Horse Racing’s Biggest Upsets of 2015 - Part 1
No matter the year, one thing holds true in Thoroughbred horse racing -- There’s no such thing as a sure thing. As we approach the close of the 2015 calendar year, I thought it would be fun to look back at some of the biggest shockers that caused us to laugh, cry, or shake our heads in disbelief. There were plenty to choose from, but here is a selection of my favorites from this year’s racing season. Enjoy Part 1, of two, with more surprises to come tomorrow!
Coming in off a loss in Allowance company, few gave Sr. Quisqueyano a second look against a small but select field of stakes winners in the $250,000 Sunshine Millions Classic on January 17. That proved to be a mistake, as the five-year-old refused to yield his lead late to the hero of the Ohio and Indiana Derbies, East Hall. At 20-1, for his new trainer Peter Walder, the surprising Sr. Quisqueyano returned $43.20 to win to his sparse backers. He has yet to find the winner’s circle since in three starts, including a 9th place finish behind Shared Belief in the Big Cap, in his next start after pulling off this early season surprise.
February brought us a bit of a shocker at Turfway Park. It wasn’t so much that Royal Son won the John Battaglia Memorial, but it was more about who he beat to do it. At the time, The Great War was considered a legitimate contender on the Kentucky Derby trail. Sent off at 3-10 in the field of ten, he pressed the early pace before stopping badly to finish last. After the race, it was reported The Great War bled, but that should take nothing away from the 9-1 winner, who won off by 5 ¼ lengths, and paid $20.60. Like Sr. Quisqueyano, though, Royal Son is winless since, in his five subsequent starts.
The Grade 2 Azeri Stakes was supposed to be a foregone conclusion. The champion Untapable was making her first since a dramatic win in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff last fall at Santa Anita. Sent off as an overwhelming 1-10 favorite in the field of five on March 14, the only question was thought to be, how much she would win by. Of course, that is why they run the race. 8-1 shot Gold Medal Dancer went right to the lead on the Oaklawn Park main track labeled good, and although Untapable looked poised to pounce for much of the race, the heavy favorite could never reel in the unheralded mare who returned $18.80 to those who thought she could pull the upset. Another who has not won after the upset, Gold Medal Dancer is 0-for-4 since, including a defeat to Untapable in their next race.
In April at Keeneland, a competitive field of eight lined up for the 12-furlong, Grade 2 Elkhorn Stakes. In a strangely run race, two horses, My Afleet, and the rank outsider in the field, Dramedy, went out together and opened up a big gap on the rest of the field. On the far turn, it was still the two of them nearly ten lengths ahead of the next wave of turf runners. In mid-stretch, My Afleet was cooked, but the long shot was not ready to spit the bit. The two favorites, Dynamic Sky and Unitarian came running, but it was too late. Dramedy gave it his all to get to the wire first, and held on by a desperate neck, returning $63.60 for the win. It remains the only stakes race in which Dramedy has finished in the money, let alone come out on top.
The Snow Chief Stakes at Santa Anita pales in comparison to certain other three-year-old races held in May, although there have been plenty of good horses to run in the $200,000 race over the years. As usual, this year’s edition attracted a large field. Five horses were sent off at 8-1 or lower, but in the end, none would finish in the top two. Despite being well beaten in his previous two starts, and being steadied into the first turn, Neveradoubt proved strongest late, and earned a tough half-length victory which lit up the toteboard. The 41-1 shot returned $85.40 for the win, and the exacta with the 29-1 shot runner-up, Temple Keys returned a hefty $1,405.20 for a $2 play. Since this win, Neveradoubt is 1-for-3 with his only win coming in a Del Mar allowance race, which he won by more than eight lengths.
When Academic lined up for the $500,000 Woodbine Oaks on June 14, she only had a maiden win to her name. That victory came in her first start of 2015, after going winless in three starts as a two-year-old. Because of this, it was no surprise to see her go off as the 66-1 longest shot on the board in the rich race. The inexperience proved to be no problem at all, though, as she went right to the lead under Justin Stein, and cruised all the way around to a 1 ¾-length victory over the 9-10 favorite, London Tower. After paying $135.30 in the Oaks, the daughter of Henny Hughes proved to be anything but a fluke. She came back two starts later to dominate the boys in the Grade 3 Canadian Derby, and then followed that up by beating them again in the Grade 3 British Columbia Derby.