Triumph, tragedy in Classic

OCEANPORT, N.J. -- Horses trained by Bob Baffert won two Breeders’ Cup races, Nashoba’s Key lost for the first time, and Curlin no doubt wrapped up horse-of-the-year honors Saturday by winning the $5-million Classic at Monmouth Park.

But for the second consecutive year at the Breeders’ Cup, the sad side of horse racing became highly visible on one of the sport’s biggest stages.

European import George Washington suffered a broken right leg in the Classic, just after Curlin crossed the finish line as the winner. It happened right in front of the grandstands, and the horse was euthanized on the track as workers held up large brown screens to prevent the crowd of 41,781 from watching.

The 4-year-old colt trained by Irishman Aidan O’Brien was retired at the end of last year with plans to stud. But the horse was found to be infertile.

Last year in the Breeders’ Cup at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., Pine Island suffered a fatal breakdown in the Distaff. And before that was Barbaro’s fatal misstep in the Preakness after the horse had won the Kentucky Derby.

George Washington was bred by Roy and Gretchen Jackson, who owned Barbaro and spent millions trying to keep him alive.

On the same day Barbaro won the 2006 Kentucky Derby, George Washington won the 2000 Guineas, the opening leg of the English classics.

In Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup Classic, Curlin, the winner of this year’s Preakness, moved into contention around the final turn and swept past Hard Spun and Lawyer Ron, the early favorite who finished seventh.

Hard Spun finished second and Awesome Gem, who had finished second in his last three races -- two at Del Mar and one at Oak Tree at Santa Anita -- was third. Tiago, the other Southern California horse in the Classic, finished fifth, 10 lengths behind the winner. Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense was fourth in his final race before retiring to stud.

The race was run in sunshine, although it rained during some of the day’s early races.

Curlin, who covered 1 1/4 miles in 2:00.59, paid $10.80 to win.

Baffert, who had won only three Breeders’ Cup races in 44 starts before Saturday, got the first of his day’s two wins when Indian Blessing went wire to wire in the Juvenile Fillies.

Three races later, in the Sprint for 3-year-olds and up, Midnight Lute gave Baffert his second win.

Baffert’s other entry, Tough Tiz’s Sis, winner of the Lady Secret Stakes at Oak Tree at Santa Anita Oct. 7, finished seventh in the Distaff.

Garrett Gomez rode both of Baffert’s winners. He also guided Octave to a third-place finish in the Distaff.

The winner of the Distaff was Ginger Punch, who is owned by Santa Anita owner Frank Stronach and trained by Bobby Frankel. Hystericalady, who finished second in the Lady Secret Stakes at Oak Tree, was second.

Nashoba’s Key, after winning her first seven races, all this year, finished fourth in the Filly & Mare Turf. The race was won by 12-1 shot Lahudood.

Starting from the No. 3 post, Nashoba’s Key got off to a bad start. Trapped along the rail, the 4-year-old eventually mounted a mild bid in the upper stretch but just didn’t have enough left on the muddy track.

“What the heck happened?” trainer Carla Gaines asked 17-year-old jockey Joe Talamo immediately after the race.

Later, Talamo said, “Nothing we could do. She was on the inside the whole way, the worst part of the track. It was probably six inches deep there on the rail.

“This was very disappointing, but she still ran a heck of a race. She should still be undefeated.”

Gaines, who didn’t blame the loss on the track conditions, said, “Turf racing is always difficult. . . . Things happen.”

Baffert, who has saddled such great horses as Silver Charm, Real Quiet, Point Given and War Emblem, may have another one in Indian Blessing.

The 2-year-old filly owned by Hal and Patti Earnhardt of Mesa, Ariz, is undefeated in three races, all decisive wins.

Indian Blessing was the favorite and beat second-place finisher Proud Spell by 3 1/2 lengths.

Baffert said he will give the horse the rest of the year off and wasn’t sure where the horse would next run.

For a while this summer, the 2-year-old filly was stabled at Del Mar and was entered in a race on Pacific Classic day. But Indian Blessing, along with Midnight Lute, was among the horses Baffert sent East because he wasn’t a fan of Del Mar’s new Polytrack.

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larry.stewart@latimes.com