The Breeders’ Cup has typically been a major event on the horse racing schedule where only the most talented horses in training have been able to achieve esteemed honors.
Some of the most significant horses to have ever appeared on the track have claimed victories at the illustrious event, with the sheer class of victors evident from the roll of honor boasted in the Breeders’ Cup Classic.
The Classic headlines the two-day meet, which takes place at a new home annually. However, there is more to the meeting than the Grade One on dirt, with major races also run on the turf, with the most prized race coming in the form of the Breeders’ Cup Turf.
But, who ranks among the biggest winners in Breeders’ Cup history?
Leading Jockey- Mike Smith
Mike Smith isn’t nicknamed ‘Big Race Mike’ for no reason. Smith is the leading jockey in the history of the Breeders’ Cup, landing a staggering 27 wins at the event.
He has seven more wins at the two-day meet than any other jockey and nearly double the number of wins recorded by Frankie Dettori. Smith’s Breeders’ Cup history dates back to the 90s, winning the Mile, Sprint, and Distaff.
The American jockey landed a first win in the Classic back in 1997, guiding Skip Away to success for trainer Sonny Hine. A standout win in the race would come in 2009 with Zenyatta, before further victories followed by Drosselmeyer and Arrogate in 2011 and 2016, respectively.
Leading Trainer- D. Wayne Lukas
Many would expect Bob Baffert to lead the way in the trainers’ battle for supremacy at the Breeders’ Cup, but it is long-time rival D. Wayne Lukas.
The Hall of Famer sits two clear of Baffert and Irish maestro Aidan O’Brien with 20 wins, and he could have several leading chances to extend that advantage in 2024. You have to go back to 1985 for Lukas’s first wins at the event, landing victories in the Distaff and Juvenile Fillies.
The latter has seen major success for Lukas, winning the race on six occasions. Success at the Breeders’ Cup has dried up in recent editions, with his latest success coming in 2014’s Juvenile Fillies. His only success in the Classic was achieved with Cat Thief in 1999. There’s more information on the Breeders’ Cup odds that you should checkout.
Highest Earner – Zenyatta
Zenyatta is widely regarded as one of the best female horses in racing history. She was the dominant force throughout her career for trainer John Shirreffs, winning 19 from 20 career starts.
Overall, she won over $7.3 million in career earnings, with over $4.5 million of that coming at the Breeders’ Cup. She became the first mare to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic in 2009, emulating the feat that she achieved against her sex in the year prior in the Breeders’ Cup Ladies Classic.
Away from the Breeders’ Cup, Zenyatta would dominate races at the highest level, including victories in the Apple Blossom Handicap, Lady’s Secret, and Clement L. Hirsch Stakes. She retired in 2010 and was later inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 2016.
Classic Champion – Tiznow
Champions coming back to defend their crown has been a narrative worth following throughout Breeders’ Cup history, with 21 runners successfully defending their title. However, the only horse to ever achieve a repeat win in the Classic comes in the form of Tiznow.
The horse was famously supplemented for the race in 2000 at a hefty cost of $360,000 and held off a very talented field to win by a neck from Giant’s Causeway. He was pointed toward a second bid for Classic glory as a four-year-old, beginning with success at Belmont Park.
A star-studded Classic field went to post for the 2001 edition, including Epsom Derby winner Galileo. Despite being sent off as the fourth favorite, Tiznow responded after encouragement from his jockey to once again win by a nose. In one of the most iconic lines in Breeders’ Cup history, Tom Durkin announced ‘Tiznow wins it for America’.
Youngest Winner – Joseph O’Brien
While Aidan O’Brien will always be responsible for several runners at the head of the betting for Breeders’ Cup races, it is his son Joseph who holds several esteemed records at the meeting.
Joseph O’Brien holds the record of the youngest jockey to win a Breeders’ Cup race after guiding St Nicholas Abbey to success in the Turf in 2011. Not content with just dominating on track, O’Brien has turned his attention to training success at the meet.
He became the youngest trainer to win a race at the Breeders’ Cup in 2019 with Iridessa in the Filly & Mare Turf, aged 26.
However, that record looks under threat from another Aidan O’Brien son this year, as Donnacha O’Brien targets success Stateside with dominant filly Porta Fortuna.
