.

Bettors made Tarnawa the 2-1 favorite in the Turf last weekend.

When it came time to move while approaching the final turn though, Tarnawa had a perfect outside spot where she could circle the field.

Unfortunately, Tarnawa offered nothing when asked.

From a visual standpoint, she looked like an empty horse. Despite jockey Colin Keane’s best efforts to encourage the mare, she failed to move forward off the outside rallying position and threw in the towel.

At some point on that third turn, Yibir passed Tarnawa on the outside and continued on with an explosive move to catch the leader Broome.

What happened to Tarnawa?

The first two horses after a half-mile, Tribhuvan and Acclimate, finished second-to-last and last at the end, indicating a fast pace to set up Tarnawa.

Tarnawa had no traffic to stop her on the last turn. No one can blame running wide because Yibir had passed Tarnawa from a wider path. She received pace, no traffic and a path that resulted in another horse’s win.

For no apparent reason, Tarnawa threw a clunker. Tarnawa’s lifeless 11th-place finish marks only the third time that she came up short of the trifecta. She likely did not burn as many tickets as Jackie’s Warrior and Gamine. Regardless, Tarnawa left plenty of handicappers scratching their heads.