The Top 10 Toughest Beats in Breeders' Cup History

Tough beats for horseplayers and for horses are often one in the same, and the three-decade plus history of the Breeders' Cup have produced many of them. Picking out just 10 of the toughest from the horse's perspective is no easy task, nor is ranking them.

What makes some beats worse than others are the intangibles, such as divisional championships won or lost by the very narrowest of margins. That and other criteria have influenced that way we've ordered the following.

10. Sakhee - 2001 Classic: The closest a Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (G1) winner has come to following up with a win on Breeders' Cup day, his performance was all the more impressive given it was his first ever attempt on dirt. Looking the most likely winner for much of the final quarter-mile, he was passed very late along the inside by Tiznow, who became the first two-time Classic winner and triumphed for a country still reeling from the September 11 terrorist attacks.

9. Turallure - 2011 Mile: Catching Goldikova, who was seeking her fourth straight Mile victory, at her most vulnerable, Turallure overcame post 13 and made what looked at first glance a winning rally from last in the final quarter-mile. Even jockey Julien Leparoux's reaction on the gallop-out suggested he thought he had won, but the results of the photo showed instead that Court Vision had pulled off a massive 64-1 upset in what turned out to be his final career start.