Disqualified from a hard-fought victory in the Jockey Club Gold Cup (Grade 1) for interference, Vino Rosso gained ample compensation in Saturday’s $5.52 million Breeders’ Cup Classic (Grade 1) at Santa Anita, in Arcadia, California. The son of Hall of Famer Curlin, the 2007 Classic hero, drove past 5-2 favorite McKinzie to win, going away by 4 1/4 lengths.

The grand finale of the Breeders’ Cup was marred by a serious injury to Mongolian Groom. He had tracked the pace until upper stretch, when he went wrong and was pulled up with a serious left-hind-limb injury. After comprehensive evaluation at the equine hospital, a team of attending veterinarians, surgeons, and a consulting surgeon recommended humane euthanasia of Mongolian Groom due to a severe fracture.

Vino Rosso gave trainer Todd Pletcher his 11th career Breeders’ Cup victory, and jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. his ninth, but both were marking their first in the Classic. Ortiz scored four of those wins at this Breeders’ Cup, nearly doubling his career tally going into the two-day event. Starting off by taking the Juvenile Turf Sprint (Grade 2) aboard the American Pharoah colt Four Wheel Drive on “Future Stars Friday,” Ortiz annexed the Dirt Mile (Grade 1) with Spun to Run and the Turf (Grade 1) aboard hot favorite Bricks and Mortar before the climactic Classic