Each year as the anniversary of the September 11 terror attacks arrives, painful memories resurface for a nation reflecting on a devastating moment in American history, when a systematic strike orchestrated by al-Qaeda claimed the lives of 2,977 individuals.
Hijacked aircraft were crashed by terrorists into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon near Washington, D.C., while a fourth plane, Flight 93, went down in a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, following an apparent struggle by passengers and crew to wrest back control of the flight deck.
This immense loss of life and the looming threat of further violence brought a large portion of the country to a sudden standstill. At the same time, emergency personnel courageously raced toward the devastation, risking everything to pull survivors from the debris and salvage every life they could.
In a span of just 102 minutes—stretching from 8:46 a.m. ET, when the initial plane hit the north tower, to 10:28 a.m.—the World Trade Center’s twin towers disintegrated, sending shockwaves that rattled the very bedrock of the nation.
The rhythm of daily life ground to a sudden halt. Flights were grounded nationwide, while musical performances and athletic competitions were called off as citizens grappled with the devastating magnitude of the tragedy.
Gradually, nevertheless, New York City started to regain a fragile normalcy. Professional sports made their return when Major League Baseball games restarted on Monday, Sept. 17. By Friday, Sept. 21, Shea Stadium hosted the city’s inaugural major league matchup post-attack, highlighted by Mike Piazza hitting a legendary eighth-inning, two-run homer that secured a victory for the New York Mets over the Atlanta Braves.
Forty-eight hours later on Sept. 23, the NFL kicked off its games once again, though the presence of security checkpoints, canine units trained to detect explosives, and militarized security personnel offered a sobering signal of a permanently altered world.
Belmont Park in Elmont, New York, situated roughly 12 miles from the site of the collapsed towers at Ground Zero, was scheduled to host the 2001 Breeders’ Cup World Championships on October 27.
As reported by BloodHorse, “The atmosphere at the Breeders’ Cup World Thoroughbred Championships was completely unprecedented for a racing venue. Security officers used trained canines to inspect vehicles at random as they arrived at the facility. Military personnel carrying automatic weapons patrolled the grounds of Belmont. Marksmen kept watch from the rooftops, monitoring the spectators with specialized scopes. It was an incredibly bizarre environment.”
Representing the crown jewel of the event, the $4 million Classic attracted an elite global lineup for its ten-furlong distance. The formidable field of 13 competitors that loaded into the Belmont starting gate on October 27 included Godolphin’s Arc de Triomphe champion Sakhee, Coolmore’s dual Irish and English Derby victor Galileo, Juddmonte Farms’ Jockey Club Gold Cup titleholder Aptitude, and the reigning Classic champion Tiznow.
Getting back to the World Championships had proved highly challenging for Tiznow, who had been put on the shelf following a dominant five-length victory in the Santa Anita Handicap back in March. The four-year-old son of Cee’s Tizzy suffered from unsoundness in his hindquarters. Subsequent diagnostic scans revealed inflammation in his spine along with several muscular complications.
To address the issue, conditioning expert Jay Robbins reached out to his father, Jack—a highly respected retired equine veterinarian—who collaborated alongside Dr. Rick Arthur and other top veterinary specialists from across the nation.
“Virtually everyone doubted he would return to the track,” Jack Robbins remarked in the wake of the Breeders’ Cup. “His rear movement was so severely compromised that it alarmed everyone.”
Following a prolonged period of recuperation and relaxation, Tiznow resumed basic training activities in May, gradually building up his fitness to a full gallop. However, his comeback races yielded underwhelming third-place performances in both September’s Woodward Stakes and the Goodwood Breeders’ Cup Handicap on Oct. 7, all while the colt grew increasingly headstrong and unruly during morning trackwork.
After weighing their options, the ownership group opted to send Tiznow to New York to defend his title in the Classic. Upon arrival at Belmont, he continued to test the patience of Jay Robbins and exercise jockey Ramon Arciga during his preparation runs, whereas his rival Sakhee, under the watchful eye of Tom Albertrani, was turning heads with outstanding morning workouts.
As the starting stalls opened for the 2001 renewal, bettors made Aptitude the 2.35-1 choice from the outside gate, followed by Galileo at 3.35-1 and Sakhee at 4.80-1. The reigning Horse of the Year, Tiznow, sat as the fourth betting option at 6.90-1, tracking the early pace in third position under jockey Chris McCarron behind Orientate and Albert the Great.
Sakhee secured a favorable stalking position just behind the pacesetters in sixth, tracking Galileo, during an afternoon already heavily influenced by overseas victors Banks Hill in the Filly and Mare Turf, Johannesburg in the Juvenile, and Fantastic Light in the Turf.
Rounding into the home straight, Albert the Great took the lead as Tiznow made his move and Sakhee launched a powerful rally further out. Although Albert the Great resisted fiercely at the top of the lane, Sakhee began to forge ahead, but Tiznow—looming as a giant, determined presence between his rivals—dropped his ears, relentlessly pursued Sakhee, and refused to yield as they neared the finish line.
This spectacular showdown is remembered as one of the most dramatic moments in Breeders’ Cup lore, offering New Yorkers a fleeting moment of joy amidst a grim and uncertain post-9/11 landscape.
As legendary track announcer Tom Durkin famously declared: “On the outside Sakhee … Tiznow fights on! Here’s the wire … desperately close … Tiznow wins it for America!”
Note: This article first appeared in 2022 and has since been revised.
