The 2000 Breeders’ Cup

The first Breeders’ Cup of the 21st Century started off with two huge upsets. Spain won the Distaff at odds of 56-1 and was followed in the next race by Caressing, who captured the Juvenile Fillies at 47-1. Things settled down in the next two races as favorites were victorious, first War Chant won the Mile and the 6-year-old Kona Gold won the Sprint. Defending champion Cat Thief returned for the Classic, but the race wound up being a pitched battle between powerful European star in Giant’s Causeway, trained by a rising talent in Europe named Aidan O’Brien, and a 3-year-old who missed the Triple Crown season in Tiznow. Racing near the front most of the way, Tiznow battled Gaint’s Causeway down the Churchill Downs stretch and prevailed at the wire by a nose. Tiznow’s gutsy performance earned him the title of Horse of the Year.