Breeders Cup Classic winners

[Calzone Lord]

Here is what the most recent running line of all Breeders Cup Classic winners looked like, after the mid-point (end of June) of their 3yo season.

They go in order from the winner of the most recent edition (Fort Larned) at the top through the winner of the first edition (Wild Again) at the bottom.







A lot of them obviously improved a lot.

Very few horses in history have great form as 2-year-olds, 3-year-olds, and older horses.

Even from the middle of the 3yo season on -- a lot of eventual BC Classic winners hadn't established top class level form.

[Alabama Stakes]

Spectacular Bid comes to mind.awesome at 2, incredible at 3, unstoppable at 4

[miraja2]

Originally Posted by Alabama Stakes

Spectacular Bid comes to mind.awesome at 2, incredible at 3, unstoppable at 4

In the 70s it happened fairly regularly. Foolish Pleasure, Riva Ridge, Affirmed, Seattle Slew and Spectacular Bid were all 2-yo champs who went on to have very good seasons at both 3 and 4.
In the Breeders' Cup era, however, you hardly ever see it.

[Calzone Lord]

Surprised to see Jerry Bailey only had the mount on one of them at that point in their career...and that was Cat Thief.

Garret Gomez had a pair of eventual BC Classic winners 15 years apart. He was on Concern when 2nd in the Ohio Derby in June of '94. And Blame when 3rd in an allowance race at Churchill Downs in June of '09.

[Danzig]

Originally Posted by miraja2

In the 70s it happened fairly regularly. Foolish Pleasure, Riva Ridge, Affirmed, Seattle Slew and Spectacular Bid were all 2-yo champs who went on to have very good seasons at both 3 and 4.
In the Breeders' Cup era, however, you hardly ever see it.

yeah, everything has changed dramatically. training styles, breeding....it's too bad.

[Calzone Lord]

It is rare, even in the old days, to have a single horse justifiably running great races throughout entire seasons across the age divisions.

The collection of BCC Classic winners at the mid-point of their 3yo season looks like an unbelievably random group of all-types of horses, from all types of places.

There is no discernible pattern...other than the obvious fact that most of them developed and improved a whole hell of a lot from their most recent race.

Although, some of them (like Sunday Silence, Unbridled, and Alysheba) just happened to be up the track in the Belmont, but they all, of course, were Derby winners five weeks earlier.

[FATPIANO]

Originally Posted by Alabama Stakes

Spectacular Bid comes to mind.awesome at 2, incredible at 3, unstoppable at 4

He was simply Spectacular, we will never ever see one like this again........

[alysheba4]

dont think so.....

[Alabama Stakes]

would have dusted Alysheba without breaking a sweat. were you even around to see the Bid ?

[alysheba4]

yes i was. agree, dont think we will see another bid. prob. not another alysheba who was 3 year old champ and was even better at 4.