Trainer D. Wayne Lukas, who sent out Spain, won his record 16th Breeders' Cup race. Tiznow ended a streak for California-breds that was as ignominious as Solis's riding record. He is the first California-bred to win after 46 failures. There were plenty of disappointments. Riboletta still is considered a Horse of the Year candidate, but her seventh-place finish in the Distaff, along with the fact that she never faced males, are serious blemishes.
People knock California tracks.
People say they won't send horses to California because the tracks are too hard. But this track was a joke. It was a freeway. Tiznow, still lightly raced with just nine lifetime starts, has an ambitious schedule next year. Both Cooper and Robbins said an early season goal would be the Dubai World Cup in March, and their late-season goal would be a defense of the Breeders' Cup Classic on Oct. 27 at Belmont.