Volponi grabs Classic win

Jockey Jose Santos says he had faith in Volponi

Volponi pulled off one of the biggest upsets in Breeders' Cup history by running away with the $4m Classic at Arlington.

The 40-1 shot came home by six-and-a-half lengths from Medaglia d'Oro, with Milwaukee Brew in third.

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Sent off as the longest odds entry in a star-studded field, Volponi found room on the rail and blew past the fading Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner War Emblem.

The unheralded horse gave 77-year-old Hall of Fame trainer PG Johnson the biggest win of his career.

"I think he's a natural 1¼-mile horse and he runs just as well on the dirt as on the turf," said Johnson.

Final race

Ridden by Jose Santos, the four-year-old son of Cryptoclearance had failed to win in four starts prior to the Classic.

"I really believed in this horse," Santos said. "We came to win and we did it."

Volponi won for just the third time in eight starts this year, and has seven wins in 22 career starts.

War Emblem, in the final race of his career, finished eighth.

The black colt now heads for Japan where he will stand at stud after a 55-week campaign that lifted him from obscurity to nearly becoming a Triple Crown winner.

Volponi's shock win leaves Horse of the Year honours up for grabs.

War Emblem ended out his career with three losses in his last four races, while Medaglia d'Oro fell short after impressive wins in the Jim Dandy and Travers Stakes.

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