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Bayern survives inquiry to win Breeders' Cup Classic
But the incident at the start cast a pall over the entire race, and the inquiry sign was immediately posted once the field had crossed under the line. After several minutes the stewards came to a decision that is sure to be controversial and debated for years to come, declaring no change to the order of finish. Track announcer Trevor Denman soon after came across the PA system to give the stewards' explanation of the ruling, which stated that the incident happened at a point in the race that didn't affect the outcome. That left Bayern the winner of the 31st Breeders' Cup Classic.
"I think it cost me the race," jockey Mike Smith said straightforwardly about Shared Belief's start. "I was never able to get comfortable after getting hit at the break. I kept getting bounced around all the way around the turn and Moreno kept getting out and bumped through the backside. Even so, he ran a dynamite race." Trainer Jerry Hollendorfer was also frank about the incident when simply stating, "You saw what happened." The trouble began as soon as the doors opened. Bayern veered straight to the left and hit Shared Belief to his immediate inside hard. V.E. Day, breaking from the 5 post, was squeezed back when Shared Belief slammed off of Moreno from post 4. Bayern never slowed down and kept motoring to gain command of the race while Toast of New York angled over from his 9 post with California Chrome sharp on his hooves. Shared Belief, meanwhile, found himself shut off and facing a wall of horses after his rough beginning. Bayern, Toast of New York and California Chrome ran in that order all the way around the track through fractions of :23, :46 2/5, 1:10 1/5 and 1:34. Shared Belief tried to move nearing the final turn, but couldn't make up any ground on the top three. The front-running trio duked it out the entire stretch, and finished in the same order as they had run, with Bayern getting his nose down on the wire to stop the clock in 1:59 3/5 for 1 1/4 miles over the fast dirt. All that separated the top three were that nose and a neck between Toast of New York and California Chrome.
Shared Belief followed another 3 1/2 lengths behind in fourth, while Belmont Stakes hero Tonalist rallied for fifth. Candy Boy, Cigar Street, Zivo, Imperative, Footbridge, V. E. Day, Prayer for Relief, Majestic Harbor and Moreno completed the order of finish while Big Cazanova didn't draw in from the also-eligible list. "We lost our race at the break when (Bayern) shot out of there and ran into everyone," said Moreno's jockey, Javier Castellano. "That pretty much took us out of the game." Bayern was sent off the 6-2 fourth pick in the full 14-horse field and returned $14.20 for the score. The Classic was his 10th career start and he improved his line to read 6-1-1 while seeing his lifetime earnings skyrocket to $4,389,680. The dark bay son of Offlee Wild is also now unbeaten at Santa Anita from three starts, having opened his career on January 4 at that venue with a 3 1/4-length maiden romp. He faced winners next out, dominating by 14 lengths one month later, and his connections set their sites on the Grade 2 San Felipe in early March for the colt's stakes bow. Unfortunately, a bruised hoof cropped up a couple of days before that contest and Bayern was scratched.
"Bayern is really something. He showed up," Baffert said. "That race at Saratoga (Travers), I should have never shipped him back there. He ran too hard. I knew he was a good horse, but on my part I should have just waited." Bred by Helen Alexander in Kentucky, Bayern brought $320,000 as a two-year-old in training at Fasig-Tipton Midlantic May. He is out of the unraced Thunder Gulch mare Alittlebitearly, who is a half-sister to Group 3-winning sire Bertolini; stakes winner Alchemilla; and stakes heroine Amelia, who is in turn the dam of Grade 3 scorers Assateague and Kindergarden Kid as well as He's Had Enough, runner-up in the 2012 Breeders' Cup Juvenile. Bayern's second dam, Grade 2 diva Aquilegia, is a full sister to champion and noted broodmare Althea. Aside from producing four stakes winners, led by Japanese champion Yamanin Paradise, Althea ranks as the ancestress of Grade 1-winning sire Arch; Grade 1 heroines Balletto and Acoma; and U.A.E. Horse of the Year Festival of Light, among others. Aquilegia and Althea are also full sisters to Grade 2 winner Aishah, whose offspring include Grade 1 victress Aldiza and Grade 2 scorer Atelier, and another descendant is current multiple Grade 3 victress Aurelia's Belle. Bayern's third dam is Broodmare of the Year Courtly Dee. Her other progeny include Grade 1 heroes Ali Oop and Ketoh as well as multiple Grade 2 victor Twining and multiple Grade 3 winner Native Courier. Among her many outstanding descendants is Group 1 star and influential sire Green Desert. Interestingly, Bayern hails from the extended family of Kentucky Derby and Preakness hero California Chrome. Both descend from Judy-Rae, who is Bayern's fifth dam and California Chrome's seventh dam. Click here for the transcript from the winning connections. Bet Horseracing Free Online at TwinSpires.com
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