Calvin Borel learns the hazards of putting up his dukes

Reporting from Louisville, Ky. — On opening day of Breeders’ Cup race weekend, which turned out to be a graveyard for favorites, they sprinkled in a little boxing with the horse racing.

Jockey Calvin Borel did his Manny Pacquiao impression Friday, but with vastly poorer results.

Borel, famous for winning three recent Kentucky Derbies here at Churchill Downs, including this year’s aboard Super Saver and his fabled rail dash through the mud from nowhere in 2009 aboard Mine That Bird, got into a bumping match with Javier Castellano aboard Prince Will I Am in the opening Breeders’ Cup Marathon. Borel, nearly losing his seat on A.U. Miner, had words -- not nice ones -- for Castellano during a stewards’ review and it escalated into Borel’s taking several swings at Castellano.

Eventually, the security people restrained Borel and stewards moved Borel’s horse up to third and took Prince Will I Am from second to 10th. That left Eldaafer first and Gabriel’s Hill second. Borel and Castellano will be subject to an officials’ review before racing Saturday, but neither is expected to lose any mounts.

The fight shared the highlight reel with a victory by Unrivaled Belle over heavily favored Blind Luck in the $2-million Ladies Classic, and with the stunning victory by 47-1 longshot Shared Account in the $2-million Filly and Mare Turf.

In that race, Maryland horse Shared Account beat the overwhelming favorite, 4-5 Midday, who won last year at Santa Anita.

In the six Breeders’ Cup races held Friday, the smallest winning payoff for a $2 bet was the $10.40 for Awesome Feather in the $2-million Juvenile Fillies. That was followed by $17 on Unrivaled Belle; $19.20 for Dubai Majesty in the $1-million Filly and Mare Sprint; $23.20 for Eldaafer; $23.20 for More Than Real in the $1-million Juvenile Fillies Turf, and the $94 to Shared Account.

Perhaps the biggest upset was that of Blind Luck, who had won nine of 14 starts and taken the Kentucky Oaks on this track in May against a game Evening Jewel.

“We have no excuses, nothing wrong,” said Blind Luck’s trainer, Jerry Hollendorfer.

Evening Jewel, running this time in a different race than Blind Luck, finished a game third in the Filly and Mare Sprint for Marilyn Braly of Palm Desert.

The Ladies’ Classic was the feature of the day, and trainer Bill Mott’s victory with Unrivaled Belle was his sixth in a Breeders’ Cup race.

“We were disappointed it has taken us this long to get her into a Grade I winner’s circle,” Mott said.

Etc.

In the Filly and Mare Turf won by longshot Shared Account, all four paying places were determined by a photo. . . . Attendance was 41,614. Attendance for last year’s first day of the Breeders’ Cup, at Santa Anita, was 37,657. Friday’s weather was cold and windy, with temperatures in the low 40s. Saturday is expected to be slightly warmer. . . . Unrivaled Belle’s rider, veteran Kent Desormeaux, was taken off a horse at Woodbine in Canada earlier in the year when he failed a breathalyzer test. He said he was grateful Mott had stayed with him for mounts, especially this one. “It was truly an embarrassing moment, something I never thought would be attached to my name,” Desormeaux said.

bill.dwyre@latimes.com