Breeders’ Cup 2011: Drosselmeyer Wins The Classic

Game On Dude looked to be headed for a wire-to-wire win at the Breeders Cup Classic, pulling away from the field and holding off challenges as they neared the finish line. But out of nowhere, Drosselmeyer surged from the back, flying down the outside as the Breeders Cup field headed for home under the lights. It was as if Game On Dude never saw his challenger.

Dosselmeyer’s move was so late, yet worked to perfection as he cruised past the pack and into the lead. And just before the wire, he pulled away, passing Game On Dude and hanging on for the win.

The long shots came home at the 2011 Breeders Cup Classic, with Drosselmeyer nipping Game On Dude for the win. Both horses held long odds, going off at 14-1 in the Classic. Third-place horse Ruler On Ice was just as long a shot, holding 17-1 odds.

Here’s the payouts for Saturday’s Breeders Cup Classic.

After two days of racing at Churchill Downs, the main event arrived as 12 of the top three-year-olds were called to the post for the 2011 Breeders Cup Classic. The race pit a few familiar names against each other again, with Stay Thirsty, Uncle Mo and Ruler on Ice -- all competitors in at least on Triple Crown race this year -- were in the field.

Flat Out entered the gates as the favorite, going off at 7-2 odds. Havre de Grace was bet down to 4-1 at the time of post. The filly was followed closely by Uncle Mo and So You Think, who each headed to the post with the second-best odds at 5-1.

An objection was lodged against Goldikova at the end of the race for coming off the hedge and interfering with Courageous Cat. The stewards denied the objection and made no change to the running order.

American champion turf horse Gio Ponti finished 4th.

Hansen, doing all the dirty work in the early stages, held off the previously undefeated Union Rags to win the 2011 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. Hansen came into the Juvenile off of a couple of blowout wins at Turfway Park but stepped up his game on the big stage to win his third race in three starts.

Union Rags had a tough trip throughout the race but still mounted a spirited late charge in the final furlongs. He bore out slightly in the lane, continued to gain on Hansen, but couldn’t get past the winner at the wire.

The 2011 Breeders Cup odds are still shifting with post time just about an hour and a half away at Churchill Downs. Uncle Mo opened as the morning line favorite, but has been overtaken and now holds the second-best odds for the Breeders Cup Classic. The new favorite, after being bet down Saturday morning, is Flat Out, who will be running out of the inside post position.

Uncle Mo has the second-best odds, followed by So You Think and Havre de Grace. Stay Thirsty is at 10-1, followed by To Honor and Serve, running out of the outside post position, at 11-1. Game On Dude is also lumped in with the second-tier at 12-1 odds.

Payouts:

1-St Nicholas Abbey: $15.60, $7.20, $5.40

7-Sea Moon (GB): $5.00, $4.20

8-Brilliant Speed: $7.00

$2 Exacta: $76.20

$0.50 Trifecta: $305.45

$0.10 Superfecta: $226.94

$1 Daily Double: $54.60

$0.50 Pick 3: $132.15

Caleb’s Posse sat well back of the early leaders, made a big move on the turn, and unleashed a tremendous late kick in the lane to easily win the 2011 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile. Preakness winner Shackleford led briefly but couldn’t hold off the winner. He finished in second. Long-shot Tres Borrachos finished third to round out the trifecta.

The Factor set the early pace but faded badly at the top of the stretch.

The big prices helped to key an early $0.50 Pick 5 that returned $71,510.80. Additionally, the Pick 3 for the Marathon - Juvenile Turf - Sprint returned $6,816.60 for a $0.50 play. That is the highest return on a Pick 3 during this year’s Breeders’ Cup (next highest: $1,960.40 and $1,426.40).

You can find the results for all of this weekend’s Breeders’ Cup races at the link below.

The second day of the 2011 Breeders’ Cup continues Saturday afternoon, with nine races on the schedule including the 2011 Breeder’s Cup Classic at 7:00 pm Eastern time. Races will be televised on ABC beginning at 2:00 pm before jumping to ESPN at 3:30. Coverage for the Classic will begin at 6:15 on ESPN.

For those without access to a television, or who simply don’t want to deal with constant college football interruptions, you can watch coverage online beginning at 11:45 am ET at the official site of the Breeder’s Cup. The full racing schedule can be found here.

The first day of the 2011 Breeders’ Cup at Churchill Downs is in the books with Royal Delta capping off the day by cruising to victory in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic.

Below are the winners of Friday’s Breeders’ Cup races, and you can find a complete list off all results, payouts, running fractions for Friday, along with the entries, post positions and morning line odds for Saturday at the file below.

Royal Delta sat off a slow pace set by Kentucky Oaks winner Plum Pretty and powered to the lead inside the final quarter mile on her way to a relatively easy win in the Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic. It’s Tricky got up to finish second. Pachattack was third.

Royal Delta is a three-year-old daughter of Empire Maker, trained by William Mott and ridden by Jose Lezcano. In her last race, Royal Delta lost to Havre de Grace, one of the contenders for tomorrow’s Breeders’ Cup Classic.

Race favorite Stacelita (FR) was boxed in badly down on the hedge as they came into the stretch and was unable to mount a late charge.

Prior to the start of the Filly and Mare Turf the French trained Announce (GB) acted up on the backstretch, almost ran into the equine ambulance, did run into the rail, and was scratched due to a minor laceration over her right hock.

My Miss Aurelia stalked the early pacesetter, moved to the front of the field at the top of the stretch, and pulled away from her rivals to remain undefeated and win the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies. Grace Hall attempted to run down the winner late but had to settle for 2nd, while Weemissfrankie rounded out the trifecta.

My Miss Aurelia, trained by Steve Asumessen and ridden by Corey Nakatani, is now a perfect four-for-four in her young racing career.

The first bomb of the 2011 Breeders’ Cup comes home in the Filly & Mare Sprint after Musical Romance skimmed the rail in the final furlongs to win at odds of 20/1. Switch nosed out Her Smile in a photo for 2nd place.

Heavy favorite Turbulent Descent had a troubled trip, briefly contended for the lead at the top of the stretch, but tired badly in the final furlong.

Stephanie’s Kitten unleashed a power late kick to overtake early pacesetter Stopshoppingmaria to win the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. Owned by Ken and Sarah Ramsey, Stephanie’s Kitten came into the Breeders’ Cup off a win in the Grade 1 Alcibiades at Keeneland on Oct. 7th.

The turf course at Churchill Downs was upgraded to ‘Good’ prior to the running of the Juvenile Fillies Turf.

Bob Baffert’s Secret Circle, sent off as the 2/5 favorite in the inaugural running of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, held off a late charge by European raider Shumoos to win the first race of the 2011 Breeders’ Cup at Churchill Downs.

The early speed set an absolutely blistering pace, clocking the first quarter mile in a 20.96 seconds. The final quarter mile was predictably slower at 25.97 seconds.

The under-card is done and it’s time for the start of the 2011 Breeders’ Cup at historic Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The early races didn’t give a whole lot of clues as to how the main track, listed as ‘Muddy’ earlier today, is playing. The two sprint races finished in quick times that resembled more a “Fast” track. The other two races, however, were on the slow and tiring side.

Following the fourth race,, Churchill Downs upgraded the main track to Good. The turf course is still listed as Yielding.

The Breeders’ Cup Friday races don’t begin until 4:10pm Eastern, but Churchill Downs is running four minor races prior to the start of the championship program. The first race of the day was an optional claiming race at six furlongs on the main track. The dirt may be listed as “muddy”, but the track looked to be playing fairly quick after the first race clocked fractions of 21.61, 45.35, 56.93 and 1:09.52. The second race, however, proved to be much different than the first. Running a one-turn mile, a group of N1X Allowance horses ran the first half-mile in 46.68, and the last in a pedestrian 51.32.

8-Rothko, the 7/5 favorite, won the first race and paid $5.00, $3.80, $2.80. The second race was won by 4-Congo but was disqualified and placed 2nd after an objection due to the jockey of Congo accidentally striking 6-Chilled with his whip. That is an automatic disqualification. 6-Chilled was moved up from 2nd, declared the official winner, and paid $7.00, $4.00, $2.80.

Horse: Uncle Mo

Trainer: Todd Pletcher

Horse: Stay Thirsty

Trainer: Todd Pletcher

Horse: So You Think (NZ)

Trainer: Aidan O’Brien

Horse: Ruler On Ice

Trainer: Kelly Breen

Horse: Rattlesnake Bridge

Trainer: Kiran McLaughlin

Every horse race has its long shots, and the 2011 Breeders’ Cup Classic is no different. One of this year’s long shots is a horse that won the 2010 Florida Derby and was 2nd in that year’s Kentucky Derby. Since then, however, he’s struggled to find his way to the winner’s circle.

Horse: Ice Box