Skip Away became the second highest money winner in horse racing history on Saturday by dominating a championship field to take the $4.4 million Breeders' Cup Classic at Hollywood Park, Los Angeles - the world's richest race. His victory capped an $11.7 million day of racing that saw favourites win five of the seven races and where five Breeders' Cup speed records were broken in the 14th running of the series.
It was a day where Europe's top miler won the mile, where London-born trainer Patrick Byrne saddled winners in both Juvenile races and where a Canadian champion won the richest turf race.
But the day belonged to Skip Away, who outclassed the Classic field with a bold move in the backstretch, rushing past his rivals for a win that solidifed his claim for (North American) Horse of the Year.
With Mike Smith on board the four-year-old left the field floundering in his wake. His main rival, Belmont Stakes winner Touch Gold, finished last in a field of nine.
On a warm, sunny day, Skip Away romped over the hard, dry Hollywood Park dirt in one minute, 59 seconds for the 11/4mile race, cheered by a crowd of 51,161 at the track.
"He's a big horse who can run. I knew the horse was that great," said trainer Sonny Hine, whose wife, Carolyn, owns the horse.
"If that isn't a Horse of the Year performance, I don't know what is," said Smith after the race.
Only Cigar has won more money than Skip Away's career total, which was boosted by $2.28 million for Saturday's win, bringing it to $6,876,360.
With Singspiel out of the race the Turf was won by Chief Bearhart, a Canadian champion. He held off Germany's Borgia and Flag Down to win by three-quarters of a length. The European challenge melted away in the Hollywood sunshine, with France's Majorien and Ireland's Dance Design filling the last two places.
Another candidate for Horse of the Year, the two-year-old colt Favorite Trick, romped to an easy victory in the $1 million Juvenile, winning by 5 1/2-lengths.
It was his eighth consecutive victory of an undefeated career, but only the legendary Secretariat has been awarded Horse of the Year as a two-year-old.
Earlier, Spinning World stormed through the stretch to grab the victory in the $1 million Breeders' Cup Mile.
The colt, who won three mile races in France this season, left the gate as a 2-1 favorite and ran his usual race, stalking the pace before bursting into the lead near the finish.
