Disputes Reign Over Bayern's BC Classic Win

The racing gods work in mysterious ways.

Twenty years ago, in what remains a controversial decision most observers feel is in question to this day, following a stewards’ inquiry, The Wicked North was disqualified from first to fourth in the $1 million Santa Anita Handicap “for interference in upper stretch” after winning by a length and a half.

Saturday, in the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic, Bayern won by a nose and a neck over Toast of New York and California Chrome, with 5-2 favorite Shared Belief finishing fourth, 3 ½ lengths behind California Chrome. Following a stewards’ inquiry, the order of finish remained unchanged, to the disbelief of most who saw the race.

Shared Belief had an excuse in suffering his first loss. The official chart of the race says, “Bayern broke inward bumping Shared Belief and also forcing that rival into Moreno . . . .“

Less than a week before the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile on Saturday, Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert lost what he felt was his best chance to win that race when American Pharoah came down with a minor injury.

Saturday, Bayern gave Baffert his first Breeders’ Cup Classic victory, not only earning $2,750,000 for owner Kaleem Shah, but thrusting himself clearly into the picture for Horse of the Year and Male 3-Year-Old of the Year.

At Santa Anita on an otherwise picturesque Sunday morning with sunshine dominating mostly blue skies, Jerry Hollendorfer sat by himself in the grandstand, staring blankly into the vast expanse of the San Gabriel Mountains.

Alone with thoughts of perhaps what might have been, Hollendorfer offered only that Shared Belief came out of the race OK but had “no comment” when asked if the stewards made the right or wrong call, or if he thought Shared Belief still deserved to be Horse of the Year.

Baffert, understandably, had a different take.

“Losing American Pharoah for the Juvenile was devastating for me, the barn, and the owners,” Baffert said of the impressive winner of the FrontRunner Stakes on Sept. 27. “I was looking forward so much to see what he can do, because he’s an amazing animal. Thankfully, he’s OK now and we’ll get him ready for the spring.

”But Bayern showed what he can really do on a big day. He put it together. Shared Belief didn’t break. He broke a stutter-step slow (the chart says he bobbled) and Bayern was gone. I thought the nine (Toast of New York) swooped down on Shared Belief.”

The chart says Toast of New York “angled over soon after the break putting Shared Belief in close quarters and bumping Moreno (the other expected speed horse, who finished 14th and last, 22 ¼ lengths behind next-to-last Majestic Harbor and more than 35 lengths behind Bayern).

“The incident detracted from Bayern’s win somewhat, and it’s too bad because any rider would try to keep an undefeated horse unbeaten, but you need racing luck. He didn’t have it and that’s what this game is all about. You talk to half the people who ran horses this week, some had racing luck, and if you don’t have it, it doesn’t happen.

“I deal with it and when it happens to me, like it did with Game On Dude in the Breeders’ Cup (losing three times in the Classic), I just suck it up.”

With an obvious vested interest in Bayern’s chances for Horse of the Year, Baffert said, “He proved he’s worthy yesterday, but I’ve seen voters who, when they can’t make a justifiable case for the horse they want to win, punish the competition that beats their horse.

“But I don’t have a say in the voting and it is what it is. All I know is Bayern won the Breeders’ Cup Classic and some big, major races. He did it on the big stage and he ran hard and he wasn’t going to let that horse (Toast of New York) past him.”

Private clocker Gary Young, always candid and forthright with his valued opinions, gathered his thoughts before saying:

“Historically in California, and I don’t necessarily agree with it, you pretty much have to knock someone off their horse to get taken down coming out of the gate. Do I agree with that? No. Would I have voted to disqualify Bayern yesterday? Yeah. I’m not sure the incident at the start cost Shared Belief the win, but that shouldn’t enter into the decision.

“When I got to my car after the race, I turned on the Santa Anita app, and (former jockey Richard) Migliore was just going nuts. When Trevor (Denman) made the announcement on the stewards’ decision, I think his words were, ‘The incident, though significant, did not affect the original order of finish.’ Are you kidding me?

“Migliore said, ‘Now let me get this straight. If I’m on a speed horse and there’s two other speed horses in the race, does that mean on the first step I get to come over and waylay him as hard as I want to and not get taken down? Is that what that means?”

The stewards issued this statement Saturday night: “Following the running of the 12th race today (Breeders’ Cup Classic), we posted the inquiry sign to examine an incident at the start (Dirt 1 ¼ miles). Involved in the incident were the winner #7 Bayern (M. Garcia) and several horses to his inside--#6 Shared Belief (M. Smith), causing a chain reaction with several other horses to his inside, including #4 Moreno (J. Castellano), who also broke out slightly.

“#6 Shared Belief finished fourth, 3 ½ lengths behind the third place finisher while #4 Moreno finished far behind the leaders. After speaking with the patrol judges and riders involved, it was our unanimous decision that pursuant to CHRB rule 1699, that incident occurred in  a part of the race where the horses interfered with were not cost the opportunity to place where they were reasonably expected to finish.”

The stewards held a press conference at Santa Anita Saturday morning, addressing  further questions from the media.

As for Horse of the Year 2014, Bayern, California Chrome, Shared Belief, Untapable and Wise Dan appear to have credentials worthy of consideration.

“You can’t help but love Wise Dan, but he didn’t do enough,” Young said. “All Chrome had to do was win the race and there wouldn’t be any controversy as huge as it is today for Horse of the Year.

“I thought California Chrome was the winner from the half-mile pole home yesterday, but he didn’t get there. I could kind of see Untapable, California Chrome and Bayern winning Horse of the Year. Those are the only three I’d consider. Shared Belief? You can’t drop the ball like that on Breeders’ Cup day and be Horse of the Year.”

So the beat goes on and will not stop in the foreseeable future. As a rabbi once told a grieving family whose daughter had died suddenly and unexpectedly at the age of 19, “The wound will heal, but the scar will never go away.”

Source: Santa Anita Park