The joys of winning the Breeders’ Cup Classic are immeasurable…well, one of the measures is a $3.1 million winner’s purse. The money and the glory brings out the best of the best which is of course what the Breeders’ Cup is all about. Longshots have decorated the 40-year history of this event. To join the list of those that have “shocked the world”, you have to be willing to roll the dice.
Mixto is a four-year-old that will attempt to roll them bones on November 2 in this year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic at Del Mar. Running out of the Doug O’Neill barn, this son of Good Magic earned a spot in the starting gates by pulling a rabbit out of the hat in the Pacific Classic at odds of 22-1. Running the race of his life, Mixto picked up his first graded stakes win with a fabulous stalking trip and a down the lane explosion to the wire.
“He had an incredibly perfect trip throughout thanks to a fantastic ride by Kyle Frey”, says O’Neill. “He has always been a horse that trains well, he just had seemed to be a victim of troubled trips in the past.”
The Pacific Classic, which was ran at Del Mar at the same mile and a quarter distance as the Breeders’ Cup Classic, marked just the second win for this Calumet Farm owned runner in fourteen career starts. Having also garnered two seconds and four third place finishes, Mixto has been knocking on the door on a number of occasions. With nine of those fourteen starts being in Stakes races, including the last seven, he has run in tough company.
“He has ran well in some big-time races during his career”, says O’Neill. “The good news for him is he has always been able to remain injury free so he doesn’t miss any training. There is no doubt he is battle-tested and should be extremely fit.”
The 2024 Breeders’ Cup Classic will not feature a “super” horse as there have been no consistent standouts in the division this year. Likely still a longshot in the field, Mixto will need to be on top of his game if he hopes to hit his mark and join the other ten double-digit odds winning horses in Classic history.
“In races like this all the big boys show up”, says O’Neill, who has been a part of saddling six Breeders’ Cup winners. “Racing luck is always a part of these events and we just hope for a clean trip. He has been training lights out and we really like the fact that both his career wins came around two turns at Del Mar.”
The longest shot to ever win the Breeders’ Cup Classic was Arcangues at odds of 133 to 1 in 1993. The last double-digit odds runner to score was Drosslemeyer at 14 to 1 in 2011. The Breeders’ Cup Classic will be conducted at Del Mar on November 2.
