I WON’T LOOK BACK wins Classic

By ITCH

Mr Lucky’s I WON’T LOOK BACK ($20.80) put a giant exclamation point on one of the greatest racing seasons in the history of the Sim on Saturday with a dominating triumph in the $5 million Grade 1 Breeders’ Bowl Classic.

ANDREW’S IMPACT got close to the great horse last time in the Gold Cup, but did not come nearly as close in the Classic. Kyogle’s terrific horse again ran second, but 2 1/2 lengths behind this time to complete his act as Alydar to the Affirmed of I Won’t Look Back. It’s an amazing season for Malibu Moon, who is the sire of both IWLB and Andrew’s Impact.

I Won’t Look Back won his fourth Grade 1 of the year in very convincing fashion over an amazingly strong field in the 2014 Classic. He now stands as the reigning champion of the BB Classic, Gold Cup, New Yorker and All Saints. He also ran second in the Bluegrass Derby.

The gigantic first-place share of the BB Classic’s $5 million pot pushes IWLB’s career earnings to $5.6 million, and his gigantic point total in the dirt route division advances to a massive 613.

People thought it was amazing a few years ago when Mr. Lucky won the Bluegrass Derby with LUCKY’S HOWIE. How about Horse of the Year?

I Won’t Look Back is the machine of 2014.

Classic recap:

I WON’T LOOK BACK: Breaking from way down on the rail in the No. 1 post, the lack of early speed in the Classic meant that IWLB would be closer to the front than he had in previous triumphs. He was away in decent order to be inside a wall of horses under the wire the first time, then made a mild advance to race third coming out of the first turn. Made an aggressive move in the middle of the backstretch to advance on the top two, easily blowing by SHAGUAR and taking aim at the leader, EVIL SUNRISE. Drew even with that one as they entered the turn for home, and went by him before they turned for home. Just a powerful, dominating performance to stamp himself as a likely candidate for Horse of the Year. Congratulations, Mr. Lucky.

ANDREW’S IMPACT: In a field loaded with slow-breaking horses, Andrew’s Impact was the slowest breaker of them all. Leaving from post No. 10, Andrew’s Impact had to walk out of the gate to be last of all early. He was still last on the backstretch when he started an unlikely mission: Pass every horse in the Breeders’ Bowl Classic. He did it, save one. Advancing through the field, Andrew’s Impact lost ground while five wide on the turn for home, then split a group of four horses at the head of the lane. He was third and gaining. He ran by Evil Sunrise to be second, but had no chance of catching IWLB this time. Nonetheless, it was a huge run for Kyogle’s horse. He is now No. 3 in the loaded 3yo dirt route division.

EVIL SUNRISE: A respectable third-place run for Lenny’s champion 4yo bay son of Pivotal. Capitalizing on the dearth of early pace in the Classic, Evil Sunrise was away in good order to race second early, just off the shoulder of early leader Shaguar. Perhaps if that one had not been sent to the front, and Evil Sunrise had been allowed to assume a lonely lead, he could have put up a stronger fight when the winner came calling. As it was, Evil Sunrise put up his fight around the turn for home, but could only watch when the great IWLB spurted away from him at the head of the lane. The late-running Andrew’s Impact went by as well, leaving Evil Sunrise with the show money. After the race, Lenny had seen enough from this Equinics champion and retired him. He chose Street Cry as the sire, and STREETS OF EVIL is the baby, a 2yo bay colt. He’s been entered to make his debut Wednesday in a maiden special weight in Arizona going a flat mile on the main track.

OUTBACK CURIUM: A surprisingly strong run by the second half of the Kyogle entry. Despite prepping for the Classic in unlikely fashion by finishing far up the track in a much longer race, Outback Curium was ready to run on Breeders’ Bowl day. Away in decent order from the No. 3 post, A. Scott smartly retreated out of a group of five to save all the ground while eighth around the first turn. Made a steady advance to join a wall of horses turning for home with the chance to move up to third, but watched stablemate Andrew’s Impact blow past at the head of the lane. Continued willingly to outrace Given’s RHAEGAR’S FURY to the wire to be fourth. A tremendous accomplishment by Kyogle to run second and fourth in the Classic.

RHAEGAR’S FURY: Not even the great Given can overcome the weight of being this writer’s BTB selection. This 3yo roan son of Daiwa Major had defeated the great I Won’t Look Back in winning the Travelers, but could not threaten the giant on BB day. In the chat room before the Classic, Given said that Rhaegar’s Fury was not really as deep a closer as most of the runners in the Classic. Backers were hoping he could get in front of most of the field in the early stages while breaking from the outside at No. 13. Instead, he lost ground around the first turn while outside a wall of horses, then ceded position on the backstretch when the winner advanced up to be third. His fifth-place finish earns him a respectable speed figure of 111, but snaps his six-race winning streak.

TOUCH THE DEVIL: Even the great Woody Hayes sometimes had difficulty finding the win column when he took the Buckeyes out west. It looks like in a two-race sampling that Kingab’s 4yo brown son of Gio Ponti may share the same disdain for California. This talented horse is rarely off the board even in elite Sim company but has raced poorly twice now over this California strip. He raced his way into contention at the head of the lane in the Classic, but had no added speed to reach contention with the top finishers and faded to be beaten nine lengths.

BLACKGOLD CANYON: JRogue’s 4yo bay son of Pulpit had a similar trip to Kingab’s horse who finished just in front of him. He raced into contention at the head of the lane, but could not keep up with the top finishers when it mattered most. The horse broke in decent order down on the inside in the No. 2 hole, amidships with the eventual winner in the early going. Then, IWLB advanced ahead of that wall of horses to take a clear third, and Blackgold Canyon found himself in a chasing position from there.

WHIRL AROUND: Tisjuliet’s talented 4yo light gray son of Medaglia D’Oro saw his form take an unanticipated turn for the worse in the Classic. While Whirl Around had been a model of consistency lately with that late run of his, he never got his feet under him in the Classic and failed to rally after racing in 11th position early. It could be that the horse bounced somewhat off that lifetime-high speed fig of 117 two back when giving all he had to be third in the Gold Cup. This remains a very talented deep closer who has hit the board in three Grade 1 races now, winning one of them in the CA Classic. Those playing the “horse-for-course” angle tore up their tickets.

GUNDEBOLD: Sometimes deep closers just fail to fire and it’s bound to happen to somebody in a field full of very talented runners who share a similar running style. Gundebold just never got going in the Classic, taking back early and commencing no rally. Gundebold was second in his first two Grade 1 races but has missed the board in two straight now. Back to the drawing board for Tees, who usually finds a way with his good horses.

LEPE: Zambaygo’s 4yo bay son of Awesome Again will just have to keep checking his wallet and forget about what has transpired in his last two races. An earner of more than $5 million, Lepe has been a badly beated 10th in both the Classic and the Gold Cup. The amigos at Hispano Parlante were looking for a lot more from this horse. It’s hard to believe that this is the same horse that galloped home by two lengths to take down the Grade 1 Sand Castle Classic early this year. He’s got tons of money and tons of class but his current form is dreadful.

NORTH OF THE WALL: In a field so devoid of early speed and loaded with one-run types, it’s takes a special kind of apathy to be last of all those, but North of the Wall and jockey T. Small did it. In a battle of who could break slowest of the slow, North of the Wall, ahem, won, and managed to trail the entire field early. The morning-line oddsmaker liked this 4yo chestnut son of Special Week, sending him off at 8-1, but he failed to run up to those odds. Given was hoping for more when he got two horses into the Classic.

OIL ON DISPLAY: Tye Dye’s 3yo roan son of Star Witness, uhhhh, blew a gasket in the Classic, watching a three-race winning streak disappear in dramatic fashion with a dismal 12th-place run. Oil On Display was looking good with that big orange light bulb burning bright as that roan coat of his, but all he could do was spin his wheels for the big money. He was ninth early and retreated from there. Perhaps there will be another race to enter him in next week. (Just kidding Old Pye, in case somebody thinks I’ve lost it.) D’oh.

RAY DONOVAN: Look out, might this be a bad omen for that steely-eyed star? That five-o-clock shadow-wearing Liev Schreiber, who plays the erstwhile namesake of our third-place runner from the 2014. (I don’t know from television, but I have to assume the show is doing just fine.) Ray Donovan the horse, however, has some troubles. He’s fallen flat on his face in his last three Grade 1 tries after that good run in the Derby.

SHAGUAR: Well, the old feller gave it a go, anyway. DRCracing’s 6yo brown son of Awesome again was gunned from the gate by jockey JR Golden, setting a pace pressured by Evil Sunrise. At the second call, Shaguar was in front by a head. By the third call, he was 13th and dropped out of his to run dead last. You can’t catch me because the rabbit done died.