Breeders’ Cup Legends: 2003 Turf

Johar (left) and High Chaparral race to a dead-heat win in the 2003 Breeders' Cup Turf, the only such finish in Breeders' Cup history. (Photos by HorsePhotos.com)
A pair of colts born one day and 3,500 miles apart hit the wire together in the 2003 Breeders’ Cup Turf, a finish that has never been duplicated on the Breeders’ Cup’s international stage.
Irish-bred High Chaparral headed into the Turf aiming for a repeat victory to cap off a championship career, but American Johar was a colt on the improve with an exhilarating turn of foot. Together they made for one of the most thrilling finishes in Breeders’ Cup history as their noses hit the line at the same instant, a dead-heat win just a head in front of third-place finisher Falbrav.
High Chaparral was campaigned in Europe by the powerhouse Coolmore team, and he was an impressive racehorse from the start for trainer Aidan O’Brien. After finishing second in his debut, the colt reeled off six straight victories through the middle of his sophomore year including the Epsom Derby and Irish Derby. That fall he finished third in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe before shipping stateside to try his luck in the 2002 Breeders’ Cup Turf.
When the gates sprang open High Chaparral broke well but was content to run in mid-pack, tracking a pace set by multiple Grade 1 winner The Tin Man. High Chaparral and jockey Mick Kinane made their move on the final turn and swept to the front by mid-stretch for a 1 ¼-length tally. The colt was named champion turf male in the U.S. despite only one start in the country.
2002 BREEDERS’ CUP TURF

Video courtesy Breeders' Cup World Championships
High Chaparral made only three starts in Europe as a 4-year-old including another Group 1 victory in the Irish Champion Stakes and another third-place finish in the Arc to set him up for a repeat run at the Breeders’ Cup in 2003.
While High Chaparral was winning major prizes in Europe, Johar compiled a respectable resume in the U.S. under trainer Richard Mandella. The colt didn’t debut until he was three but made 11 starts that year, including placings in three graded stakes and wins in the Grade 2 Oak Tree Derby and the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby. Johar’s 4-year-old bow was a winning one under regular rider Alex Solis, but he was then shelved for seven months. The colt finished third in his return to the races in August and followed that up with a runner-up effort in the Grade 1 Clement L. Hirsch Memorial Turf Championship ahead of the biggest race of his life in the Breeders’ Cup.
Though he was a .90-to-1 favorite in 2002, in 2003 High Chaparral was sent off at 5-1, with multiple Grade 1 winner Storming Home the bettors’ choice. In a race that also featured multiple Grade 1 winner Sulamani and European champion Falbrav, Johar was dismissed at odds of 14.20-to-1.
FALBRAV, HIGH CHAPARRAL AND JOHAR JUST AFTER THE WIRE

Balto Star did the early running in the 2003 Turf, with High Chaparral relaxing in fifth position and late-running Johar bringing up the rear for much of the race. High Chaparral began to advance on the turn for home as Balto Star tired, but Falbrav had a jump on him and Johar was starting to roll from last.
Falbrav clung to a diminishing lead as the reigning winner bore down on him and Johar thundered down the grandstand side. The three were neck and neck strides before the wire, and at the finish it was clear a photo would be required to distinguish a winner between High Chaparral and Johar.
Except this time, it didn’t. The photo showed two bay noses hitting the wire together, inseparable. For the first time in Breeders’ Cup history, there was a pair of winners in the same race. 
2003 BREEDERS’ CUP TURF

Video courtesy Breeders' Cup World Championships
Both colts were retired to stud duty at the end of the year; Johar to Mill Ridge Farm in Lexington and High Chaparral to Coolmore in Ireland. And in a sad twist of fate, both horses passed away just weeks apart in late 2014, Johar on November 10 and High Chaparral on December 21. Though the stallions are gone, their legacies live on in the likes of Grade 1 winner Joha and millionaire Keertana for Johar and multiple group stakes winning sires It’s a Dundeel, So You Think and Toronado among others for High Chaparral.