Authentic won the 2020 Breeders’ Cup Classic on Saturday by a margin of two-and-a-half lengths, not only beating late odds favorite Tiz the Law, but also beating out one of the most talented racing pools for this competition in years. In what should come as no surprise, a Bob Baffert horse has once again helped add another record for the legendary trainer’s career.

While it was Tiz the Law who had the best break from the opening gate, it was Authentic that took the early lead from the rest of the pack and held onto it firmly for the entirety of the race. There were moments where the lead shrunk early on, but during the final stretch, Authentic really showed out his talents and doubled the length of his lead by the time he crossed the finish line.

2020 Breeders’ Cup Classic Results

9 – Authentic – 4/1 WIN: $10.40 PLACE: $5.40 SHOW: $4.20
8 – Improbable – 7/2 PLACE: $4.80 SHOW: $3.20
7 – Global Campaign – 25/1 SHOW: $8.80

$2 Exacta 9-8 $45.40
$1.00 Trifecta 9-8-7 $335.90
$1.00 Superfecta 9-8-7-1 $3,355.50

 

The Breeders’ Cup Classic is a Grade I Weight for Age thoroughbred horse race for 3-year-olds and older run at a distance of 1 1⁄4 miles (2,000 m) on dirt. It is held annually at a different racetrack as part of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships in late October or early November. All of the races to date have been held in the United States except for the 1996 edition held at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Canada.

The Classic is considered by many to be the premier thoroughbred horse race of the year in the U.S., although the Kentucky Derby is more widely known among casual racing fans. Once the richest race in the world, in more recent years, only the Pegasus World Cup, Dubai World Cup, and Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe have had consistently higher purses. Often, the winner of the Classic goes on to win U.S. Horse of the Year honors, including the four winners of the race between 2004 and 2007—respectively Ghostzapper, Saint Liam, Invasor, and Curlin. Due to the extremely high quality of horses in the event, the race is notoriously hard to predict. One notable example of an underdog winning the Classic is the victory of Arcangues in 1993. This was the biggest upset in Breeders’ Cup history and his $269.20 payoff for a $2 wager remains a Breeders’ Cup record.

The Classic is now regarded as the fourth leg of horse racing’s Grand Slam of Thoroughbred racing — the traditional Triple Crown (Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes) plus the Breeders’ Cup Classic. After American Pharoah‘s Triple Crown win earlier in 2015, the term became popular; the colt became the first horse to ever accomplish this feat.