ESPN Horse Racing

Updated: October 15, 2008, 3:54 PM ET

Breeders' Cup Fan Fantasy - The Classic

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By Jeremy Plonk
Special to ESPN.com
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ESPN.com has challenged eight racing experts to match wits in the first Breeders' Cup Fan Fantasy game, where your votes will determine the greatest Breeders' Cup World Championships victors of all time. Over a five-week span, the expert panel's eight greatest champions in the Mile, Sprint, Ladies Classic (formerly the Distaff), Turf and Classic will be unveiled. Each week, the voting will be opened to ESPN.com readers, who will cast their ballots for the greatest champion in each division.

We'll keep a tally of how the expert stables are doing, provide a look at each of the weekly divisional contenders and provide the voting results in the next week's BC Fan Fantasy column.

Last Week's Breeders' Cup Fan Fantasy Turf Results:

The fans went a different direction than the experts in the Turf, tabbing the experts' second-round pick High Chaparral on top at 33.3 percent. Manila, top pick in the expert's mock draft, settled for place honors among the fans at 26.5 percent. Theatrical, selected sixth, garnered 9.8 percent of the vote to earn the show scrum. That gives TVG's Simon Bray five points for High Chaparral, Daily Racing Form's Jay Privman three points for Manila and HRTV's Jon White two points for Theatrical.

Breeders' Cup Fan Fantasy Turf
Win  High Chaparral, 33.3% (Simon Bray,TVG, 5 points)
Place  Manila, 26.5% (Jay Privman, Daily Racing Form, 3 points)
Show  Theatrical, 9.8% (Jon White, HRTV, 2 points)

BC Fan Fantasy Expert Stable Standings (through 4 of 5 races)
10 pts. Simon Bray
8 pts. Gary West
7 pts. Jon White
5 pts. Joe Kristufek
5 pts. Jeremy Plonk
5 pts. Jay Privman

The draft order was reshuffled for the expert stables prior to this week's Breeders' Cup Fan Fantasy Classic draw, and here's how it shook out:

First choice: Ed Fountaine, New York Post.
Second choice: Trevor Denman, ESPN's voice of the Breeders' Cup.
Third choice: Jeremy Plonk, ESPN.com.
Fourth choice: Jon White, HRTV.
Fifth choice: Gary West, Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Sixth choice: Jay Privman, Daily Racing Form.
Seventh choice: Joe Kristufek, Horseplayerpro.com.
Eighth choice: Simon Bray, TVG.

Breeders' Cup Fan Fantasy All-Time Classic Field (alphabetical):

Alysheba

Bio Blast: Selected third in our expert draft by Jeremy Plonk, Alysheba avenged his nose defeat to Ferdinand in a battle of Kentucky Derby winners in the 1987 Classic with a gutty half-length score in the 1988 Classic at Churchill Downs ... Among those chasing him in '88 were Seeking the Gold, Waquoit and Forty Niner ... He retired as the richest Thoroughbred in North American history following the '88 Classic, and still sits No. 10 on the all-time earnings list some 20 years later ... In addition to his Classic victory, Alysheba also was an eight-time Grade 1 winner of such marquee races as the Kentucky Derby, Preakness, Santa Anita Handicap, Woodward and Meadowlands Cup ... Named Champion 3-Year-Old of 1987 and Horse of the Year in 1988, he's one of four horses ever to win the Kentucky Derby and Breeders' Cup Classic (Unbridled, Sunday Silence, Ferdinand the others) ... Based in California, he was trained by Jack Van Berg and ridden by Chris McCarron.

A.P. Indy

Bio Blast: Selected fourth in our expert draft by Jon White, A.P. was one of the most lightly raced Classic winners of all-time, notching the big one in only his 11th career start ... Rallied to win the '92 Classic by two lengths as the favorite, avenging his loss in the Jockey Club Gold Cup to Pleasant Tap ... In addition to his Classic glory, he won the '92 Belmont Stakes and Santa Anita Derby, as well as the 1991 Grade 1 Hollywood Futurity ... Title season in '92 netted him Horse of the Year honors ... After his racing career, A.P. Indy has gone on to one of the most remarkable stud careers of the Breeders' Cup era, siring such superstars as Mineshaft, Aptitude and Bernardini ... Based in California, A.P. Indy was trained by Neil Drysdale and ridden by Eddie Delahoussaye.

Awesome Again

Bio Blast: Selected eighth in our expert draft by Simon Bray, Awesome Again ran his 1988 record to a perfect 6-for-6 when he scored a three-quarter length Classic win over what most pundits consider the greatest Breeders' Cup field ever assembled ... Among those he knocked off in that Churchill Downs-hosted Classic included 1997 Classic winner Skip Away, Silver Charm, Swain, Victory Gallop, Touch Gold, Coronado's Quest and Gentlemen ... The Classic was one of two career Grade 1 wins, joining his Whitney Handicap victory, though the Canadian-bred did win his country's most prestigious race, the restricted Queen's Plate as a 3-year-old ... Based in Kentucky, he was trained by Patrick Byrne and ridden to Classic riches by Pat Day.

Cigar

Bio Blast: Selected second in our expert draft by Trevor Denman, Cigar retired in 1996 as the richest North American-based runner of all-time ($9.9 million), a mark that stood for 12 years ... His 10-for-10 perfect season in 1995 culminated with an easy 2-1/2 length Classic win over a field that included defending champion Concern and European star Halling ... Classic win was part of an all-time, record-tying 16-race win streak that spanned into 1996 ... Fell only a head and a nose short of repeating his Classic success in 1996 when third to Alphabet Soup and Preakness winner Louis Quatorze ... Two-time Horse of the Year in both 1995 and 1996, the only back-to-back honoree since Affirmed in 1978 and 1979 ... In addition to his Classic glory, Cigar won nine other Grade 1 races, including the Dubai World Cup, Hollywood Gold Cup, Jockey Club Gold Cup, Pimlico Special et al ... Based in New York, Cigar was trained by Bill Mott and ridden by Jerry Bailey.

Curlin

Bio Blast: Selected fifth in our expert draft by Gary West, Curlin remains active in training and recently became the richest North American-based racehorse of all-time, passing Cigar and the $10 million mark ... Romped through the mud to beat a 2007 Classic field that included Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense, fellow star 3-year-old Hard Spun and European raider George Washington ... Also winner of the '07 Preakness and Jockey Club Gold Cup, he was named Horse of the Year ... Returned at age 4 to win the Dubai World Cup, the first horse ever to win an American classic, the Breeder's Cup Classic and the Dubai World Cup ... Since added the Woodward, Jockey Club Gold Cup and Stephen Foster, all Grade 1 stakes ... Based in Kentucky and New York, Curlin is trained by Steve Asmussen and ridden by Robby Albarado.

Ghostzapper

Bio Blast: Selected sixth in our expert draft by Jay Privman, Ghostzapper joined Black Tie Affair (1991) as the only wire-to-wire Classic winners in history when he dominated the 2004 event by three lengths as the favorite ... Among those he defeated in a stellar cast were defending Classic champion Pleasantly Perfect, Roses in May, Funny Cide and the great mare Azeri ... Light, but perfect, 4-for-4 campaign in 2004 earned Horse of the Year ... Outside of the Breeders' Cup, Ghostzapper was a three-time Grade 1 winner at ages 3, 4 and 5, winning the King's Bishop, Woodward and Metropolitan Mile during those respective seasons ... Based in New York, Ghostzapper was trained by Bobby Frankel and ridden by Javier Castellano.

Sunday Silence

Bio Blast: Selected first in our expert draft by Ed Fountaine, Sunday Silence earned his place in history with his four memorable east-west showdowns with Easy Goer, which culminated in the 1989 Classic ... Sunday Silence scored by a neck at Gulfstream to go 3-1 lifetime against his chief rival, losing only the Belmont Stakes in his bid for the Triple Crown ... Never worse than second in his career, he earned 1989 Horse of the Year honors ... Besides his memorable Classic score, Sunday Silence was a four-time Grade 1 winner of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness, Super Derby and Santa Anita Derby ... He returned at age 4 to win the Californian, but forced into retirement before a chance to defend his title ... Sunday Silence went on to a brilliant stud career in Japan, almost solely-responsible for the island nation's rise to Thoroughbred prominence in the past two decades ... Based in California, he was trained by Charlie Whittingham and ridden to Breeders' Cup glory by Chris McCarron, who replaced the suspended Patrick Valenzuela.

Tiznow

Bio Blast: Selected seventh in our expert draft by Joe Kristufek, Tiznow is the only two-time winner of the Breeders' Cup Classic, sparing no dramatics with a neck victory in 2000 and a nose decision in 2001 ... Both wins came against international superstars, Giant's Causeway and Sakhee ... Among those he defeated in his pair of thrillers were Kentucky Derby winner Fusaichi Pegasus, past Classic winner Cat Thief, Aptitude, Captain Steve, Lemon Drop Kid and Galileo ... Named Horse of the Year in 2000 ... At his best on the biggest stage, Tiznow also was a two-time Grade 1 winner of the Santa Anita Handicap and Super Derby ... Based in California, he was trained by Jay Robbins and ridden by Chris McCarron.

Jeremy Plonk has been an ESPN.com contributor since 2000. You can E-mail Jeremy about this topic or anything racing-related at Jeremy@Horseplayerpro.com.