Vino Rosso charges past favorite McKinzie to win Breeders' Cup Classic; Mongolian Groom euthanized

ARCADIA, Calif. — Vino Rosso won the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic Saturday at Santa Anita Park, but the race was marred by another death.

Mongolian Groom, a 4-year-old gelding, injured a hind leg down the stretch and was taken off the track by van for evaluation. He later was euthanized.

Jockey Abel Cedillo, who was aboard Mongolian Groom, pulled up the horse on the final stretch.

 The death was the 37th at the track since December. A string of horse deaths at Santa Anita , as a result of racing or training — fueled concerns about the possibility of a catastrophic breakdown taking place during the high-profile races Friday and Saturday.

U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, in a letter sent earlier this week to the executive director of the state’s horse racing regulatory board, called the Breeders’ Cup a "critical test for the future of horse racing in California."

With jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. aboard, Vino Rosso charged past prerace favorite McKinzie down the homestretch and won the featured race by 4 1/2 lengths. Trained by Todd Pletcher, Vino Rosso is the son of Curlin, who won the Breeders’ Cup Classic in 2007.

'IT'S JUST A JOB TO ME': Horses go from racetracks to slaughterhouses

Vino Rosso paid $11.20. McKinzie, trained by Bob Baffert, finished second and paid $4.80. Higher Power finished third and paid $6.00.

During the week leading up to the Breeders’ Cup, two horses died — one during a race Sunday and one during training Oct. 25.

The combined announced attendance for the two days was 109,054.