Extravagant praise flowed freely leading up to, throughout, and following the 1998 running of the Breeders’ Cup Classic, and the race fully earned every bit of it.
“It is the finest group of competitors I have ever witnessed,” remarked Seth Hancock, Claiborne Farm’s president and co-owner of the contender Arch, in an interview with BloodHorse prior to the event. “When the purse is this high, you attract the absolute cream of the crop.”
The prize money Hancock spoke of amounted to a $5.12 million purse, establishing it as the most lucrative horse race in history up to that point, and the formidable lineup of elite horses assembled perfectly matched its billing as an “All-Star Field.”
Expectations were sky-high on November 7, 1998, at Churchill Downs, and the World Championships responded by drawing a historic crowd of 80,452 alongside record wagering figures. The elite contenders in the Classic lived up to the billing, providing an incredibly thrilling final act.
Leading the illustrious 1998 Classic lineup was the dual Eclipse Award recipient Skip Away, making his final track appearance, alongside Silver Charm, who captured the 1997 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes as well as the 1998 Dubai World Cup. Skip Away aimed for consecutive Classic victories, and though his final outing was unusually lackluster, he nevertheless secured the 1998 Horse of the Year title and entered the Racing Hall of Fame in 2004; Silver Charm followed him into the Hall of Fame three years later in 2007.
The acclaimed European runner Swain, who had captured four Group 1 victories overseas, crossed the Atlantic for his final career race in this Classic. The stellar field also featured 1997 Belmont Stakes champion Touch Gold, 1998 Belmont Stakes winner Victory Gallop, and Coronado’s Quest, who had swept both the Haskell and Travers Stakes earlier that year.
Also in the mix was Awesome Again, who had previously triumphed in the Queen’s Plate and the Grade 2 Jim Dandy Stakes during a three-win campaign from six starts in 1997. Trainer Patrick Byrne and owner-breeder Frank Stronach elected to take a conservative path for his four-year-old year, awarding the colt a lengthy break of over five months before bringing him back to the track in March 2018.
Starting his season with a victory in an allowance race at Churchill Downs on May 22, Awesome Again quickly established himself as a top-tier contender by securing consecutive, decisive wins in the Grade 2 Stephen Foster and Grade 1 Whitney Handicaps. In the Stephen Foster, he took advantage of a 14-pound weight concession to defeat Silver Charm by a length. He maintained a perfect record throughout 1998 with subsequent blowout victories in the Grade 2 Saratoga Breeders’ Cup Handicap in August and the Grade 3 Hawthorne Gold Cup Handicap in October.
In total, the ten competitors had collectively accumulated nearly $30 million in career prize money and boasted 31 Group or Grade 1 trophies prior to starting in the Classic—and the actual running fully matched the pre-race billing.
Coronado’s Quest broke sharply to claim an early lead, whereas Skip Away got caught in traffic momentarily before advancing to third position as they crossed the finish line the first time. On the backstretch, Skip Away settled into second place right behind the leader, though Hall of Fame rider Jerry Bailey immediately sensed that things were going amiss.
“Within the first fifty yards, I realized we were in a bad spot,” Bailey recalled to BloodHorse. “He simply was not handling the racing surface.”
While Coronado’s Quest set a steady but manageable pace, running the first half-mile in :47.69, Gary Stevens had Silver Charm poised in fourth along the outside, tracking only a length off the lead through the first six furlongs. Swain originally drafted behind Skip Away before jockey Frankie Dettori guided him outward a few lanes on the backstretch, placing the European challenger in prime position only a couple of lengths back as they headed into the far turn. At the same time, Awesome Again and Touch Gold bided their time near the rear of the pack, ahead of only the late-running Victory Gallop.
As they rounded the home turn, Silver Charm launched a brilliant surge to take the lead, closely pursued by a powerful outside bid from Swain. Even as he battled on resolutely, Swain began drifting outward significantly down the lane, and Silver Charm appeared to drift with him toward the center of the track, while Coronado’s Quest continued to fight courageously along the inside rail.
Swain’s rider, Dettori (who had already been unseated twice during the warm-up), explained that his mount shied toward the television lighting set up near the winner’s circle for the NBC broadcast.
This movement created a massive opening roughly five lanes wide, allowing late-runners Awesome Again and Victory Gallop to charge forward with full momentum.
Though Victory Gallop’s bid eventually stalled, Awesome Again produced a devastating turn of foot under jockey Pat Day, eating up ground to overtake the front-runners and secure a three-quarter-length victory.
“He came from so far down along the rail that I doubt Silver Charm ever spotted him,” Stevens remarked to BloodHorse. “I failed to see him myself until the race was already lost.”
Silver Charm managed to nose out the drifting Swain by a neck to claim runner-up honors, with Victory Gallop just a nose further behind in fourth. The three-year-old Coronado’s Quest put in a heroic effort against his elders, finishing fifth and beaten by a mere two lengths, while Skip Away dropped back to end his career in sixth.
Although Awesome Again capped an unblemished six-win season with his Breeders’ Cup Classic triumph, he was shut out of the Eclipse Awards as Skip Away claimed both the Champion Older Male and Horse of the Year honors. Following his Classic victory, Awesome Again was retired to stud, enjoying an incredibly successful career as a sire for Stronach, highlighted by siring the 2004 Classic champion and Horse of the Year, Ghostzapper.
Note: This article originally appeared in 2020 and has since been revised.
