By Christina Moore, courtesy of America's Best Racing
The Breeders’ Cup World Championships are just around the corner, and with a stellar group of fantastic racehorses set to compete in this year’s races at Santa Anita Park, it’s time to brush up on your Breeders’ Cup stats. Enhance your racing trivia prowess with the list below.
1 - The number of times a Breeders’ Cup race has ended in a dead heat, occurring when High Chaparral and Johar hit the finish line in tandem in the 2003 Turf.
1 ½ miles - The distance of the Longines Turf, the longest Breeders’ Cup race that will be contested this year. The shortest race? The six-furlong TwinSpires Sprint.
2 - The number of Breeders’ Cup races won by Beholder. She could make it three this year if she adds another Distaff win to her 2012 Juvenile Fillies and 2013 Distaff victories.
9 - Including this year, Santa Anita Park has hosted the Breeders’ Cup nine times, more than any other track.
9 - The number of 2015 Eclipse champions that ran in the Breeders’ Cup at Keeneland last year, including American Pharoah, Stellar Wind, Songbird and Tepin.
10 - The number of Breeders’ Cup races that the Coolmore ownership group has won, a record. Susan Magnier and Michael Tabor tallied their first win in the 2001 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile with Johannesburg. Coolmore’s most recent winner, with Derrick Smith in the partnership, was Found in last year’s Turf.
10 - The number of previous Breeders’ Cup winners that might run in this year’s races, including Nyquist, Tepin, Found and the aforementioned Beholder, among others.
13 - This year’s Breeders’ Cup features 13 races.
13 ½ lengths - The largest margin of victory in the history of the Breeders’ Cup, when Inside Information won the 1995 Distaff.
14 percent - The win percentage of international-based starters at Breeders’ Cups held at Santa Anita.
18 - The number of races decided by a nose, most recently when Bayern defeated Toast of New York in the 2014 Classic.
20 - The number of Breeders’ Cup races won by D. Wayne Lukas, more than any other trainer.
22 - The record number of Breeders’ Cup wins by jockey Mike Smith. He could increase his tally this year as he counts champion Songbird among his 2016 Breeders’ Cup mounts.
25 - The number of international starters in the 2015 Breeders’ Cup. Two of them won: Found in the Turf and Hit It a Bomb in the Juvenile Turf.
$26.67 - The average win payoff for a $2 bet on the Breeders’ Cup Classic.
33 - This year marks the 33rd edition of the Breeders’ Cup.
47.3 percent - The percent of odds-on betting choices (.90-to-1 or less) that went on to win a Breeders’ Cup race, with 26 winners from 55 such starters.
1993 - The only year a European-based horse has won the Classic on the Santa Anita dirt, when Arcangues won at odds of 133.60-to-1. This year, the filly Found is slated to attempt the feat.
94,652 - The total attendance at the 2015 Breeders’ Cup hosted by Keeneland.
$2,687,611.20 - Payout on the winning Pick 6 ticket for the 2003 Breeders’ Cup, a record.
$3.3 million - The prize money that will be awarded to the owners of this year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic winner, from a total purse of $6 million for the race.
$28 million - Total purses and awards for this year’s event.
$173,857,697 - The total amount bet over the two days of the 2010 Breeders’ Cup at Churchill Downs, a record.