Record All-source Handle For Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships
01/11/05

Total wagering on the 2005 Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships established a record of $122,106,154 from common and separate pools from Saturday's 10-race card at Belmont Park. With figures from Italy, Sweden, Norway and the Caribbean nations not yet reported, this mark still breaks last year's all-sources total of $120,897,141.

Total wagering on the eight Breeders' Cup races was also a record with $112,865,068 wagered.

On-track wagering for the 10-race card, including the Head2Head wager, totalled $14,742,520.

Total pool of the Breeders' Cup Ultra Pick6 reached $4,856,700. There were no tickets with all six winners. There were 40 correct tickets with five winners for a payout of $90,325.

GARRETT GOMEZ NAMED SHOEMAKER AWARD WINNER AS OUTSTANDING BREEDERS' CUP JOCKEY

Garrett Gomez, who won two Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships races on Saturday at Belmont Park in New York, was named the Bill Shoemaker Award winner as the outstanding Breeders' Cup Jockey of 2005.

The 33-year-old Gomez, a leading rider on the southern California circuit, captured the Bessemer Trust Breeders' Cup Juvenile aboardStevie Wonderboy and the NetJets Breeders' Cup Mile on Artie Schiller.

Those victories were the first two Breeders' Cup career wins for Gomez,who also finished second on Taste of Paradise in the TVG Breeders' Cup Sprint.

In voting by the international media covering the Breeders' Cup, Gomez finished ahead of Edgar Prado, who also won two Breeders' Cup races on Saturday, riding Folklore in the Alberto VO5 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies and on Silver Train in the TVG Breeders' Cup Sprint.

Recently retired Hall of Fame Jockey Pat Day presented the Shoemaker Award to Gomez at Sunday's Breeders' Cup Press Breakfast at Belmont Park.

The Bill Shoemaker Award is named in honour of the legendary Hall of Fame jockey who died in 2003. Previous winners of the Shoemaker Award are Alex Solis in 2003 and John Velazquez in 2004.

LUKAS ADDS TO HIS BREEDERS' CUP RECORDS

Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas sent out Bob and Beverly Lewis' two-year-old filly Folklore to capture the Alberto VO5 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, running his record total to 18 winners over the 22-year history of the event.

Lukas also was represented by Circle C Group Stable's Ex Caelis, who finished fourth in the Juvenile Fillies. His record totals stand at 145 starters with 20 seconds and 15 third-place performances.

Lukas holds virtually every money-earned record in the sport, including the Breeders' Cup. After Saturday's races, Lukas-trained runners have earned $19,645,520, and the stable has been represented by runners in every year, beginning with the inaugural at Hollywood Park in 1984.

Trainer Shug McGaughey saddled Phipps Family's four-year-old filly Pleasant Home to win the Emirates Airline Breeders' Cup Distaff, his third in that race and ninth overall to rank second to Lukas and third in earnings at $8,693,560 behind Lukas

Trainer Bobby Frankel who saddled Intercontinental (GB) to win the Filly & Mare Turf and TNT Stud's Leroidesanimaux (BRZ), who was second as the favourite in the NetJets Mile, pushed his money total in the event to $10,636,020. He is only second to Lukas.

FOUR JOCKEYS & THREE TRAINERS WIN FIRST BREEDERS' CUP RACE

Jockeys Edgar Prado (Folklore & Silver Train), Garrett Gomez (Stevie Wonderboy & Artie Schiller), Rafael Bejarano (Intercontinental) and Christophe Soumillon (Shirocco) each won their first Breeders' Cup race.

Prado's and Gomez's two-win performances marked the 11th and 12 time that a jockey won two or more races on a single Breeders' Cup program. No rider has won more than two Breeders' Cup races on one card. Gomez was voted the Shoemaker Award for his Breeders' Cup Day performance.

Trainers Rick Dutrow (Silver Train & Saint Liam), Doug O'Neill (Stevie Wonderboy) and Jimmy Jerkens each won their first Breeders' Cup races Saturday. Dutrow became the seventh trainer to win more than one on a single card, following Wayne Lukas (five times), Shug McGaughey (twice), Richard Mandella (twice), Patrick Byrne, Joe Orseno and Todd Pletcher.

BAILEY ADDS HIS BREEDERS' CUP RECORDS

Hall of Fame jockey Jerry Bailey's victory atop Saint Liam in theBreeders' Cup Classic - Powered by Dodge ran his record total to 15 career wins and his fifth in the Classic. Retired Hall of Famer Pat Day remains second in wins with 12 tallies.

Bailey's mounts Saturday earned $2,937,100, running his all-time Breeders' Cup total to $22,006,440, leaving him to Day's record total of $23,033,360. Bailey also ranks second in Breeders' Cup mounts with 102 behind Day's 117.

SHIROCCO (GER) BECOMES FIRST GERMAN-BRED TO WIN AT BREEDERS' CUP

Baron Georg Von Ullmann's 4-year-old Shirocco became the first German-bred runner to win a Breeders' Cup race as the Andre Fabre-trained son of Monsun captured the John Deere Turf to lead a one-two-three-four European-trained finish in the race Saturday.

Shirocco was the seventh German-bred to contest a Breeders' Cup race with the best previous finishes by Borgia (second in the 1997 Turf) and Catella third in the 2000 Filly & Mare Turf. Shirocco became the 27th horse bred in Europe to win a Breeders' Cup race with Ireland leading that category with 13. Intercontinental (GB)'s victory in the Filly & Mare Turf represented the ninth Great Britain.

Leading the all-time list of Breeders' Cup states and countries of foaling is Kentucky with 99 after six Blue Grass state products scored Saturday, highlighted by Saint Liam's dramatic score in the Classic.