Spun to Run Scores Front-End Upset in BC Dirt Mile

Bob Donaldson and his wife, Sue, used to jump the fence as 14-year-olds at Garden State Park in Cherry Hill, N.J., to catch the last race after school.

On Nov. 2 at Santa Anita Park, there were no fences to jump—only open doors with ushers to clear the way—as the couple headed straight to the winner's circle after their Hard Spun  colt Spun to Run upset the $1 million Big Ass Fans Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1).

Catapulting his small-time owners and trainer Juan Carlos Guerrero into the spotlight on the world's biggest stage, Spun to Run galloped gate-to-wire to post a 2 3/4-length victory over even-money favorite Omaha Beach . Not only was it the first Breeders' Cup score for the colt's connections, it was also their first grade 1 win.

"We had a lot of faith in this horse," Donaldson said. "The whole team has been unbelievable, and this has been a fantastic ride."

A $64,000 purchase last year from de Meric Sales' consignment to the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale, Spun to Run won the Smarty Jones Stakes (G3) at Parx Racing this year and came off a 6 3/4-length victory in the Oct. 12 M.P. Ballezzi Appreciation Mile Stakes at the same track. For the Donaldsons, 30-year veteran owners whose racing stable contains just six runners, the victory with their 9-1 shot was the fulfillment of decades of dedication to the sport.

"That's what I said on TV, 'This is one for the little guy,'" said Donaldson, a retired pharmaceutical executive.

Guerrero is also "the little guy." He immigrated from Mexico at 14 and lied about his age at Garden State to get a job working at the track. Whenever he encountered roadblocks in pursuit of expanding his knowledge, Guerrero forged his own path—and that determination combined with his horse's talent to add him to the record books as a Breeders' Cup-winning trainer.

"I always wanted to gallop horses," he recalled. "People said I was a little too heavy, so I bought my own horse and I learned how to gallop my own horse. I wanted to learn how to shoe horses, and nobody would let me, so I learned on my own horses. … I did everything with my horses. I like to know everything about my horse. It's not like I'm the best, but we get it done."

Guerrero had Spun to Run ready to rumble Saturday and planned specific directions for jockey Irad Ortiz Jr.

"I just wanted my rider to let him run and show how much he can run," Guerrero said. "A horse who can do what he can do, you've just got to let him run."

Ortiz followed instructions to the letter, but when his horse took off like a rocket ship, he worried about whether he'd have enough stamina to win.

"I came out aggressive. I was too aggressive, to be honest," Ortiz said. "I went into the first turn trying to slow it down, but he didn't want to come back. I probably sent too much, now I'm trying to slow it down … I kept fighting with him, but he didn't want to come back. I couldn't hold him anymore, so I just tried to relax and let him be. That was his pace, and he just kept going."

Spun to Run posted fractions of :23.05, :46.51, and 1:10.50 before carrying on to seven-eighths in 1:23.31. As Omaha Beach rallied from seventh after missing the break, the frontrunner maintained his advantage despite drifting through the final furlong. The final time was 1:36.58 on a track rated fast. 

Bred in Kentucky by Sabana Farm out of the Grand Slam mare Yawkey Way, Spun to Run collected $550,000 and improved his earnings to $1,010,520, with a 5-1-3 record from 11 starts. He returned $20.20 on a $2 win ticket.

For Omaha Beach's connections, the runner-up finish under Mike Smith was another step on the long journey back from the throat issues that caused the colt to miss the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1). Coming in off his first race since then, a hard-fought victory in the Oct. 5 Santa Anita Sprint Championship Stakes (G1), Omaha Beach checked in 1 1/4 lengths ahead of Blue Chipper, who weakened after chasing the pace.

"He had a bad break from the gate that probably cost us a couple lengths," Smith said. "As importantly, it also cost us position. Then I had to wait, wait, wait and kept losing position. When he got clear at the three-eighths pole, the horse in front was long gone."

Trainer Richard Mandella said the next start for Omaha Beach will likely come next month in the Malibu Stakes (G1) at Santa Anita.

Video: Big Ass Fans Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1)