The 15 years or so from the mid-1960s through the end of the 1970s is rightly regarded as the Golden Age of American Thoroughbred racing. Beginning with the Kentucky Derby and Preakness victories of Northern Dancer in 1964, the following decade and a half produced a steady stream American-bred horses with credentials both on the racetrack and in the breeding shed that rival or surpass the all-time greats of the Thoroughbred breed.

Wagering on U.S. races in October was down starkly from betting during the same month last year, according to figures released by Equibase on Monday, but the comparison was nearly meaningless due to the later running of the two-day Breeders’ Cup event this year.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Well-known in Europe, Irish jockey Seamus Heffernan introduced himself to American racing fans on Saturday aboard Highland Reel in the $4 million Breeders’ Cup Turf at Santa Anita.

Heffernan was impossible to ignore, essentially stealing the race at 1 1/2 miles on the pacesetter Highland Reel, who led by as many as seven lengths and won by 1 3/4 lengths over the New York star Flintshire.

ARCADIA, Calif. – On March 26, California Chrome won the Dubai World Cup. Three weeks later, Arrogate made the first start of his career at Los Alamitos and lost.

Yet in the 6 1/2 months since that race, Arrogate came far and fast, and on Saturday, in only the sixth start of his career, he knocked off California Chrome in the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita, announcing himself as the horse ready to take the mantle from California Chrome as the best dirt horse in the world in 2017.

ARCADIA, Calif. – As a championship event, the 2016 Breeders’ Cup delivered, and especially in tremendous renewals of the Classic and Distaff. But while there is some important stakes racing left this year, mainly on Thanksgiving weekend, most of this year’s Eclipse Award divisions were decided by the time “official” went up on the tote board following Saturday’s Classic.

Let’s take a look at the 10 equine Eclipse Award divisions on the flat, and the impact this Breeders’ Cup had on them, with a brief comment on Horse of the Year honors at the end:

Betting on the 13 Breeders’ Cup races held Friday and Saturday at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif., was up 1.7 percent over the same 13 races held last year despite steep drops in betting on the $6 million Classic, according to charts.

Total betting on the 13 races, including all horizontal bets ending in a Breeders’ Cup race, was $128.1 million, compared with $125.9 million bet last year, when the event was held at Keeneland in Lexington, Ky., according to the charts. There were 148 total runners in the 13 races this year, compared with 159 horses last year.

ARCADIA, Calif. – A year ago, jockey Victor Espinoza basked in the glow of an adoring Keeneland crowd after guiding American Pharoah to victory in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, capping an unforgettable season that included the Triple Crown.

On Saturday, Espinoza’s emotions were on the opposite end of the spectrum after Arrogate, under Mike Smith, went past California Chrome in the final 20 yards to win the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic by half a length, ending California Chrome’s bid for a perfect season.

Joseph Appelbaum has won the 2016 Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge. Appelbaum, playing from Santa Anita, hit the exacta in the Breeders Cup Classic for $13,000. He walks away with a total of $364,000. His winning play was Arrogate over California Chrome, one way. He also had a $1,000 exacta with Arrogate over Effinex.

“I loved Arrogate,” said the 48-year-old who runs Off the Hook Stables, a breeding and sales operation in Ocala, Fla., and resides in New York City. “He just ran a huge race in Saratoga, and I thought if he even ran anything close to that, he was going to win.”

ARCADIA, Calif. – When Tourist ran in the 2014 Breeders’ Cup Mile at Santa Anita, he nearly took a tour of the parking lot on the first turn. Breaking from post 13, he was pushed even farther out around the bend, his race over barely after it had started. Two years later, Tourist and jockey Joel Rosario got the dream vacation package, sailing along inside and in the clear over the lightning-fast Santa Anita grass course and on to victory in the $2 million Mile.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Midway on the backstretch of Saturday’s $4 million Breeders’ Cup Turf at Santa Anita, Highland Reel had a comfortable lead that rapidly became insurmountable. Highland Reel led by more than two lengths on the first turn, an advantage extended to 6 1/2 lengths on the final turn.

For Irish jockey Seamus Heffernan, a simple game plan was working brilliantly.

“I was happy to make the running,” Heffernan said. “I kicked when I thought I should kick. He’s brave in front, and when you turn him loose, he’ll go.”