| Owner: Amherst Stable & Spruce Pond Stable |
When trainer P.G. Johnson heard that the linemaker had made his horse, Volponi, 50-1 in the Classic, he thought, “Either he’s nuts, or I’m nuts.” The linemaker had reason to be skeptical: Volponi had to take on Horse of the Year candidates War Emblem and Medaglia d’Oro, among others. But Volponi, with Jose Santos aboard, split rivals in midstretch for a clear path and headed for the wire with a potent burst of late speed, taking the Classic by 61/2 lengths, the largest margin in the race’s history. The victory was the crowning achievement in the 59-year career of Johnson, who became the oldest trainer to win a Breeders’ Cup race. The Classic also marked the first time that the same person, P.G. Johnson, was the breeder (along with his family), trainer and owner (along with Ed Baier) of a Breeders’ Cup winner. |
