BREEDER’S CUP : French Horse Caps Day in Record Style : Classic: Bailey, who won the Kentucky Derby on Sea Hero, guides Arcangues to a $269.20 upset.

A French horse with a bad back broke the backs of 12 more highly regarded opponents Saturday, winning the $3-million Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita in what was perhaps the biggest upset in the history of American racing.

Climaxing a seven-race Breeders’ Cup day that was dominated by California horses for the second consecutive year, Arcangues, a 5-year-old with a name that even his new jockey, Jerry Bailey, couldn’t pronounce, split horses by going through a tight hole in the stretch and went on to a two-length victory in front of 55,130 mostly flabbergasted fans.

Arcangues, who never had raced on dirt and had only one victory this year, paid $269.20, shattering the Breeders’ Cup record that was set by another French-trained horse, Lashkari, who returned $108.80 for his victory in the Turf Stakes at Hollywood Park in 1984.

Trained by Andre Fabre, one of France’s premier conditioners, and bred and owned by Daniel Wildenstein, a 76-year-old Paris art dealer, Arcangues (pronounced arKONG) earned $1.56 million. He started the day with $298,520 in purses, and only four victories in 15 starts in a career frequently interrupted by the disk problems he has suffered from running over Europe’s undulating grass courses.

“We were very confident,” said Alec Wildenstein, the owner’s son. “He looked good and traveled well, and Andre said that on a flat track he would be impossible to beat.”

Few believed in Arcangues, who went off as the longest price in the 1 1/4-mile race. Bertrando, who headed the three-horse entry that went off favored at 6-5, finished second and missed winning with his wire-to-wire style when Arcangues squeezed between Diazo and Ezzoud with about an eighth of a mile left.

Bertrando’s defeat eliminated him from horse-of-the-year consideration. With Dehere and Sky Beauty, two other candidates, also losing Saturday, the Eclipse Awards voters are probably left with a choice between the two grass stars, Kotashaan and Lure, who won their races. Peteski, the Canadian triple crown champion, might have jumped into the picture with a victory in the Classic, but he was scratched early Saturday because of a swelling in his right front ankle.

Kotashaan won the Turf Stakes by 1 1/4 lengths, beating Bien Bien, the horse he also outfinished last winter at Santa Anita. Lure overcame a No. 12 post and a rough run around the first turn to win the Mile for the second consecutive year, becoming only the third two-time winner in the Breeders’ Cup’s 10-year history and the first male.

In other Breeders’ Cup races:

--Brocco won the Juvenile with a strong late run while Dehere, the shortest-priced favorite of the day, struggled home eighth.

--Favored Hollywood Wildcat was a nose better than Paseana after a tremendous stretch duel in the Distaff.

--Phone Chatter won by a head over Sardula in the Juvenile Fillies, launching trainer Richard Mandella’s four-winner day. Mandella saddled another Breeders’ Cup winner, Kotashaan, and also won two other stakes on the 10-race card.

--And Cardmania nipped Meafara at the wire in the Sprint.

Except for Arcangues and Lure, the other five Breeders’ Cup winners were California horses used to running at Santa Anita. Last year at Gulfstream Park, Lure and Fraise were the exceptions as California-trained horses won five of the seven races.

But Arcangues’ unfamiliarity with Santa Anita--and dirt--didn’t seem to matter. The Kentucky-bred son of Sagace and Albertine arrived in California on Monday with about two dozen other French horses, having worked on dirt only once in France.

“He’s a world-beater on his good days,” Fabre said. “I wasn’t pleased with his post position (No. 12), but we thought that by running on the flat, it would be easier on his back, which took a beating in his last race. And we signed on an American jockey (Bailey) because we wanted someone who was familiar with riding on dirt.”

Bailey, one of New York’s leading riders, won this year’s Kentucky Derby with Sea Hero and won the 1991 Classic with Black Tie Affair, who became horse of the year.

In the walking ring shortly before Saturday’s Classic, Arcangues’ groom tried to tell Bailey how to ride the horse, but the jockey doesn’t understand French. Finally, having boarded the horse, Bailey received some fleeting instructions from the bilingual Fabre as the field headed toward the track.

“The one thing he told me was not to override the horse,” Bailey said later.

Bertrando went to the lead as expected and set moderate early fractions as Marquetry, his stablemate, settled into second place. Best Pal, the second choice at 9-5 and a horse who has run most of his best races at Santa Anita, also seemed to be in good position, in fourth place.

Arcangues was in 10th place after a half-mile, about eight lengths behind Bertrando.

“I tried to get through all the way on the rail, and he almost did,” Bailey said. “I went through everybody but I think one horse. Sometimes horses are ridden to death by first-time riders who don’t know anything about them. You don’t want to force your will on them.”

On the far turn, Bertrando was clinging to the lead and Marquetry wasn’t narrowing the small gap. Arcangues was closing ground, but there was trouble ahead. Ezzoud, the English colt, was in front of him on the inside, and running out of steam. Diazo, trainer Bill Shoemaker’s hope, was away from the rail and looked as if he had some run left.

“It was tight going between those horses,” Bailey said. “I knew I was going to have to ride the race of my life to win it. But my horse gave me some tremendous acceleration and we got through. I was surprised at his courage. He never flinched at all.”

Bertrando finished 1 3/4 lengths ahead of Kissin Kris. Marquetry was fourth, another 1 1/4 lengths back. Best Pal was 10th, beaten by about 10 lengths.

Arcangues was fourth in his last race, at Longchamp, and sixth in England the race before that. He began the year in May at Longchamp with a seventh- place finish, and won a Group I race there on May 30.

His time Saturday was 2:00 4/5. His next assignment is a stud farm in France.

Races at a Glance

Race: Winner Sprint: Cardmania Juvenile Fillies: Phone Chatter Distaff: Hollywood Wildcat Mile: Lure Juvenile: Brocco Turf: Kotashaan Classic: Arcangues COVERAGE: C10-13